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Enriching economics education though service-learning.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Teacher-to-Teacher mini-grants were made available to College of Education faculty interested in implementing service-learning in their methods courses during the 2002-2003 school years. A grant proposal was written and accepted to support the service-learning project "Enriching University and Elementary Students' Experience in Economics Education." This article outlines the preparations involved in the development of a service-learning project between university students enrolled in an elementary Social Studies methods course, urban elementary students, their principal and instructional facilitator, and a Junior Achievement staff representative.

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University Vision for Service-Learning

When the opportunity arose to become involved in a university and college supported service-learning project, it was an opportunity that I did not let pass. The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) community is a diverse group of individuals who work together to accomplish a common vision and mission. One of the underlying principles of UNO is the belief that knowledge enriches the lives of all people. Therefore, UNO commits to helping their university students prepare for the challenges of living and learning in a knowledge-based, ever-changing world. Accordingly, the UNO campus focuses on three overarching goals considered necessary to achieve its vision. UNO places students at the center of the vision, focuses on academic excellence to heighten the intellectual environment for scholarship and learning, and strives to build bridges to its many communities. With the three goals established by the university, the framework of support for a service-learning project was intact.

The Service-Learning Academy at UNO

The UNO vision serves as an excellent framework for service-learning projects. Because UNO strives to build bridges to the community service-learning at UNO is highly valued, promoted, and supported. The Service-Learning Academy (SLA) was created in 1999 to promote and support service-learning efforts in the greater Omaha community. The SLA was funded by a grant from the Nebraska Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education. The objectives of the SLA are to (1) provide encouragement and assistance to faculty members interested in developing service-learning courses, (2) provide information about service-learning opportunities available to students, (3) provide a contact between the UNO campus and community-based organizations, and (4) cultivate continuing working relationships among faculty, students, and community organization. As an elementary Social Studies methods instructor in the college of education, I was provided with a wealth of resources through the SLA and developed the project "Enriching University and Elementary Students' Experience in Economics Education."

Financial Support for Service-Learning

In November of 2002, a representative from the SLA came to a Teacher Education Department faculty meeting to encourage methods course instructors to integrate service-learning into their courses. The representative asked interested instructors to apply for $750 Teacher-to-Teacher mini-grants. The mini-grants were offered to support the...

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