Bridging the Gap: Connecting School and Community with Service Learning

Authors

Sarah K. Edwards, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2001

Journal Title

English Journal

Volume

90

Issue

5

First Page

39

Last Page

44

Abstract

Why do I even look for teaching ideas in the education catalogs that fill my mailbox? I know that these offerings of prefabricated units and generic novel activities will not satisfy the desires of my students. Looking around my orderly classroom, I confess that I am probably the only one who adores the posters with colorful scenes from my favorite poems. During my past ten years as an English teacher, I have found myself in a mental tug-of-war as to how to connect my students with the state curriculum standards. Finally, in the abyss of Internet lessons and teaching seminars, I finally found a way to honor the knowledge and experience of my students. T hrought he use of inquiry-basedin struction, whichu tilizedf amilyl iteracye ventsa ndc ommunity service learning, my students were able to accomplish much more than the prescribed state curriculum; they learned how to promote tolerance in their community.

Comments

Published in the English Journal, 90(5), 2001. Copyright © The English Journal. Used by permission.

Recommended Citation

Edwards, Sarah K., "Bridging the Gap: Connecting School and Community with Service Learning" (2001). Teacher Education Faculty Publications. 6.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/tedfacpub/6