Teaching who I am: faculty perspectives and practices of academic service-learning

Abstract

Academic service-learning is an educational philosophy and pedagogy aimed at developing our capacities for deeper understanding of subject matter and for examining collaboratively difficult and controversial issues and questions in wide-ranging social contexts. Although the integration of academic service-learning practices continues to gain momentum among America's community colleges, it remains an enigma to many faculty members. Academic service-learning is transformative education that conflicts with conventional educational approaches. It focuses on learning for the collective, using analytical orientations and subjectivity to develop students' social and civic scholarship and to encourage community transformation. Using a critical, feminist lens this narrative inquiry study explores the views, beliefs, and motivations of five community college faculty using academic service-learning in order to better understand how teachers come to know and make sense of service in education. Participants work in four communities colleges located in two states. Interpretations of participant stories provide an imperfect portrait of their quests to honor and share those values that shape and influence them and give purpose and meaning to their work. Within participant stories I glimpse some common threads. Each appears to have shifted away from the traditional, masculine model of teaching and learning. Instead, these teachers embrace the under girdings of more progressive pedagogies and philosophical frames and shape a teaching and learning practice that nurtures, challenges, and empowers students. Despite this, it seems participants have done little examination of their conceptual pictures of academic-service learning and express some unease with their understanding of this philosophy and pedagogy. In addition, participant efforts are directed at opening the eyes of their students so they see how difference, how marginalization occurs in their own lives and to empower them to move forward in developing their abilities to confront inequalities. These two factors can act as a potential impediment to the deep examination of the root causes of domination, struggle, and unfairness as faculty focus on technical rather than social transformation results. Clear philosophical direction, at the personal, classroom, and institutional levels, can intensify the drive and direction essential to reshape the existing norms, roles, and outcomes found in our teaching. Tackling our apprehensions with and conflicts surrounding practical learning grounded in multiple realities; our awareness of our interpretations of power, voice, and detachment in the learning setting; and insight into the function of neutrality and objectivity in the classroom is essential so that we no longer mask issues, silence the marginalized, and perpetuate the status quo. Challenging ourselves, as well as our students, is a serious responsibility that can open the door to enhanced facilitative, student-centered teaching and learning.