The Service-Learner
The Voice of Students, Faculty, and Community
V O L U M E
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I S S U E
I
S U M M E R
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Welcome to Our First Issue
―The Service-Learner‖ is devoted to
the
pedagogy
of service-learning,
a
teaching and learning strategy that
combines
community
demonstrated that commitment.
This dedication has led to impressive
with
growth in service-learning. In the 2010-
emphasizing
2011 academic year, 45 QCC faculty
critical, reflective thinking as well as
members incorporated service-learning
personal and civic responsibility. It‘s this
into their courses, working with 26
reciprocal nature of service-learning that
partners to provide this transformative
sets
experience to over 1,000 students who
classroom
it
service
QCC faculty, staff, and students who have
instruction,
apart
from
volunteerism
or
internships.
Service-learning is proving to be an
important academic tool. The traditional,
were enrolled in 71 classes spanning 14
grant under the Carl D. Perkins Career and
different
Technical Education Act of 2006. The
academic
departments
and
support of these agencies has advanced the
programs.
passive college education, as such, is not
We attribute this growth to the
enough anymore; it hasn‘t been for a
dedicated faculty and thank them for
long
time.
Service-
learning is a form of
experiential learning that
helps students not only
master their coursework,
Office of Service-Learning, Humanities 246
overall service-learning initiative.
In
this
issue,
you‘ll
find
stories
Consistent Growth
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
Service-Learning Students
Faculty Teaching SL Courses
Partner Agencies
42
3
6
195
9
7
462
21
28
750
35
10
1013
45
26
but also practice work skills, engage in
their commitment to the pedagogy as a
highlighting
the
critical thinking, and understand the
tool to enhance student learning. We
learning
QCC,
importance of civic engagement.
thank the partners for providing students
webpage
at
and
successes
including
community
of
service-
the
new
partnership
Service-learning pedagogy at QCC is
the opportunity to engage in productive
events. We are also pleased to announce the
not a small, solitary phenomenon. Make
activities that address civic needs. We
new QCC Office of Service-Learning in room
no mistake, we are part of a nationwide
finally thank our sponsors: the College;
H 246.
movement that represents not only a
Community
Broadening
practicing service-learning five years ago, as
change in protocols and rules but in
Horizons through Service Learning grant
of the 2010-2011 academic year, it was
attitudes
administered
placed under the aegis of the Office of
toward
education.
With
Colleges
by
the
American
Although the college began
Academic Affairs.
government cuts, it becomes increasingly
Association of Community Colleges and
important that a movement like ours has
funded by the Learn and Serve Program
committed individuals who are willing to
of the Corporation for National and
participation. We are here to support you –
go the extra mile. We are proud of all our
Community Service; Con Edison; and a
faculty and community partners. We hope
Thank
you
share
you
our
so
much
enthusiasm,
for
and
your
we
encourage your feedback to strengthen
service-learning at QCC. We look forward to
working with you in the future.
The Office of Service-Learning, from Left: Jo Pantaleo, Sharon Ellerton, Meg Tarafdar,
Arlene Kemmerer, Mary Bandziukas, Cris DiMeo, Albert Cardinale
The Office of Service-Learning
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Earth Day at QCC: An Insider’s Experience
VOLUME
I,
ISSUE
I
By Joseph Sedita
In Spring 2010, I needed grad
school
Earth Day 2011 brochure
recommendations,
so
questions. As a service-learning
I
enterprise, the day gives QCC
scheduled a meeting with my
students the opportunity to
former employer at QCC. I had
take the role of mentor-teacher
finally decided to pursue teaching
with younger students. It puts
and, with the gentle prompting of
the work in their hands, and
my teacher mother, ventured to a
they rise to the occasion. They
place I remembered fondly but
realize that it is an opportunity
had not visited in a while. When I
to be leaders, and they don‘t
left my position at QCC a few
shy away from it. This model of
years before, service-learning had
education
barely begun. Coincidentally, the
embraced at our school. We
day I returned was QCC‘s second
are educating leaders, if not of
needs
to
be
APEC‘s animal presentation
annual Earth Day celebration, one of the largest service-learning
the world, then of themselves and their own lives. This Earth Day
events held here. Needless to say, I got more from my visit than I
was a great example of empowering the students and being
ever expected.
rewarded for it.
Yes, I got the recommendations I needed (and am becoming
The wide variety of events delighted the children and served
certified at Queens College) but more than that, I had the
both sides of the service-learning equation: fulfilling a need of the
opportunity to witness the evolution of a unique event from two
community while helping students better understand the world
different perspectives: first, as a visitor and someone who was just
and their potential place in it. Among the many presentations
dipping his toe into higher learning, and, second, as someone
and events were: a screening of Dirt! The Movie (a documentary
who was more actively engaged in education and familiar with
about the relationship between humanity and the living soil);
service-learning, its mission, and its positive effects.
presentations by Prof. Nathan Chao‘s class on alternative energy;
The ambitious Earth Day 2011 celebration was more than
interactive learning activities facilitated by Prof. Simran Semhi‘s
twice as large as the previous year‘s, which is indicative of the
class on ―water footprint‖ (how much water that goes into
growth of service-learning on QCC‘s campus as well as the
everything we do and use); live animal demonstrations; and a
college‘s commitment to it. In 2010, about 75 kids participated;
discussion of the production of NYC Audubon‘s newsletter by
this year, we had over 250 K-12 students attend.
QCC Literature students. I witnessed Mr.
But we‘re not just increasing in quantity. The K-12 students
Ross Ber, a beekeeper, whose intimate
visiting from various public schools enjoyed many interactive and
knowledge of the honey bee (which
engaging attractions. Last year, the kids were presented various
recently
scientific displays QCC students had set up. This year, in addition
disappearing!) impressed children not
to that, they participated in hands-on lab activities. For example,
only with the amazing process of
Prof. Joan Petersen‘s Biology students set up three experimental
making honey, but also of the bees‘
work stations for the youngsters to try – after all, service-learning
importance in a larger world. To me, this
is a hands-on process.
reflected an important tenet of service-
a
risk
of
Earth
Day
learning, which is that the knowledge
not
only
students receive not lay ‗inert,‘ but help
is
The exhibited
eco-documentary
about teaching
them become actively contributing citizens and community
the
members. This process integrates them into a ―bigger picture.‖
next
generation
QCC students teaching middle schoolers about
the environment
experienced
to
Earth Day teaches us that everything is connected.
value and care
I can‘t help but see a parallel evolution in my own
for our fragile
educational progress too - as my understanding of education and
planet, but it‘s
its purpose has grown, so has my appreciation for service-
also
learning. Here‘s to hoping next year‘s celebration is even better
about
a s k i n g
than this one‘s. See you on Earth Day.
VOLUME
I,
ISSUE
Since
Spring
2010, QCC students
have
spread
the
message of healthy
living to children at
l o ca l
elementary
school, P.S. 46 as part
of No Child Left Inside,
a national movement
to promote health and
reduce
childhood
obesity.
I
QCC at P.S. 46
Professors Vogel and Kemmerer ‗s QCC
learning community outside P.S. 46
The QCC students, who enroll in a learning community,
attend two separate classes united around the topic of ―healthy
living.‖ The students read, research, and analyze information on
the value of healthy lifestyles in Professor Arlene Kemmerer‘s Basic
Skills of Reading class while using this material to create
commercials and healthy living presentations in Professor Rosanne
Vogel‘s Speech class. The students perform their skits for the P.S.
46 kids, read books on nutrition to the children, and discuss how
healthy choices can lead to overall better health. The result is that
QCC course objectives are being met through practical application
as a service to the community: reading students are reading and
researching; speech students are practicing their speaking skills;
and neighborhood children are learning to make healthy choices.
Additionally QCC participates in P.S. 46‘s annual Health Fair.
This year‘s fair, held on March 25th, was attended by over 250
students, parents, teachers, and staff. It is a bellwether of QCC‘s
burgeoning service-learning program since it provides ample
PAGE
3
opportunity for health-related service-learning projects.
Nursing students of Professors Georgina Colalillo and Barbara
Saur held informational sessions and created posters, pamphlets,
coloring books, and interactive games to get the word out on
nutrition, exercise, dental hygiene, and injury prevention.
Professor Lana Zinger‘s Health students presented posters on
nutrition, gave out healthy food and coloring books, and had kids
do push-ups as part of a broader fitness assessment. The
elementary students were especially taken with a game in which
participants had to guess the amount of sugar in popular soft
drinks. Professor Isabella Lizzul‘s Massage Therapy students were
the new addition to this year‘s Health Fair, offering free tenminute chair massages as a method of stress reduction to grateful
parents .
The fair, organized by both
P.S. 46 and QCC, encourages
healthy lifestyles among the
youth and reinforces the
message in their families.
Engaging the children and their
parents enables QCC students
to apply their academic
knowledge and skills through
teaching and demonstration. In
doing so, QCC‘s dedicated
service-learning practitioners
reinforce and expand their own
learning by developing a
QCC students leading a lesson
commitment to the community.
at P.S. 46
The Service-Learning Webpage
QCC implemented its own service-learning webpage: http://
on faculty to embrace the pedagogy. To make this as enticing
www.qcc.cuny.edu/servicelearning/index.html. It serves as a
(and painless) as possible, the webpage provides links to content-
gateway into the larger world of service-learning for potential
specific websites, syllabi, and course examples that help faculty
partners, QCC faculty, and students, and as a resource for those
embark on service-learning journeys of their own. The webpage
already involved.
also contains a link to our Service-Learning Project Form, which
Since service-learning is a grassroots movement, it depends
faculty are asked to fill out for each project they undertake. The
form is a management tool for the Office of Service-Learning and
a guide to help faculty develop academically rich service-learning
projects. It can be adapted or revised as the project evolves.
A Student section which contains readings and activities
shows the benefits of participation and the importance of
reflection in the service-learning process. The Community
Partners section lists some of the wide variety of organizations
that have engaged in service-learning projects at QCC.
The webpage is still growing but is already an integral part
of Queensborough‘s dynamic service-learning enterprise.
PAGE
Community Partnerships Conference
4
On Tuesday, January 25, 2011, over 85 community partners, faculty members, administrators, and
staff from QCC and other colleges descended upon QCC‘s Kurt R. Schmeller Library to discuss how to
create and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships between schools and community-based
organizations, an essential part of service-learning. The conference, entitled ―Achieving the Potential
I,
ISSUE
I
Our Academic
Service-Learning
Site Partners
Alley Pond Environmental Center
of Community-Campus Partnerships,‖ was jointly hosted by
Bayside Historical Society
the Office of Service-Learning and the Center for Excellence
Bayside Senior Center
in Teaching and Learning (CETL).
CUNY Law School
Welcome remarks were shared by Carol Conslato,
Director of Public Affairs of Con Edison and President of the
Queens Chamber of Commerce, and by QCC Vice
Dr. Liberty Smith, Associate Director of the
National Service-Learning Clearing House
VOLUME
President for Academic Affairs Karen Steele. The highlight
of the morning, however, was the keynote address
from Dr. Liberty Smith, Associate Director of the National Service-learning Clearinghouse, a project of
the Corporation for National and Community Service. Smith told the audience, ―It makes sense for us as
Holy Martyrs Armenian Day
School
New York City Audubon
PAL P.S. 214 After-School
Program
P.S. 46
P.S. 203
QCC Art Gallery
Q285
educators, whether as community partner educators or educators in the classroom,
QCC Adult Literacy Program
because we know it‘s engaging our students. It makes our work more meaningful
QCC Basic Skills Learning Center
as educators, as community partners.‖
QCC Student Learning Center
QCC Child Care Center
After Dr. Smith‘s address, Ms. Dona Anderson, Senior
Program Associate of Homes for the Homeless spoke: ―What
contributes to a sustainable partnership? It‘s actually, in our case,
Dona Anderson,
Senior Program
Associate,
Homes for the
Homeless
pretty easy—communication.‖ Ms. Anderson expressed how the
QCC Continuing Education
Dr. Aline Euler,
Director of Education, APEC
QCC CUNY Language Immersion
Program
QCC Office of Campus Facilities
server and the served grew from the experience. ―All of them [QCC students] said, in
QCC Office of Health Services
one way or another, how much more respect they had for their professors after
QCC Performing Arts Center
having to teach all this stuff on their own because they realized how much work
Saratoga Family Inn
Homes for the Homeless
really goes into being able to teach something.‖
Transitional Services for NY, Inc.
Dr. Aline Euler, Director of Education at Alley Pond Environmental Center; and
Turn the Page...Again! (TSI)
Ms. Stamo Karalazarides, Assistant Principal of P.S. 46, each shared their experiences
Udalls Cove Park
as community partners, shedding light on the role of the community partner and
Woodhaven/Richmond Hill Senior
Center
the reciprocal nature of a successful service-learning project. Ms. Karalazarides said,
―We [P.S. 46] teach it all to them, but what we notice is, when QCC students come
and teach it to them, it makes a bigger impact, and that speaks enormously about
Stamo Karalazarides, Assistant
Principal, P.S. 46
the great and wonderful relationship we have with this institution.‖
Dr. Smith then provided a demonstration of her organization‘s website, a great resource for
service-learning materials and referrals. Afterward, ―breakout‖ sessions took place on the topics of:
service-learning as civic engagement; maintaining partnerships through ePortfolio; and conducting
research on service-learning activities. These conversations explored how to make a more enriching
service-learning project for students, faculty, and community. Informative and inspiring, this event
facilitated a cross-fertilization of ideas and experiences between campus and community sure to
strengthen our service-learning partnerships for the future.
All projects and events
supported by the generosity of:
Support for the development / production of this material was provided by a grant under the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006 administered by the New York State Education Department.
QCC Office of Service-Learning
222-05 56th Avenue
Humanities Building, Room 246
Bayside, NY 11364
Telephone: 718.281.5612
E-mail: jpantaleo@qcc.cuny.edu
www.qcc.cuny.edu/servicelearning
Project Director
Josephine Pantaleo
Project Associate Director
Sharon Ellerton
Center for Excellence in Teaching
& Learning (CETL) Director
Meg Tarafdar
Perkins Project Coordinators
Arlene Kemmerer
Mary Bandziukas
Cristina DiMeo
Adjunct Multimedia Specialist
Albert Cardinale