Service Learning for Education MajorsFALL 2014 INFORMATION SESSION

OCTOBER 2, 2014

SANDY MOUA, TEACHER EDUCATION RECRUITER/ADVISOR

UWEC Service Learning Requirement

All students at UW-Eau Claire must complete 30 hours of approved service learning activity prior to graduation.

The purpose of this requirement is to:

Provide students with the opportunity to serve in the community

Apply the knowledge students have gained from the classroom into the community

Enhance students’ critical thinking skills and become informed, active, responsible, and ethical citizens

Requirements for Education Majors

Half of the service learning hours (15) will be met through a required course titled ES 385 Social Foundations: Human Relations.

You will need 15 hours completed prior to the start of ES 385

Your 15 hours on your own and the 15 hours you get in the course will meet your university service learning requirement for graduation.

SPED Requirements SPED majors/minors can apply the 15

independent hours toward program application if with children or persons with disabilities.

15 hours for ES 385 cannot be used toward application since hours are part of a course.

A “validation form” will need to be filled out at time of application.

Gate 1

When to enroll in ES 385

Junior or Senior year, but if space is available, sophomores may enroll.

Recommend you to complete pre-program courses (ES 203, ES 212, SPED 205) before enrolling in the class.

Highly recommend you to complete ES 385 prior to your block (pre-student teaching) semester.

When is ES 385 offered?

Course is offered fall, spring, winterim, and summer term

An immersion experience may be offered during the winterim and spring terms.

1 week of the term will be spent volunteering in an urban classroom

Winterim sections travel to a Washington, D.C. school

Spring term will travel during spring break and will vary, but have traveled to schools in Texas, South Carolina, and Milwaukee.

Criteria for Independent Hours

15 independent hours needed prior to taking ES 385.

Recommend to complete your independent hours working with children

Experience may not be with an organization that is overtly affiliated with religion (YMCA is acceptable).

Paid experiences cannot be used to meet the requirement

Hours completed for another course such as ES 203, ES 212, or SPED 205 cannot be used unless the hours are above and beyond the requirement for the course.

High school volunteer experiences will count only if it was completed after your admission to the university.

Documentation of Independent Hours

You will complete a document to verify the 15 hours completed when enrolled in ES 385.

Education majors are not required to submit these hours through the Service Learning Office because the credit is received via the ES 385 course.

Information needed on the documentation form include:

Total number of hours of the service learning experience

Name of the agency, institution, or program

Supervisor’s name, address, phone number and email

A description of your responsibilities

Documentation of Hours in ES 385

You will need to provide the following to your instructor to meet the objectives of the course:

Describe the specific services you contributed and the kind of interaction you had with the group and/or person.

What did you learn about the individual’s or group’s history, background, and culture that you didn’t know before?

How will these experiences affect your practice with regard to:

Curriculum and lesson planning

Teaching or therapy methods

Interpersonal relationships/understanding of your students, colleagues, and parents