citzenship, curriculum, and critical thinking beyond the four walls

Jennifer Ponder, Michelle Vander Veldt, & Genell Lewis-Ferrell

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Teacher Education Quarterly, Fall 2011

Citzenship, Curriculum,and Critical Thinking

beyond the Four Wallsof the Classroom:

Linking the Academic Contentwith Service-Learning

By Jennifer Ponder, Michelle Vander Veldt,& Genell Lewis-Ferrell

Jennifer Ponder and Michelle Vander Veldt are assistant professors in the Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education at California State University, Fullerton, and Genell Lewis-Ferrell is an assistant professor at Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama.

Introduction President Obama, along with several of ourcountry’spreviousleaders,haverepeatedlyspokenoftheneedtoactivelyengageallcitizens,evenouryoungest, inservice toour localcommunitiesandbeyond.Thiscalltoservicecoincideswiththerecentfocuson21stcenturylearningoutcomesandthevitalneedtoprepareteacherswhoareequippedtoengageand inspire all learners to be creative and criticalthinkers, notonly for thegoodof their individualfutures,butforthegoodofthefutureofthenation(National Center on Education and the Economy,2006).Forteachers,thismeanslearningtousein-novativeapproachestoengagestudentsasthinkers

Citizenship, Curriculum, and Critical Thinking

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andproblemsolverssotheymaybesuccessfulglobalcitizensandleadersofthe21stcentury. Sinceciviccompetenceisoneoftheprimarygoalsofsocialstudies(NationalCouncilfortheSocialStudies,1994)thenitmakessensetolinkservice-learningandciviceducationtocreateopportunitiesforstudentstosolveproblemsandmakemeaningfulconnectionsinarealworldcontext.Researchhasshownthatengagingstudentsinciviceducationthroughservice-learningencouragescollaborationandcommunicationamongstudentsastheyworktogethertolearnanduseacademicskillstosolvereal-worldproblems(Kelshaw,Lazaruus,&Miner,2009;Schultz,2008).Mostschoolstodaystillhavemissionstatementsthatlistciviceducationasatoppriority,butwiththepushforhighertestscores,civiceducationisoften“leftbehind”(Parker,2008).Thisistrueeveninthefaceofagrowingbodyofevidenceprovingthatservice-learningassistsstudentsinlearningcontentondeeperandmoremeaningfullevels,therebyincreasingachievement,particularlyinreadingandmath(Soslau&Yost,2007).Inaddition,studentmotivationandinteresttowardschoolandlearningincreasesasevidencedbyincreasedattendanceinclassroomsthatintegrateservice-learningintothecurriculum(Boyle-Baise,&Zevin,2009;Soslau&Yost,2007). Ifschooliswherechildrenaregoingtoacquiretherequiredskillsforlifeinthe21stcentury,thenitiscrucialforteachereducatorstohelpclassroomteachersbecomeknowledgeablecitizenswhoarecapableofimplementingacurriculumthatwillpreparestudentstobecivic-minded,global,creative,andcriticalthink-ers.Unfortunately,thecurriculuminmanyschoolshasbeensharplynarrowedtofocusonmathematicsandlanguageartssincetheimplementationoftheNoChildLeftBehindAct(2001).Asaresult,contentareassuchassocialstudiesareofteneliminatedfromtheelementaryclassroomcurriculum(Hinde,2005;Rock,etal.,2006;VanFossen,2005;Zhao&Hoge,2005).Realworldexperiencesandmean-ingfulcurriculumprojectsareoftenobsoletebecausetheirformatdoesnotsupportthetestpreparationregimenmandatedbytheirschooldistricts.Asaresult,anyrequesttodeviatefromascriptthatisfocusedonskillanddrillstrategiesisoftenmetwithresistancefromtheadministration(Hilliard,2000;Santman,2002). Thefollowingarticleexploreshow12classroomteachers,enrolledinoneoftheauthor’sgraduatesocialstudiesmethodscourse,usedservice-learningasaninstructionaltooltohelpstudentspracticeactiveparticipationintheircommunityandbeyond,whilealsorecognizingtherelevanceofacademiccourseworkastheyappliedtheirknowledgeandskillstomeaningfulissuesandcontextsbeyondthefourwallsoftheclassroom.

Theoretical Framework

Experiential Learning LearnandServeAmerica’sNationalClearinghousedefinesservice-learning


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asa“teachingandlearningstrategythatintegratesmeaningfulcommunityservicewithinstructionandreflectiontoenrichthelearningexperience,teachcivicrespon-sibility,andstrengthencommunities”(para.1).Inanattempttorevivemeaningfulcurriculumandreaffirmitsroleinthepreparationof21stcenturyglobalcitizens,wedeterminedthatteachersmustfirstexperienceandreflectonthecomplextaskofintegratingservice-learningintotheirinstruction.Sincewebelievethattruelearn-ingisgroundedinpersonalsubjectiveexperiences,weusedDavidKolb’s(1984)cycleofexperientiallearningtoframeanddevelopaservice-learningassignmentforoneoftheauthor’sgraduatesocialstudiesmethodscourses.Kolb’sexperientiallearningtheoryisbasedontheideathat“learningisaprocesswherebyknowledgeiscreatedthroughthetransformationofexperience”(1984,p.38).Thecyclehasfourdistinctphasesrelatedtolearning:concreteexperience,reflection,formingabstractconcepts,andactiveexperimentation. Atthebeginningofthecourse,theteachersenrolledinthecoursearepreparedfortheconcreteservice-learningexperiencebyexaminingmultipleperspectivesrelatedtocivicknowledge,skills,dispositionsandparticipation.Next,theteach-ersareprovidedwithaframeworktohelpthemco-constructaservice-learningprojectrelatedtoasocialjusticeoreco-justiceissueidentifiedbytheirelementarystudents.Theclassroomteachersareencouragedtofollowtheteachablemomentsthatarebornoutoftheirclassroomdiscussions,andtoallowstudents’intereststoguidethedirectionoftheproject.Thenaturalcurriculumconnectionstolanguage-arts,mathematics,science,andsocialstudiesemergeasstudentsareimmersedinaservice-learningprojectthatencouragescivicparticipationanddecision-mak-ingthroughthoughtfuldeliberations.Ultimately,theelementarystudentsinthesegraduatestudents’classroomsareresponsibleforidentifyingissuesofconcern,thinkingcriticallyabouttheissuespresented,selectingoneclassissuetoexplore,anddevelopingaplanofactiontoaddresstheissue. Tohelpstudentsengageinstructureddecision-makingactivitiesandexaminemultiplesidesofanissue,teachersareencouragedtousestrategiessuchasPMI(plus,minus, and interesting)charts,decision-making trees, andweightedsumcharts(Guillaume,Yopp,&Yopp,2007).Before,during,andafterimplementa-tionoftheproject,theteachersarerequiredtodocument,reflect,andanalyzetheprocessofallowingthecurriculumtodevelop.Attheendofthecourse,teachersareencouragedtoformabstractconceptsandconsiderhowtointegratemeaningfulservice-learningopportunitiesthatenhanceandmakenaturalconnectionstothemandatedcurriculum,whilestillmeetingthestateacademiccontentstandards.Theoverallgoalisforteacherstocontinueactiveexperimentationwithservice-learningpedagogyintheclassroomlongafterthegraduatecoursehasended.

Civic Identity & Participation AccordingtoYounissandYates(1997),therearethreefactorsthatpromotetheformationofcivicidentity:(1)Opportunitiestoactontheissuesthatplaguesociety;


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(2)Collaborationwithotherpeopletorespondtosocietalissues;(3)Reflectingonanddiscussingtherelationshipbetweenwhatisactuallyhappeninginsocietyandwhatshouldbeoccurring.Sincecivicidentitiescanbeexaminedandshapedthroughdifferentlevelsofinvolvement,weexploredWestheimerandKahne’s(2004)threecategoriesofcitizenship:personallyresponsible,participatory,andjustice-oriented.Personallyresponsiblecitizenshiprequiresindividualstoactresponsiblyinthecommunity.Suchactioninvolvestheindividual:working,payingtaxes,obeyinglaws,recycling,andvolunteering.Participatorycitizenshipcentersonorganizingcommunityoutreachforthoseinneed.Thesecitizensareactivemembersofcommunityorganizationsandworktoaccomplishcollectivetasks.Finally,justice-orientedcitizenshipfocusesoncriticallyassessingthesocial,political,andeconomiccircumstancessurroundingthesurfaceconditions.Thesetypesofcitizensseektoidentifyareasofinjusticeintheworld.Theyhaveknowledgeofdemocraticsocialmovements,whichinformshowthesecitizenseffectsystemicchange. Whileallthreetypesofcitizensarenecessarytosustainademocracy,wechal-lengedourteacherstoengagetheirstudentsinactivitiesthatwouldrequireactivecivicinvolvementonaparticipatoryorjustice-orientedlevel.Wewantedourteacherstomovebeyondprojectswithanarrowfocussuchasacharitydonationoraone-timevolunteeringevent.Instead,weencouragedthemtoprovideopportunitiesfortheirstudentstocriticallyexaminetherootcausesofspecificproblemsinsocietyandtodeveloptheirownplanofactiontoinformortoinfluenceothers.Astrongemphasiswasalsoplacedontheimportanceofreachingouttothecommunitytoexploreanddeterminetheirneeds,ratherthandevelopingprojectsbasedontheirownideas.

Review of Research Researchsuggeststhatservice-learningasanexperientialinstructionalstrategycanhelpstudentsdevelopasenseofself-efficacy,increasemotivation,enhanceacademicachievement,improvesocialskills,anddevelopcivicmindedness(Schultz,2008;Soslau&Yost,2007;Wade2001;Werner,Voce,Gaufin,&Simmons,2002).Facilitatingservice-learningandactionbasedexperiencesintheclassroomallowsstudentstoactivelyparticipateintheircommunityanddiscoverhowoneperson,evenayoungperson,canmakeadifferenceandconnect to issueswithin theircommunity.Inlookingatempiricalresearchwhosefoundationsofservice-learn-ingweredeeplyrootedinthetheoreticalbaseofintegratingservicewithacademiccurriculum,studentdesignedprojects,andstudentreflection;apatternofenhancedself-esteem,positiveaffectivelearning,increasedacademicachievement,aswellascontinuedcommunityinvolvementemerged. ConradandHedin(1982)conductedanationalstudytoexamine27service-learn-ingeducationprograms’social,cognitive,andpsychologicaleffectsonadolescents.Citedwidelyinthe1980sservice-learningliterature,thisstudyopenedthedoor


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forfurtherexaminationofservice-learninganditspositivegainsonself-esteem,moralreasoning,andaffectivelearning. Morerecently,SoslauandYost(2007)discoveredthatservice-learning,evenin theelementarygrades,couldbeapractical instructionalstrategyto increasestudentlearningandmotivation.Afterconductingastudywithanexperimentalandcontrolgroupintwofifthgradeclassroomstaughtbythesameteacher,theresultsofthisstudyshowedthatthegroupofstudentsexposedtoservice-learningwerefifteenpercentmorelikelytomakereal-worldandauthenticconnectionsintheirjournalwritingassignmentsthanthosestudentswhoreceivedtraditionalinstruction.Thegroupofstudentsengagedinservice-learningcurriculumalsomadeoverallgreater gains in reading andmathon thebenchmark tests administeredby theschooldistrict.Additionally,attendancerateswerealsohigherfortheexperimentalgroupandincidentsofsuspensiondecreasedwhencomparedtothecontrolgroup.Anecdotalrecordsfromtheclassroomteacheralsosupportedincreasedmotivationandeagernessamongthestudentsinvolvedwiththeservice-learningproject. NotahandJohnson(1999)werealsointerestedinlearningmoreaboutthebenefitsofservice-learningasaninstructionaltool.Theydesignedamixed-methodsstudywith156eighthgradestudentsenrolledinascienceclasswithaservicecomponenttodetermineifservice-learningcouldenhanceself-esteemandresponsibility.Theresearcherscollecteddatafromsourcessuchasaself-esteeminventory,amotivationscale,reflectivejournals,concludingnarrativeessays,studentinterviews,andfieldnotes.Changesinself-esteemandresponsibilitywerenotstatisticallysignificantonthequantitativemeasures;however,modestchangesinmeanscorewereevident.Thequalitativefindingsweresignificant.Studentsdidnotmentiononenegativecommentabouttheservice-learningexperienceintheirjournalentries,essays,orinterviews.Interestingly,theinterviewdatacontradictedthequantitativeresults.Theresearchersdeterminedthatthelanguageusedonthequantitativemeasurescouldhaveresultedincomprehensionproblems.Overall,everyparticipantrecom-mendedtheservice-learningassignmentforfuturestudents.Thequalitativeresultsindicatedthatservice-learningcouldenhanceself-esteemandresponsibility. InfindingsfromtheresearchofReinerandYouniss(2006),service-learningwithhighschoolstudentvolunteersthatinvolveddirectcontactwithdisadvantagedpeopleledtogreatervolunteerismandcivicengagement.Thislongitudinalstudydemonstratedameasured,fundamentaldifferencebetweenthepersonallyresponsiblecitizen(e.g.donatingcans,clothingdrives)andtheparticipatorycitizen(e.g.creat-ingprogramstoshelterthehomeless)suchthatthestudentvolunteerswhocameindirectcontactwiththoseinneeddevelopedagreatersenseofself-awarenesswhencontributingtheirtimeandenergy,andthusanincreasedsenseofefficacy,helpfulness,andselfesteem(Reiner&Youniss,2006). In examining the non-cognitive benefits of service-learning,Youniss andYates(1997)conductedacasestudyofaparochialschoolthat investigatedthelevelofcontinuedcommunityinvolvementofgraduatesfromtheprogram.160


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high school juniors enrolled in a yearlong social justice program in which theyreflectivelythoughtaboutandpostedtodiscussionquestions,questionnaires,andmadeobservationsbeforeandafteractiveparticipation.Althoughvisitstoasoupkitchendidnotcreate“instantactivists,”itdidtrigger“politicalawareness,agency,andagainedawarenessofresponsibilityregardingsocialissues”(Youniss&Yates,1997,p.82).Journalentriesanddiscussionsindicatedthatstudents’attitudestowardhomelesspeoplehadalsochangedthroughouttheyearfromnegativetoconcern.Overone-halfoftheparticipantsvisitedthesoupkitchenmorethantherequiredvisits,whichsuggestthatstudentswereactivelyengagedwiththeserviceactivity(Youniss&Yates,1999).Eightypercentofthestudentsindicatedthattheyplannedtoparticipateinfutureserviceoverthesummer,andeighty-twopercentstatedthattheywouldcontinueserviceaftergraduation.Aftercontactingthegraduatesfromtheprogram,YounissandYates(1997)discoveredthatforty-fourpercenthadparticipatedinservicewhileinhighschool,forty-fivepercenthadperformedserviceafterhighschool,andthirty-twopercentwerestillactivelyengagedinserviceactivities. Withsimilarconclusions,Metz,McLellan,andYouniss(2003)analyzedthepersonalitydimensionsof367highschoolstudents,whowereactiveinvolunteer-ism,usingtheMultivariateAnalysisofCovariance(MANCOVA).Throughtheirfindings,theydiscoveredthatstudentsinvolvedinsocialissuetypeservice,withinthedefinitionof service-learning, showedmore social concernover the courseof theschoolyear.Alternatively, thosestudentswhowere involved instandardvolunteerismactuallydeclinedinsocialconcern.Therewasasignificantcovari-ateeffectoftheactivepersonalitydimensionreflectingthatthestudentsinvolvedinservice-learningweremorelikelytovoteinthefuture,andfutureintentionstovolunteerdeclinedsignificantlyforstudentswhowerenotinvolvedintheservice-learning.Thoseinvolvedintheservice-learningkepttheiroriginalintentionstoremainactivewithintheircommunity(Metz,McLellan,&Youniss,2003). Although there are limitednumbers of longitudinal studies reflecting futurecommunityengagement, therearea few thatdisplayencouraging results (Astin,Sax,&Avalos,1999;Beane,Turner,Jones,&Lipka,1981;Eyler,2002;andGiles&Eyler,1994).Atthecollegelevelithasbeenshownthatstudentswhoparticipateinservice-learningprojectsaremoreinclinedtocontinueserviceengagementaftergraduation(Astin,Sax,&Avalos,1999),ascertainedbyEyler(2002)that“pastbe-haviorisagoodpredictoroffuturebehaviorandcommunityconnectionsestablishedduringschoolingmaywellleadtocommunityactionaftergraduation”(p.15). Thereisaplethoraofresearchrelatedtoteachers’beliefs,howbeliefsshapeclassroompractices,andwhetherornotthesebeliefscanbechangedordevelopedovertimethrougheducationandexperience(Brownlee,Purdie&Boulton-Lewis,2001;Chan&Elliott,2004;Ozgun-Koca&Sen,2006;Woolfolk-Hoyetal.,2006).Somescholarsbelievethatteachereducationcanbeoneofthefactorsthatinflu-enceorshapeteacherdevelopmentandgrowth(Huber-Warring&Warring,2006;Marra,2005).Others,suchasSunal,Kelley,andSunal(2009),discoveredthat


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veryfewofthe109pre-serviceteacherstheystudiedmovedbeyondasuperficialunderstandingofcitizenshipeducationafterasocialstudiesmethodscourse.Inanattempt tounderstandhowcivicswaspresentedandunderstoodbypre-ser-viceteachersinelementarysocialstudiesmethodscourses,Lewis-Ferrell(2007)conductedamixed-methodsstudywithfourelementarymethodsinstructorsand125pre-serviceteachersenrolledintheircourses.Thestudentswereinterviewed,observed,andsurveyedtoexploretheactualimplementationofacivics-basedso-cialstudiesmethodscourseandtheunderstandingofciviceducationthatresultedfromparticipatinginthecourse.Resultsshowedthatimportantgainsweremadeinthecomprehensionofcivicsconcepts,howevermanystudentsdidnotgaintheskillsortheconfidencetoactuallyimplementacivicscurriculumintheirfutureclassrooms.Studentsattributedthistothefactthatthecoursesfocusedonreadingsandclassdiscussions,ratherthanactualcivicparticipationinthecommunityandbeyond.Actionappearedtobethemissinglinkinthesesocialstudiesmethodscourses,hencetheneedforthecurrentstudy.

The Present Study: Phase One Overall,alargebodyofliteraturerelatedtoservice-learningandciviceducationsupportchangesincivicbeliefs,increasesinacademicachievement,meaningfulconnectionstotherealworld,increasedmotivation,futurecommunityinvolvement,andenhancedself-esteemandresponsibility.Inanattempttoexploretheconnec-tionsclassroomteachersmakeastheyconfronttheirbeliefsandattempttotranslatetheircivicknowledgeintopractice,wedevelopedaservice-learningassignmentthatrequiresclassroomteacherstoactivelyintegrateciviceducationanddemocraticprinciplesintotheirclassroom.Thefollowingresearchquestionguidedourstudy:Whataretheexperiencesofclassroomteacherswhouseservice-learningasaninstructionaltooltopromoteactivecitizenshipandacivics-centeredcurriculum?Theteachers’experienceswithservice-learningarediscussedinthenextsection.

Method Thisstudyisseparatedintotwodistinct,butrelatedphases.Phase1includesdatacollectedfromthetwelveteachersenrolledinoneoftheauthor’sgraduatesocialstudiesmethodscourse.First,wepresentthemethodology,findings,andconclusionsforphase1inasequentialmanner.Next,thedataforphase2ispresented,whichemergedfromoneofthegraduatestudent’sprojectsdiscussedinphase1.Phase2includesdatacollectedfromtheclassroomteacher’s4thand5thgradestudentsandusesnarrativeinquirytotellthestoryofhowtheprojectdevelopedandtheimpactithadonthestudents.

Research Design Sincewewereinterestedinunderstandinghowtheparticipantsconstructed


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meaningfromtheirexperiences(Sherman&Webb,1988)wechosetousequalita-tiveresearchmethodsforthisphaseofthestudy.

Participants and Context PhaseOneofthestudyoccurredinagraduateclass;the12graduatestudentsenrolledinthecourseheldmultiplesubjectteachingcredentialsandwereworkingtowardagraduatedegreeineducation.Elevenwerefemaleandonewasmale.Theparticipantshadbetweenzeroand25yearsofteachingexperienceandtaughtavarietyofgradelevelsfromkindergartenthrougheighthgrade. TheparticipantswereenrolledinacoursetaughtbyoneoftheauthorscalledGraduateStudiesinElementaryEducation:SocialStudies.Theclassmetonceaweekfor2-and-one-halfhoursforatotalof15weeksinthespringsemester.Thestatedobjectivesofthecourseincludedcreatingademocraticclassroomtosupportstudents’developmentofcivicknowledge,skills,anddispositions;effectivelyde-signingandteachinglessonsfortheelementarygrades;andanalyzingandreflectingonsocialscienceeducationteachingpractices,research,andmaterials. Themajorassignmentfortheclasswasaservice-learningproject.Thisprojectprovidedstepsfortheparticipantstoinvolvetheirstudentsinaservice-learningprojectwhiledocumentingconnectionsbetweentheiracademiclearningandtheircivicknowledge,dispositions,andskillsrelatedtotheirinvolvementwiththeproject.Tointroducetheassignmentandpreparetheteachersfortheconcreteexperience(Kolb,1984),wesharedaclipfromthemoviePay it Forward(Leder,Abrams,Carson,Levy,McLaglen,Reuther,&Treisman,2000).Inthefeaturedmovieclip,theteacherintroducedsocialstudiestoagroupof7thgradestudentsonthefirstdayofclassbyaskingthemtoidentifytheirrolesandresponsibilitiesascitizensoftheworld.Toencouragethekidstobecomeactivecitizens,theteacherintroducedasocialstudiesassignmentforthewholeyearthatchallengedthestudentstothinkofawaytochangetheworldandputitintoaction. Afterwatchingtheclip,theteacherswereaskedtoreflectontheassignmentpresentedinthemovieanddiscusshowitconnectedtotheirpersonaldefinitionofsocialstudies.Thisledtoadiscussionaboutdimensionsofcitizenshipeducation(Parker,2008),whichincludecommunityservice,voting,deliberation,knowledge,skills,anddispositions,andtheirconnectionstosocialstudies.Next,theteach-erswereaskedtodefinethecharacteristicsofagoodcitizen.AfterexaminingthecategoriesofcitizenshipdefinedbyWestheimerandKahne(2004),theteacherswerechallengedtoengagetheirstudentsinactivitiesthatrequireactivecivicin-volvementonaparticipatoryorjustice-orientedlevel.Aftersharingexamplesofdifferentprojectscompletedbyelementarystudents,theclassroomteacherswereprovidedwiththefollowingmodeltoguidethefacilitationofaservice-learningcurriculumprojectintheirclassrooms:(1)Increaseawareness,look,andlisten;(2)Deliberate,choosean issue to investigate; (3)Becomeanexpert; (4)Buildpartnershipsanddeviseaplanofaction;(5)Getbusy.Themodelwasbasedon


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thestepsrecommendedbyProjectCitizen(TheCenterforCivicEducation,2006)andTakeAction(Kielburger&Kielburger,2002). Theteacherswerealsoprovidedwithcontinuoussupportthroughoutthesemesterandactivitieswereconductedinclasseachweekrelatedtotopicsincluding,butnotlimitedto,deliberation,patriotism,historicalinquiry,communityinvolvement,andglobalinterdependence.Studentswereencouragedtoconsiderthevoicesofthosewhoareoppressedandmarginalizedinoursocietyandconsidermultipleperspectives, while actively participating in the on-going struggle for equality,tolerance,andrespectforallgroupsofpeopleinourworld.Withoutconsideringthesedimensionsofcitizenship,activitiessuchasservice-learningprojectscanbelimitedtoafocusonvolunteerismandcharitableactionwithoutdevelopinganunderstandingofthepoliticalconditionsthatgiverisetoinjusticeandinequality.

Data Sources Sinceexperientiallearningtheoristsbelievestructuredreflectionandactiveengagement are critical to thedevelopmentof intellectual components suchasknowledge,skills,andcognitivedevelopment(Dewey,1938;Eyler,2002;Eyler&Giles,1999;Kolb,1984),teacherswererequiredtoreflectonthelearningprocessandoutcomesatfourdifferentpoints.Eyler(2002)states,“oneoftheassumptionsofexperientialeducationisthatstudentswillbesurprisedbyexposuretosituationsandinformationthatconflictswiththeirassumptionsoftheworldandtheywillbechallengedtoexplorefurther”(p.8).TocreateamethodforthisclaimEyler(2001)developeda reflectionmap toguide reflectionbefore,during, andafterservice.Forthepurposeofourresearch,wedecidedtoadaptthereflectionmapandrequirestudentstoreflectatfourdifferentstagesoftheproject.Duringstageone,teacherswereaskedtoreflectontheirpriorexperienceswithcivicinvolve-ment,identifytheirhopesandconcerns,andplananoutlineforimplementation.Duringstages twoand threeofproject implementation, teacherswereasked tomaketwoadditionalon-linepoststoencourageteacherstoreflectontheprocess,assessstudents’progress,andsummarizetheiroverallreactions.Duringstagefour,theteacherscompletedafinalposttoanalyzefindingsfromtheirservice-learningassignment,reflectionsontheprocess,andimplicationsforfuturepractice.

Results Theconstantcomparativemethod(Glaser&Strauss,1967)wasusedtoana-lyzethereflectivepostsandservice-learningdatainsearchofrecurringthemesorcommonresponses.Aspatternsemerged,passageswerehighlightedandnum-beredtocodethedata.Afterthemeswereidentified,theresearcherswentbacktotheliteratureinanattempttogroundthethemesthatemergedfromthestudytotheoreticalfoundations. Attheconclusionoftheproject,teacherswereaskedtoreflectontheexperi-


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enceofimplementingaservice-learningprojectandformabstractconcepts(Kolb,1984).Thefollowingthemesemergedfromthereflections:(1)curriculumandrealworldconnectionsemergedandstandardsweremetthroughtheproject,(2)studentleadershipwascriticaltothesuccessoftheproject,(3)partnershipswithmembersofthecommunitystrengthenedtheproject,and(4)theprojectincreasedoverallstudentmotivation.

Meaningful Curriculum Integration and Real World Connections Intermsofmeaningfulcurriculumintegration,all12teachersreportedthatnaturalconnectionsemergedthroughtheprojectinmultiplesubjectareas.Laney,1a6thgradeteacherstated,“Theprojecttookonalifeofitsownaftertheballstartedrolling.”Anna,a2ndgradeteacher,commented,“IncorporatingitintothecurriculumwasmucheasierthanIthought.Naturalconnectionsweremadetoscienceandlan-guageartsstandardsthroughourproject.”Missy,a5thgradeteacher,wasdelightedthatherstudentswereabletowriteapersuasiveessayabouttheirissue,conductresearch,anddesignandanalyzeasurveywithoutopeningatextbook.All12oftheteachersagreedthatthecurriculumconnectionswerenaturalandmeaningful.Readingandwritingtookonanewlifeintheseteachers’classrooms.Inalloftheprojects,studentswereapplyingvaluablelanguageartsskillstocommunicatewithanaudience,whichultimatelyprovidedthestudentswithameaningfulpurposeforlearning.Unfortunately,twoteachersstruggledwithalackofsupportfromtheirprincipalssotheyfeltthattheirconnectionswereseverelylimitedbecauseofthetest-pacingguidesthatdrovetheirinstruction.Eveninspiteofthisobstacle,bothteachersreportedintheirpostreflectionsthattheyrecognizedmultipleopportuni-tiestoconnectservice-learningtoothercontentareasandsawthevalueoftheseconnections. Afewteachersalsoreportedevidenceofstudentsapplyingcivicresponsibilitytootherareasofthecurriculumandrealworldissues.Forexample,a1stgradestudentinLisa’sclassroomsharedwiththeclasshisconcernforthepolarbearsandstartedadonationcampaigntosavethisspecies.StudentsinJane’s8thgradeclassmadeconnectionstotheirownawarenessandresponsibilityforsocialjusticewhenreadingthebookDream Giverinclass.Likewise,studentsinMindy’s3rdgradeclasssuggestedthattheyexercisetheirvoiceatalocalrallytoprotesttherecentbudgetcutswhichresultedinteacherlayoffsattheirschool.Ali,akindergartenteacher,reportedthatshewas,“thrilledwithreactionsfromthestudentsinotherareasofthecurriculum.Theirinterestinhistoricalfigurestookonanewmeaningbecauseweconnectedtheircivicactionwithourservice-learningproject.

Student Leadership Next,all12teachersagreedthatstudentleadershipwascriticaltothesuccessoftheproject.Mindy,a3rdgradeteacherstated,“Teachersmustgiveupcontrol,beflexible,andletthechildrenmakethedecisions.”Intermsofdecision-making,


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alloftheteachersreportedopportunitiesforstudentcollaborationledtodelibera-tion,criticalthinking,andproblemsolving;allofwhichare21stcenturylearningoutcomes.Andrea,akindergartenteacher,echoedtheimportanceofcollaborationandteamworkwhenusingservice-learningcurriculum.Shestated,“Deliberationwasakeycomponentofthisproject.Itwasveryimportanttoletstudentsusetheirvoicesandworktogethertomakedecisions.”Laney,a6thgradeteacher,saidthatthebiggestlessonshelearnedfromthiswholeprojectwasto“stepbackandletthestudentsmakethedecisionsbecausethisultimatelyleadstoresponsibilityandownershipoftheproject.”Jane,an8thgradeteacher,agreed.Shestated,“Ifyougive children a chance,with some structure andguidance, theywill showyouamazingthings.” However,itisimportanttonotethattheideaofallowingthestudentstoleadtheprojectwasnoteasyforherormanyoftheotherteachersinthebeginning.Janecandidlydiscussedherreluctancetogiveupcontrolduringoneofherearlierposts,butstatedthatshequicklyrealizedherstudentswouldrisetotheoccasionandtakeownershipifshewouldallowthemtousetheirvoicesandmakedecisions.Shecametotheseconclusionswhenherstudentsstartedmakingconnectionstosocialjusticeissues,theirprojecttopic,andtheirresponsibilitiesascitizensafterreadingastoryduringlanguagearts.Anotherteacher,Sally,realizedthatshewasnotgivingherstudentsenoughopportunitiestobetheleadersoftheprojectaftershereadoneofherreflectionpostsfortheassignment.Inthebeginning,shereportedthatshemademostofthedecisionsrelatedtotheproject.Shefeltthatassoonasshewasabletorelinquishsomecontrol,theprojecttookonanewlife.

Community Partnerships Eightofthe12teachersmentionedtheimportanceofbuildingpartnershipsbeyondtheclassroomtoextendsupportfortheproject.Examplessuchasworkingwithotherclasses,communicatingwithparentsandadministrators,informingthedistrictofficeoftheproject,reachingouttolocalcommunityandgovernmentof-ficials,writingletterstobusinesses,andalertingthemediawerecitedaspositivepartnershipsthatsupportedandextendedstudents’projects.Tim,a5thgradeteacher,attributedthesuccessoftheprojecttothemultiplegroupsofpeopleinvolvedwiththeproject.Theprojecthisstudentscreatedincludedparentvolunteers,acommunityanimalshelter,communitymemberswhoparticipatedinthesurvey,andthelocalmedia.Ali,akindergartenteacher,said,“Increasedcommunicationbetweentheclassroomandcommunityfromstarttofinishwasexcitingtodiscover.Itwasfuntobuildpartnershipsbeyondtheclassroom.”

Student Motivation Finally,all12teachersdiscussedanincreaseinstudentmotivationandenthu-siasmforschool.Melissa,a6thgradeteacher,stated,“Mystudentsbeggedtoworkontheproject.Theydidn’tevenrealizetheywerelearning!”Jane,an8thgrade


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teacher,reportedthatherstudentsinsistedonextendingtheirprojecttoaddressasecondissueafterthefirstissuehadbeenaddressed.Teachers’commentsalsorepeatedlyreflectedtheirgenuinedismaywithhowmotivatedstudentsweretoworkontheprojectbeforeschool,afterschool,ontheweekends,andduringvaluablefreetimesuchaslunchorrecess.Tim,a5thgradeteacher,reportedthatelevenofhisstudentsvolunteeredatalocaleventonaSaturdaybecauseitsupportedtheirproject.Lisareportedthatthisprojectwasapowerfullearningexperienceforherfirstgraders.Shesaidthatherstudentsconsistentlydemonstrateda“greatsenseofprideandaccomplishmentbychannelingtheirenergyandideastohelpothers.”Overall,thestudentsweremotivatedandwillingtodowhateverittooktosolvetheissuesidentifiedfortheirprojects. Afteranalyzingtheirservice-learningreflections,theteacherswereaskediftheywoulduseservice-learningcurriculumagainintheirclassrooms.Activeparticipa-tionandreflectionindicatethatthelikelihoodofactiveexperimentationbeyondthecourseassignmentishigh(Kolb,1984).Allparticipantsinthisstudyrecognizedthebenefitsassociatedwithservice-learningandreportedthattheywoulduseitagainintheirclassrooms.Tenoftheteacherssaidtheywoulddefinitelyimplementthiscurriculumagaininthefuturewithoutanyreservations.Ali,akindergartenteachersaid,“NowthatIhaveexperienceditfirsthand,Iammoreconfidentandwilldefinitelyuseitagain.Ilearnedasmuchaboutciviccompetenceandactivecitizenshipasmykids.”Tim,a5thgradeteacher,echoedAli’senthusiasmcom-menting,“Thistypeofcurriculumwillbethecenterofmyclassroominstruction.Itisagreatwaytointegrateaproject-basedconstructivistapproachtoeducationanddeliverintegratedinstruction.Ialsobelieveitpreparesstudentstobeknowl-edgeable,responsible,andactivecitizens.” Thetwoteacherswhohadthemostconcernsduringtheprojectsaidtheywouldimplementthecurriculumagain,ifallconditionswerefavorableforsupport.Theseteachersspecificallystatedthatif theirprincipalswerecompletelysupportive,thentheywouldabsolutelyconsiderimplementingaservice-learningproject.Missy,a5thgradeteacher,said,“Iwouldbewillingtodoitagain…ifitwereearlierintheyearwhentestingwasnotintheway…andifIhadcompletesupportandapprovalfromtheadministration.”Mary,a6thgradeteacheratadifferentschoolsitealsostated,“Ithinkservice-learningisaveryvaluabletooltouseintheclassroom.However,consideringmycircumstances,IwouldnotdoitagainifIhadtofacethesamerestrictionsfrommyprincipal.Iwasdisappointedthatmystudentscouldnotgothroughtheprocessanddecidewhattheyreallywantedtoaddress.Ihopetobeabletouseitagain.”

Conclusions Theteachersinvolvedintheservice-learningprojectsevolvedthroughreflectingontheprocessofimplementation.Basedonthefindingsintheprevioussection,weconcludethattheteachersinthisstudygainedtheskillsto:(1)effectivelyintegratecivics-centeredcurriculumandmeetstatecontentstandardsthroughservice-learning


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projects,(2)facilitatestudent-ledinstructioninademocraticclassroom,(3)increaseeffectivecommunicationandbuildpartnershipsbeyondtheclassroom,and(4)usestructuredreflectionsasatoolforgrowthandevaluation.Basedonreactionsfromtheirrespectivestudents,theteacherswereencouragedbystudentleadership,col-laboration,motivation,engagementandmeaningfullearningexperiences.Unliketheteachersinourpreviousstudy,all12teachersinthisstudyreportedimprovedteacherdispositionsandincreasedconfidenceregardingtheimplementationofacivics-centeredcurriculum. Ultimately,withevidenceinplacethatteachereducationcoursesinvolvingservice-learningcouldpositivelyaffectteachers’capabilitiesanddesiretoincludecivicparticipationasapartoftheircurriculum,studentlearningandexperiencesintheelementaryclassroombecamethefinalarcforourinvestigation.

Phase Two Thenextsectionofthisarticledescribesaservice-learningprojectthatdevel-opedinoneofthe12teacher’sclassroomsasaresultofthisassignment.Notonlydoesitdocumenttheelementarystudents’civicexperiences,italsoprovidesrichexamplesofhowthisclassroomteacherfacilitatedtheprojectinherclassroom.

Method ThedataforPhaseTwoispresentedinthissection.Theinceptionofthisphaseoftheresearchbeganafteroneoftheteachersfromphaseoneaskedforoursupportintheclassroomafewmonthsafterthegraduateclasshadended.Asevidencedinthissection,theservice-learningcurriculumprojectturnedintomorethananassignmentforagraduateclass,itbecameanexampleofactiveexperimentation(Kolb,1984).Theclassroomprojectlastedfortwoyearsandbecamethefocusofourresearchduringthesecondyear.PhaseTwoincludesdatacollectedfromtheclassroomteacher’s4thand5thgradestudentsandusesnarrativeinquirytotellthestoryofhowtheprojectdevelopedandtheimpactithadonthestudents.

Research Design Sincewewereinterestedinunderstandinghowtheparticipantsconstructedmeaningfromtheirexperiences(Sherman&Webb,1988)wechosetousequalita-tiveresearchmethodsforthisphaseofthestudy.

Participants and Context Duringthesecondyear,datacollectiontookplacewithinthenaturalisticset-tingofMorgan’sclassroomfromSeptembertoApril.Classroomobservationstookplacefourtimesamonthforapproximatelytwohourseachvisit.Werecordedfieldnotesdocumentingstudents’responsestotheteacher’slessons,aswellasstudent


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interactionsduringtheselessons.Elevenelementarystudentsalsoparticipatedinindividualinterviewsthatlastedapproximately30minutes. Duringthefirstyearoftheproject,Morgan,afourthandfifthgradecombina-tionclassroomteacher,launchedaservice-learningprojectwiththirtystudents.Thefollowingyear,fourteenfourthgradestudentswhowereapartoftheprojectduringthefirstyearremainedinMorgan’scombinationclassroomforfifthgrade.Duetothestructureofacombinationclassroom,twelvenewfourthgradestudentsjoinedthefifthgraders,andtheprojectcontinuedforasecondyear.

Data Sources Avarietyofknownmethodswereemployedtocollectdataforthisstudy.Inanattempttoreconstructourexperiencesandtotellthestoryaboutthedevelopmentofthisproject,weusedtheclassroomteacher’sreflectionsfromherservice-learningproject,ourreflectionsafterteachingourweeklygraduateclasses,surveys,fieldnotesfromclassroomobservations,interviewtranscriptswiththeelementarystudents,andtranscriptionsarticulatedfromthestudents’perspectiveviaavideodocumentary.

Results Weusenarrativeinquirytotellthestoryofhowtheprojectdeveloped.Con-nellyandClandinin(1988)definenarrativeinquiryas“themakingofmeaningfrompersonalexperienceviaaprocessofreflectioninwhichstorytellingisthekeyelementandinwhichmetaphorsandfolkknowledgetaketheirplace”(p.16). Theconstantcomparativemethod(Glaser&Strauss,1967)wasusedtoanalyzetheinterviewtranscriptsinsearchofrecurringthemesorcommonresponses.Aspatternsemerged,passageswerehighlightedandnumberedtocodethedata.Inanattempttotriangulatethedata,theinterviewtranscriptswereread,coded,andcomparedbytheresearchersandtheclassroomteacher.Responsestosurveystate-mentsweretalliedandcategorized.Commonthemesfromtheinterviewtranscriptswereusedtosupportresponsesonthesurvey.

Narrative Inquiry Morgan,anelementaryteacherenrolledinthesocialstudiesmethodscourse,reportedonthefirstnightofclassthatherstudentswerenotmotivatedandshewaswillingtotryanythingtocapturetheirinterest.AfterdiscussingthetypesofcitizenshippresentedbyWestheimerandKahne(2004),andcomponentsofdemo-craticclassrooms(Parker,2008)duringthesecondweekofclass,Morganreportedinherpre-assignmentreflectionsthatshewasintriguedbythepossibilitiesoftheprojectanddecidedtodesignaservice-learningprojectwithherstudents. Morganstartedtheprojectwithherstudentsbysharingexamplesofthediffer-enttypesofcitizenshipthroughreadingchildren’sliteratureselectionsandmakingconnectionstoactivecivicparticipationthroughouthistory.Next,sheaskedthestudentsiftheycouldpickoneproblemtosolveintheircommunity,whatwould


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theychoose?Afterseveralbrainstormingsessions,oneofthestudentsintheclassbroughtuptheideathatatoddlerintheircommunityneededmoneyforaveryexpensivesurgery.Astheycontinuedinvestigating,theycametounderstandthatthefamily’shealthinsurancedeniedsurgerybecauseitclaimedtheprocedurewascosmetic.Thisoutragedthestudentsandpromptedthemtotakeactiontohelpthefamilyraisemoney. Overthenextsixmonthsthestudentsworkedonanactionplanthatledtothedevelopmentofaschool-widerecyclingprogramthatencouragedstudents,teach-ers,andmembersofthecommunitytogetinvolvedandtoraisemoneyfortheircause.Thestudentsconductedresearchanddiscoveredthataluminumcans,plasticbottles,andglasscouldberecycledformoney.ThestudentsdecidedtocontactWasteManagementServicesintheircityandaskforrecyclingbinstoplaceineachclassroom.Eachweekthestudentscollected,sortedandcoordinatedadrop-offservicetothelocalrecyclingcentertoredeemcashfortheirrecyclables.Thisprojectraisedfundstohelppayforthetoddler’smuch-neededsurgery.Furthermore,thestudentsmadepostersandhungthemuparoundtheschool,andtheywroteletterstolocalbusinesses,governmentofficials,andorganizationstoaskfortheirsupportintherecyclingcampaign.TheyevenspokeatthelocalCityCouncilmeet-ingtosharetheirunderstandingofacitizen’sresponsibilityinsocietyandtothankeveryoneintheircommunityfortheirsupport.Thestudents’effortsalsoattractedmediaattentionfromlocalnewspapersandtelevision.Thiscoverageencouragedmorepeopletogetinvolvedandtodonatetheirrecyclablesandcashtothecause.Bytheendofthesecondschoolyear,thestudentshadraisedabout$10,000tohelppayforthesurgery.

Beyond Recycling and Raising Money Fromtheonsetofthisproject,thestudentsweredeterminedtoraisealargeamountofmoneytosupportthetoddler’ssurgery.However,duringthesecondyearoftheproject,Morganpushedtheboundariesoftheinitialprojectbyincorporat-ing environmental issues, connecting civic knowledge related to thehistoryofdemocracyandthefunctionsofgovernment,andexaminingsocialinequityasachallengetocitizenship.Throughouttheentireproject,thestudentswereinvolvedinthoughtfuldeliberationsthatledtoimportantdecisionsfortheproject.Studentswerealsorequiredtoconductresearchregardingissuesassociatedwiththeprojecttobecomeexperts.Thestudentsaskedquestionsabouthowtheycouldaffectchangebeyondtheirschoolsiteandcommunity. Thestudentswantedtoknowhowtheycouldgetmore“powerful”people,suchaspoliticiansandothercommunitymembersinvolvedintheirproject.Theywantedtoseechangesbeyondraisingmoneyforthesurgery.ThefollowingletterwaswrittenbyoneofthefourthgradestudentsduringthenationalprimaryelectionforPresident:


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DearSenatorHillaryClinton, HereatGoodCitizensElementarySchool,thefourthandfifthgradecombi-nationclasshasbeengivenachancetowritetoacandidate.Ipickedyoubecauseyouhavemanyexcellentideastohelpusandourworld.IloveyourideasaboutUniversalHealthcare.Ourclasshasbeentryingtoraisemoneyforalittlegirl’soperation;shehasararediseasecalledMoebiusSyndrome.Thisdiseaseaffectsthesixthandseventhcranialnerves,whichmeansshecannotsmileormakeanyotherfacialexpressions.Sheisonly3yearsoldandherinsurancecompanythinksofthissurgeryasplasticsurgery,sotheywon’tcovertheoperationfee.Somecountriescoverthepaymentwhenyougotothehospital,somaybeyoucanchangeitandmakesureeveryonehashealthinsuranceatareasonableprice.Wewouldreallyappreciateitifyouwouldcometoourschool. Sincerely, Isabelle

Throughthesediscussions,questionsaboutdemocracywereraisedandthestudentswereinterestedinhowpeoplecouldgetinvolved.Specifically,thestudentswantedtoknowifandhowtheycouldgetinvolvedwithchangingissuestheydidnotlike.Asaresultofthisconversation,thestudentswantedtoknowmoreaboutthehistoryofourgovernmentandtherightsandresponsibilitiesofallcitizens.MorganusedtheConstitutionandresourcessuchasWe the People,tohelpthechildrenlearnmoreaboutthedifferentlevelsofgovernment,andtheirrolesandresponsibilitiesascitizensoftheUnitedStates(CenterforCivicEducation,1988). ThestudentswerefascinatedbytheConstitution.Atfirst,Morganbroughtinreplicasofthedocumenttosparkinterest.Next,theyattemptedtoreadtheactualdocument.Sincethelanguagewasdifficulttounderstand,thestudentsdeconstructedthetextintheConstitutionandrewroteitinkid-friendlylanguagetohelpthemunderstandtheideaspresented.Thestudentsalsoconductedinquirythroughtheexplorationofprimarydocuments,anddeliberatedthedifferencebetweenindividualrightsandthecommongood.Thestudentslearnedaboutwhichgovernmentofficialoragencytheyshouldcontactiftheywantedtoproposeachangeortoaddressanissueintheircommunityorstate.Thisknowledgewasmeaningfultothestudentsbecauseitconfirmedthatthestudents’voicescouldmakeadifference. Aftergainingnewknowledgeaboutthegovernmentandtheirrightsascitizens,thestudentswereeagertotakeactionatthestatelevel.AfterlearningabouttheBillofRightsandhowabillbecomesalaw,theydecidedtoproposeanideaforabilltotheirCaliforniarepresentatives.Atfirst,thestudentswantedtoproposeabillrelatedtohealthcareusingthetoddlertheyhadbeenraisingmoneyforasanexampleofsocialinjustice.Thestudentswereeveninterestedinchallengingthehealthinsurancecompanythatdeniedtheinitialclaim.However,thestudentshadtoshiftgearsafterthetoddler’sfamilyaskedthestudentsnottogetinvolvedwiththelegalaspectoftheissue.Asaresult,thestudentshadtoreconsiderthefocusoftheproject.


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Emerging Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions Moreimportantthanwhetherornotthestudentssucceededinpersuadingarepresentativetosponsortheirbill,thestudentslearnedthattheyhavethepowertoproposeachangeandelicitsupportfortheirconcernsbywritingletters,makingphonecalls,andsendingemailstogovernmentofficialsfromtheirdistrictandstate.Thestudentsalsolearnedtheycanusetheirvoicestostartagrass-rootsmovementthatcanmakeadifferenceinthelivesofothers. Asevidencedintheletterwrittentothepresidentialcandidate,involvementintheprojectalsopushedthestudentstothinkbeyondrecyclingandraisingmoneyforthetoddler.Thisisanexampleofemergentcurriculum(Beane,2005;Schultz,2008).Questionsregardinginjusticesrelatedtoourcurrenthealthcaresystembecamemoreprevalentininformalconversationsandemailsinitiatedbythestudents.Oneofthefifth-gradestudentssentusthefollowingemailoneweekendafterwatchingSicko(Moore,2007),adocumentarythatexaminesproblemswiththehealthcaresystemintheUnitedStates:

Hi, IwanttotellyouaboutamoviethatIjustwatched.ThemovieiscalledSicko.MichelMooreisinthemovie.Themovieisaboutpeopleandtheirheathinsurancecompanies.Thesepeoplehavecancerandothersicknesses,buttheirhealthinsurancerejectsthem.Inthemiddleofthemovie,MichelMooregoestoCanadaandfindsoutthatyoudon'thavetopaytogotothedoctor.Ithinkyoushouldwatchthisfilmsoyoucanseehowthetoddler’sfamilyfeels.Ifeltittoo.Thankyou! YourFriend, Lily

Survey and Interview Data Duringthespringofthesecondyear,11studentsweregivenasurveycontain-ingstatementsrelatedtocivicknowledge,skills,anddispositions.Studentswereaskedtocirclestronglyagree,agree,disagree,stronglydisagree,ornotsure,basedontheirunderstandingandfeelingstowardeachstatement.Surveyswerefollowedupwithinterviewstoelicitmoreindepthresponses.Responsestoselectsurveyitemsandinterviewdataarediscussedbelow.

Citizens can do more than pick up trash and follow the rules.Sixstudentsstronglyagreedwiththisstatement,fouragreed,andonedisagreed.Whenaskedduringtheinterviewtoelaborateonthedefinitionofcitizenship,initialresponsesincludedfollowingtherulesandlaws,makingthecommunityabetterplace,notlittering,recycling,helpingthepoor,andbeingkind.Eventhoughtenoftheelevenstudentsagreedthatcitizenshipincludedmorethanbeingpersonallyresponsible(Westheimer&Kahne,2004)theirinitialresponsesdidnotreflectthisbelief.Whenasked to expandupona citizen’s responsibilities, responses suchasorganizingprojects,writingletters,andencouragingotherstohelpoutwerealsocommon.Theseresponsessupportparticipatorycitizenship(Westheimer&Kahne,2004).


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Forexample,Janiesaid,“Beingagoodcitizenalsoincludesidentifyingandfixingproblemsinthecommunity,whichcanbedonebyformingacommittee.”Allthestudentsagreedthatmorecouldbeaccomplishedwhenyouhaveateamworkingtogetherthanwhentryingtosolveaproblemalone.Studentsalsostatedthatformingateamisbeneficialbecauseotherpeoplemayhavesolutionstoaproblemthatyoumightnotbeabletothinkofonyourown.Studentsalsoreiteratedthatlisteningtoothersideasisveryimportant.Jacksonsaid,“Whenyoucomeupwithasolu-tion,youhavetomakeaplanofaction,whichalsoincludeslisteningtoothersandsharingideas.”StudentsreportedthattheInternet,expertsinthecommunity,andfriendscouldbelikelysourcesofknowledge.Severalstudentsalsoemphasizedthatitwasimportanttoconsidermultipleperspectivesandoptionsbeforemakingadecision.Nicksaid,“It’snotjustaboutwhatyouthink.Youhavetogiveeveryoneachancetotalkandlistentothegroup.Youhavetothinkaboutthegoodandthebadtogetherbeforeyoumakeadecision.”

I know what to do and who to contact if I am concerned about a problem in my community.Whenstudentswereaskediftheywouldknowwhatstepstotakeinordertosolveaproblemintheircommunity,fiveofthestudentssaidtheywereconfidentintheirabilitytoaddressaproblem,threestudentssaidtheywouldnotknowwhattodo,andthreewerenotsure.Duringthein-depthinterviewsthethreestudentswhooriginallyrespondedthattheywerenotsurewhattodoinordertoenactchange in theircommunitystated that theiractionswoulddependon theissueandthemagnitudeoftheproblem.Next,studentswerepresentedwiththefollowinghypotheticalscenario:Whatwouldyoudoifyounoticedthatdriverswerespeedinginyourneighborhoodwhereyoungchildrenwereplayingandridingbikes?Commonresponsesincludedactionssuchas:recruitingotherpeopletohelp,conductingresearchabouttheissue,talkingabouttheproblemswithotherpeopletoseeiftheymighthaveotherideasbeforemakingadecision,andcontactingthemayororspeakingtothecitycounciltoelicitsupport.Somestudentstalkedaboutpromotingawarenessthroughtheuseofsigns,petitions,andletters.Overall,thestudentsfeltthattheywouldhavemoresuccesssolvingaproblemwhenworkingwithateamthanalone,againreferencingtheirworkontheclassservice-learningprojectasanexample.

Citizens should always agree with the government and the decisions they make.Fivestudentsdisagreedandthreestudentsstronglydisagreedwiththisstatement.Onestudentstronglyagreed,oneagreed,andonewasunsureabouttheirposition.However,duringtheoneononeinterviews,onestudentwhoagreedwiththestate-mentandonewhowasnotsureatfirstchangedtheirinitialresponsestodisagreewiththestatement.Thestudentwhostronglyagreedwiththestatementmaintainedthepositionthatcitizensshouldalwaysfollowthegovernment’slead.Someofthestudents’ responses tosupport theirposition includedcommentssuchasJake’sstatement,“Whenyoudonotagreewiththegovernment,youshouldpeacefully


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protestandvoiceyouropinion.”Otherexamplessuggestedpetitioningandwritingletterstogovernmentofficialsabouttheirbeliefsandconcerns.Vivianstated,“Thegovernmentrepresentsthepeople’sconcerns.Therewillalwaysbeproblemssoitisourjobtobeawareoftheissuesandmakeothersawaretoo.”

Children are capable of making big changes in the world.Whenaskedwhetherornottheybelievedchildrenwerecapableofmakingbigchangesintheworld,allelevenstudentsagreedwiththisstatement.Overall,thestudentswereabletoclearlylinktheirunderstandingofcivicresponsibilitytotheirclassservice-learningproject.Duringoneoftheinterviews,Christian,a5thgradestudentstated,“Ourresponsibilityisthesameasadults.Wehaveavoiceandwecanmakeachangeinourenvironmentandourcommunity too. Ihave learnedhow tostopglobalwarmingandallthewaystorecycle.IhavelearnedabouttheConstitutionandthethreebranchesofourgovernment.Andmostimportantly,kidshaveavoiceandtheycanmakeadifferenceinthisworld.”LexechoedChristian’sideaswhenhesaid,“Ihavelearnedaboutthelevelsofcitizenship…we,thepeople,haveavoicetomakeachangeinthisworld.”

Studentsalsoreportedthattheyfeltbetterthaneveraboutthemselvesbecauseofwhattheyhaddonetohelptheyounggirlintheircommunity.Onestudentsaidheenjoyeddoingaprojectthathelpedsomeoneinneed.Elliestated,“Thisprojecttaughtmethateverythingisnotallaboutme.”Studentsalsomentionedthatrecyclingfortheprojecttaughtthemhowtheycanhelptheenvironment.Onestudentsharedthatshethinksabouteveryitemthrownawayinherhousehold,andhowitshouldbeproperlydisposed.Theclassroomteacherevenreportedthatatonepointduringthestudy,shehastilythrewpapersandvariousitemsfoundontheclassroomfloorinatrashcan.Laterthatday,shesawoneofthestudentsquietlygotothetrashcanandpulloutthosesameitemsandplacethemintheirproperrecyclingbinsinthebackoftheclassroomwithoutsayingaword.

Conclusions Findingsfromthesecondphaseofthestudysuggestthatprojectsthataresitu-atedinareal-worldcontextfocusingoncommunityneedsandstudentinterestcanimpactstudents’levelofinvolvementandsenseofagency.Theseresultsareconsistentwithpreviousresearch(Schultz&Oyler,2006;Wade,2001;Werner,etal.,2002).ThedatafromthisstudysuggestthatthestudentsinMorgan’sclassroomgainedvaluablecivicknowledge,skills,anddispositionsasaresultoftheirengagementinthisproject.Thisgrowthwasdemonstratedinthestudents’successfuleffortstoraisethemoney,theirdevelopinginterestinissuesoutsidetheimmediacyoftheproject,aswellas,theirresponsesduringclassdiscussionsandinterviews. Service-learningprojectsmayhaveacatalyticabilitytomotivatestudentsintousingactivedemocraticskillstobettertheirsurroundingcommunity.Inregardsto


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theuseofservice-learningprojects,weconcurwithWestheimerandKahne(2004),andsupporttheclaimthatteacherscandevelop“civiccommitmentbyexposingstudentstoproblemsinsocietyandbycreatingopportunitiesforstudentstohavepositiveexperienceswhileworkingtowardsolutions”(Westheimer&Kahne,2004,p.265).Throughthisproject,studentscametorealizethatcivicengagementisnotaprivateendeavor.Theylearnedhowtoinitiateanddevelopprojectsthatareinformedbytheircivicideas,skills,andstrategies.Thesestudentswereengaginginparticipatoryandjustice-orientedcitizenship(Westheimer&Kahne,2004). Thenatureofstudent-ledprojectsallowsthecurriculumtoevolveandtrans-formbeyonditsoriginalintent.Asaresult,studentsaredeeplyconnectedtothematerialandarekeypartnersinthedevelopmentofcurriculumthatismeaningful.21stcenturyskillssuchasproblemsolving,criticalthinking,andcollaborationaredevelopedandapplied.Engagingintheprocessofworkingtowardasolutionforameaningfulcauseoftencreatesopportunitiesforstudentstodelveintomorecomplex issues thatwouldotherwisebehardforstudents tounderstandwitharelatablecontext.ThelettertoSenatorClintonandtheemailaboutthehealthcaredocumentarysharedearlierarebothexcellentexamplesofhowthestudentscon-nectedthetoddler’spersonalhealthcarestrugglewiththebroaderissueofinadequatehealthcareinourcountry.Thismovetowardadiscussionofhealthcarehappenedorganically,andwasgeneratedthroughtheprojectasitwashappening.

Summary AccordingtoSchugurenskyandMyers(2003)theattainmentofcivicknowledge,skills,anddispositionsisa“longprocessthatstartsearlyinlifeandisreshapedover time with every new learning experience” (p. 325). Our findings parallelSchugurenskyandMyers’(2003)ideasthatwebuildourcivicknowledge,skills,anddispositionsfroma“hodgepodgeofideasandlearningexperiences”(p.326).Weproposethatthistransferintoadulthoodmaybemorelikelyifauthenticcivicexperiences are consistent throughout schooling. Similarly, 21st century skillssuchasproblemsolving,criticalthinking,andcollaborationcanonlybedevelopedthroughconsistentandmeaningfulpracticeover time.Sincetheclassroomisaperfectmicrocosmofsocietyinwhichtogivestudentstheopportunitytopreparefortheirroleasglobalcitizensinthisworld,thenexperientiallearningstrategiessuchasservice-learningarelikelyinstructionalchoicesthatcanbeusedtoaddress21stcenturylearninggoalsandconnectlearningtoreal-lifeexperiences. Clearly,wehavewitnessedthepositiveeffectsthatopportunitiesforactivecivic involvement can have on the classroom teachers and their young pupils.Ultimately,workingtoclosetheloopbetweentheoryandpractice,aswellastheprocessfordefiningandunderstandingcitizenshipismessyandcomplex,however,wewholeheartedlybelievethatthejourneyisthereward.Althoughtheprojectsdiscussedinthisarticlestartedasassignmentsforagraduateclass,manyoftheteachers reported in their post-assignment reflections that the projects quickly


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grewintosomethingmuchlargerthantheyeverexpected.Theseteachersandtheirstudents’service-learningprojectsencapsulateshowposingasimplequestionandprovidingstudentswiththeopportunitytobecomeactivelyinvolvedwiththecur-riculumcanturnintoalifelessonincitizenship,thecommongood,andstudentlearningbeyondthefourwallsoftheclassroom.

Implications for Future Studies Ourparticipantswerelimitedtoonesingleuniversitycourseandonepublicelementaryclassroom.Itisnotcleariftheresultswouldbethesameinasecondaryeducationclassroomorinadifferentuniversitysetting.Futurestudiescouldinvolveacontrolgroup,quantitativemeasures,oralargerandmorediversesample. Anothernoteworthypointtoconsideristhenatureoftheissueselectedbythestudentsinthisparticularstudy.Oftenteachersarereluctanttodiscussorad-dresspoliticalissuesthatcausetensionintheclassroomorcommunity.Theissuesthatthestudentsexploredinthisstudywererelativelysafeintermsofpoliticalcharge.Ifstudentshadselectedissuesrelatedtoimmigration,sexualorientation,orreligion,resultsandreactionsmightbedifferent.Futurestudiescouldexplorehowteacherssupportstudentswhoareinterestedinexploringtopicsandengagingincivicprojectsthatarecontroversialinnature.

Note 1Allnamesarepseudonyms.

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