Building the Village it Takes: Community and Preservice Teachers Serving and Learning
Steven Hart, Education, Mayor's Beauitification Program, and the University Area Community Center. (UCCP)
Description:
The USF College of Education embraced the dual mission of improving the schools of today and inventing the schools of tomorrow. In pursuit of this mission, the College seeks to prepare exemplary teachers, other professional educations and support personnel from diverse backgrounds to meet the needs of a changing society, to create and extend knowledge and to transform teaching, learning, leadership and support services through research and informed practice.
Several departments within the College of Education will partner with the Mayor's Beautification Program and the University Area Community Center to collaboratively design and infuse service-learning experiences into existing courses. The service-learning experiences will unite in the creation of interdisciplinary, after-school, youth programs at the Center.
Infusing service-learning into teacher education allows pre-service teachers to transcend boundaries of the university classroom and connect theory to practice in meaningful, authentic experiences that will have real consequences. Allowing pre-service teachers to become service learners will promote academic learning and provide an opportunity to see how service learning functions as an effective teaching pedagogy, while providing a service to children, families and the community.
Contact Person: Steven Hart
Funding for Academic Year: 2003-04