What you should write after
every trip to your site.
 Each
time you visit your service learning
site, you will need to write up field notes.
 Field notes will vary in length, but for a
one hour visit: you should be able to
generate at least ONE PAGE OF NOTES.
Most of the time, your field notes will be
longer. Field notes will be turned in and
graded three times in the semester.
 February 28, April 17 and May 27
 Each
field note should start with your
name, date and time you worked. NOTE:
We MUST be able to match up your field
notes with your supervisor’s log hours.
 Example:
Courtney Humm
February 7 visit/ Salvation Army
3:30 to 5:30
 Field
notes serve as your record of your
experience for each site visit. It is your
detailed account of what happened and
what you observed. It is not a journal
which outlines your reactions.
 Field notes should be done as soon as
you return from your site visit.
 To
observe is to notice what is around you
and then record it. You should not interpret
what is going on. You should not analyze
what is going on. That said, as a person at a
service learning site you will interpret and
analyze– for the purpose of your field notes
be aware of when you are interpreting and
analyzing and write it that way (this is not
easy)
 For
example…
 Bad
field notes: A mom and her kid came
in. The mom looked really young, like 18–
she must have been like 13 when her
daughter was born.
 Good field notes: A woman and a child
walked in together. I assumed they were
mother and daughter. The mother looked
really young, like 18. I observed myself
thinking, “wow, she must have been 13
when her daughter was born!”
 Do
not analyze what you see in your field
notes
 BAD
FIELD NOTES: Leo and I worked on
his math homework for the next 15
minutes. HE was doing long division. He
got very frustrated. I think he has some
kind of learning disability or maybe he
just can’t get help at home because I
don’t think his parents speak English.
 GOOD
FIELD NOTES: Leo and I worked on
his math homework for the next 15 minutes.
He was doing long division. He stopped
doing the work after a few minutes and said,
“I hate math.” He crossed his arms and sat
back. I said, “Let’s try one more together.” I
started to do the problem, talking it out as I
went. After a few minutes, he uncrossed his
arms. When I said, “How many times does 5
go into 25?” He answered, “5,” in what I
noticed myself observing was a grumpy
voice.
 Here
is a list of things you might want to
write about:
• Physical description of the space
• Describe people there, what they were wearing,
what they look like
• Description fo things you noted: like all of the
boys playing basketball while all of the girls
watched
• Describe situations that happen
• Describe what you did and how people
responded to what you did
 Have
lots of dialogue
 When
I read the notes I feel like I am
there. I can see and hear what’s going on.
 Well, today
I went to the rec center
• Played basketball with a couple of kids
• Had snacks with them
• Helped a kid with math homework
• Stayed 2 hours
 Outline
form is not acceptable. Not
enough details to be useful.
 Today
I went to the Salvation Army and I
helped this kid with his homework. I
could not believe how easy the
homework was and I could tell he didn’t
want my help, anyway.
 Problem: centers on your reaction and
doesn’t describe what happened
 When
I was at the rec center today there
were these three Somali girls who were so
smart. I just loved reading with them. They
were so eager to learn and we laughed so
much about the books we read.
 PROBLEM: How do you know they were
Somali? What made you think they were
smart? What was so funny? How did you end
up with these three girls? There is no
observation and detail, only reaction and
interpretation here.
 Today
I went to the Boys and Girls Club and
was greeted near the front desk by Sam. I
met Sam last week in the Stars room. When I
walked in he said, “Hey Josh, you’re back!”
Sam was wearing baggy pants and a shirt
with the saying, “Got Rice?” He asked if I
would come play basketball with him and I
did. We went to the gym. There were only 5
other people in the gym. As we played, Sam
told me that he attended a family reunion
over the weekend…
 Today
I went to the Boys and Girls Club and
was told by Jim, a supervisor, that they
needed help in the tutoring center… When I
asked if a student needed help shrugged
his shoulders. He was wearing a soccer
jersey. I asked if I could see what he was
working on. He showed me and it was a
math worksheet. I noticed one of the
problems was wrong and I decided to point
it out to him. He said, “whatever” and moved
away from me. I noticed myself feeling
embarrassed.
I
will read your initial field notes to give
you feedback on whether you have
enough detail, if you are avoiding
interpretation and analysis, etc.
 Your field notes will be graded on both
the quality of data you collected
(observation, sufficient detail) and the
hours you’ve volunteered up to that point