Crossing Boundaries in Service-Learning Professional Development: Preservice and Inservice Teachers Learning Together

International Research Conference on Service Learning and Community Engagement

Dr. Marjori Krebs October 2010

Key Questions What motivates participants to attend

service-learning professional development trainings?

Does providing training to preservice and inservice teachers together over time increase motivation and/or sustainability for implementing service-learning pedagogy in the classroom?

Professional Development & Service-Learning Student achievement is

related to sustained and intensive professional development

Substantial professional development (approximately 50 hours) is necessary to improve skills and student learning

Collaboration is important in professional learning

There is a need to provide support through professional development for new teachers

(Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009)

Motivation & Faculty Participation in Service-Learning Of the few studies conducted on faculty

motivation to participate in service-learning, the majority attributed that motivation to participate in service-learning activities to students and their learning (McKay & Rozee, 2004).

Overview of the New Mexico Service-Learning Legacy Project Series of 3 professional

development workshops over the span of the school year.

Generally preservice teachers and their inservice cooperating teachers attended together.

Funds provided by the State of New Mexico Coalition for Community Service and Volunteerism.

Legacy Gifts, Fascinations, and Positive Character Traits Sense of Community Taking Action that Matters Reflection Envisioning the Future

Key Themes of NMSLLP

Participants Participants (n=128)

56 Elementary Education Preservice Teachers

69 Cooperating Teachers

32 pairs of PT/CTs 2 locations over 3 years

(Albuquerque and Farmington)

Teaching Experience0-1 year 49.4%2-5 years 8.6%6-9 years 18.5%10-17 years 8.7%18+ years 14.8%

Participants (cont.) Grade Level

Elementary (K-5) 67.9% (marketing target) Middle School (6-8) 27.2% High School (9-12) 1.2%

Participants (cont.) Teaching Styles (96%)

Hands-on Flexible Facilitator of Learning

OK when things don’t go as planned

Student self-discovery

Teaching Beliefs (100%) Rapport with

students is important Students need to

discover passion and purpose

Important to connect students to their communities

Methodology What: A series of 3

professional development workshops (October, February, March)

Focus: Planning and implementing high-quality service-learning pedagogy in K-12 Classrooms

Intent: To train preservice teachers and their cooperating teachers together.

Data Collection 3 surveys, completed

at the end of each workshop

Surveys included quantitative and qualitative questions

Data was collected to follow pairs of cooperating and preservice teachers

Methodology Analysis

SPSS analysis of quantitative questions Qualitative data coded for themes Use of quotes for evidence of themes and

findings

The Findings

Categories of Findings Motivators for participants to attend a service-

learning professional development workshop Participant impressions of the impact of

implementing service-learning on: Students Teaching Professional Connections Other Impressions

Categories of Findings (cont.)

Next Steps in Implementation of Service-Learning

Importance of Partnerships with Other Teachers

Motivators for Participants to Attend Service-Learning Professional Development Workshops% Answering Very or Somewhat Important: Personal Interest in Service-Learning 97.5% Ability to Attend with Teaching Partner 88.1% Funds Provided to Pay Substitute 78.2% Opportunity for Graduate Credit 74.3% Receiving Free Materials 74.1% Prior Experience with Service-Learning and/or

Community Service 65.4% Principal Support to Attend 60.9%

Impressions of Attending and Planning with a Teaching Partner% Answering Strongly Agree or Agree: It is easier to implement service-learning when my teaching

partner and I have received the same training. 89.3%

My teaching partner has helped me remember ideas we discussed in the first workshop. 88.4%

My teaching partner has helped me implement ideas from the workshop. 92.5%

I might have planned and/or implemented my service-learning project differently had I attended alone. 84.2%

Attending and Planning with a Teaching Partner--Comments

“We remind and encourage each other every day.” “I couldn’t do this project without her!” “We dream up extensions every day—two people working together

is great!” “We could split the lessons according to our strengths in the

different areas.” “I believe that working with a partner makes the planning for

curriculum more creative and purposeful toward student learning.” “I like doing this alongside somebody else and not by myself.” “She has the big plan and I add creative meaningful details. It

works!” “This experience has allowed us to put trust in each other.”

Participant Impressions of the Impact of Service-Learning on STUDENTSOn Willingness to Continue to Plan or Implement Service-

Learning (Survey 2) Following Implementation of Service-Learning (Survey 3)% Answering Very or Somewhat Important: Greater Depth of Thinking 97% 100% Authentic Learning 65.5% 100% Greater Empathy 100% 97.7% Visible Improvement in Writing 97% 89.4% Academic Growth 96.9% 92.8%

Impact on STUDENTS Comments “See them looking beyond themselves to the community

around them.” “Lessons like this will stay with them for the next 30

years.” “An awareness of issues of sustainability in New Mexico.” They can and do make a difference.” “The students are very enthusiastic and motivated.” “Discussion of science: The kids were very much

interested in the plans we were growing in our garden.”

Participant Impressions of the Impact of Service-Learning on TEACHERSOn Willingness to Continue to Plan or Implement Service-Learning

(Survey 2) Following Implementation of Service-Learning (Survey 3)% Answering Very or Somewhat Important: Meaningful connections with students 100% 100% Ability to build create rapport 100% 95.3% Learned more information 100% 97.7% Brings meaning & purpose to teaching 97% 100% Energizing 96.9% 100% See gratifying results 93.9% 100% Opportunity to integrate subject areas 97% 97%

“I know I am bringing meaning to education and learning.”

“The meaning will come when they remember these projects years from now, but also the gratification I receive from knowing how many people we have helped.”

“Makes me do what I believe in but don’t always include in my curriculum.”

Impact on TEACHERS Comments:

Participant Impressions of the Impact of Service-Learning on PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONSOn Willingness to Continue to Plan or Implement Service-Learning

(Survey 2) Following Implementation of Service-Learning (Survey 3)% Answering Very or Somewhat Important: Connect with Local Businesses/Organizations 96.8% 88.3% Support of Administrators 96.7% 79.1% Share project implementation with Partner 89.5% 93% Communicate and connect with Building/

District Administrators 87.4% 67.5% Communicate and connect with Parents 84.8% 86.1%

OTHER Participant Impressions of the Impact of Service-Learning

On Willingness to Continue to Plan or Implement Service-Learning (Survey 2)

Following Implementation of Service-Learning (Survey 3)

% Answering Very or Somewhat Important:

Media and/or Public Exposure 65.5% 48.9% Grant Funds Available 100%

66.8%

Participant Information on Their Next Steps in Implementation of Service-Learning

% Answering Very Likely or Probably: Implementation of a service-learning project

next year 97% Likeliness to encourage other teachers to

attend workshop 97% Likeliness to encourage other teachers to

implement service-learning projects 97%

So What? The Implications Students are not able to realize the many benefits

of service-learning unless teachers are motivated to work with their students to implement service-learning in their classrooms.

By providing professional development for both inservice and preservice teachers together, there seems to be a greater likelihood that they will implement meaningful service-learning projects.

Further Implications… Preservice teachers are more likely to begin

teaching in their classrooms this way if they are prepared and feel confident to do so.

With scarce professional development dollars available, the results of this research suggest that encouraging teachers to attend in pairs or teams seems to have a positive effect on the possibility of implementation of service-learning projects with students.

“I want to plan out my future classroom around service-learning and I want to make sure I have enough info/knowledge on how to implement it from the first day of school.” --A Preservice Teacher

To Contact the AuthorDr. Marjori Krebs

University of New MexicoCollege of Education

Department of Teacher Educationmkrebs@unm.edu

(505)-277-0602