A Community of Learners: Using a Service-Learning Pedagogy in an Early Childhood Setting to Create a Learning Community

• In Event: Introspections and Intentions With Experiential Education and Service-Learning: Lessons From Teacher Education and K–12 Classrooms

Abstract

The implementation of service-learning in early childhood (ECE) classrooms has not been well documented, and the potential effects of fostering civil education are scarce at best. In this study, we wanted to determine the suitability of service-learning as an appropriate pedagogy for enhancing civics through education with the youngest learners: children in an ECE classroom. This study examined the experiences of students in an early childhood classroom that used a service-learning pedagogy for a year, and investigated the social emotional and character development of the children participating in the classroom. We believed that through the implementation of service-learning in ECE classrooms we can create a generation of children who connect academics through civic engagement that deal with real community needs.

Author

• Christian Winterbottom, University of North Florida