Students Serving Students: Reciprocal Benefits of a Service-Learning Mentoring Project for Preservice Elementary Teachers

• In Event: 16.054 - The Impact of Service-Learning in Teacher Education

Abstract

A service-learning mentoring project was designed to impact two groups of participants. Five cohorts of pre-service teachers in an elementary preparation program provided weekly mentoring to elementary students identified as needing additional support. During this longitudinal study, thirteen elementary students were randomly paired with a pre-service teacher who provided meaningful activities based on student need. In addition to weekly reflection journals, pre-service teachers completed a pre and post survey to determine self-assessed knowledge of strategies for working with under-resourced learners, the value they saw in the project, and their expectation of positive outcomes both for themselves and the elementary students. The project provided useful data and meaningful information to improve the future of service learning projects in field experiences.

Authors

• Jannah Walters Nerren, Sam Houston State University

• Susan Reily, Stephen F. Austin State University