Using a Participatory Process to Develop a Service-Learning Initiative

• In Event: Fostering Service-Learning Initiatives

Abstract

Since teacher preparation depends on community partners to prepare teachers, when our education department applied for (and was awarded) a Learn and Serve grant, we focused on an initiative to embed service experiences with English Language Learners (ELLs), primarily refugees, into our teacher preparation programs. As our grant committee worked to formulate a plan for the grant, we agreed that one of our primary objectives was to be a responsible partner to the community. Therefore, we decided to devote the first year of the three-year grant cycle to a participatory planning process. This qualitative study examines what we learned from this participatory process and seeks to add to the literature on forming relationships for service-learning.

Authors

• Alan Scott Tinkler, The University of Vermont

• Barri E. Tinkler, The University of Vermont

• Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, The University of Vermont

• Vincent M. Mugisha, The University of Vermont