Service Learning Project

Phase 1: Investigation
Potential Needs:
● Help within CA classes as a tutor/assistant that assists the students while the CA
instructors are working individually with their peers. This will entail coming to the school
once a week during the CA classes and being an extra set of hands for the CA instructors
(Discovered through talking with my lead teacher Mrs. Lewis)
● Helping build a community garden to provide healthier lunch options to the students
(Discovered after observing the lunch periods).
● Create a composting program in the cafeteria (Discovered after observing the amount of
food waste during the lunch periods).
Need Being Addressed:
● Serving as an assistant and student helper within the CA classroom
○ Work under Mrs.Lewis in her CA classes
○ Assist students in completing their makeup work and staying on task
○ Serve as an extra set of hands and eyes so that the CA instructors may work
individually with students without leaving the other students on their own

Phase 2: Planning and Preparation

● My service learning activity will consist of being an assistant and helper within the CA
classrooms. I will serve as extra hands in the CA classroom to supervise and help
students when they are not working individually with my lead teacher (Mrs.Lewis). This
service will be useful to the classroom because it will prevent the students from being left
on their own.
○ The service needed is very hands on, allowing me to directly interact with the CA
students and gain valuable experience in this area of the teaching field. I will be
required to be attentive and flexible to provide my best service to the students I
am working with.
○ Personally, my goals are directly related to gaining experience within a CA
classroom. Since I desire to someday obtain my masters degree in special
education, the experiences I will have in the CA classroom will prepare me for
future career opportunities I may be presented with. Besides gaining experience,
another goal I have is to develop a relationship with my lead teacher. I want to
understand her motives for becoming a CA instructor and use her experiences to
help guide my future as an educator.
○ I will attend Mrs.Lewis’ and Mr. McCotter’s sixth grade CA classes on Mondays
and Wednesdays between 12:45-2:15 and assist them with whatever they need. I
will also be flexible and assist with any of the CA instructors if they need extra
hands. The 2 sixth grade CA classes both consist of less than 10 students each.
 ● Since I will be working with students in a separate setting, I may not be allowed to be
alone with the students. I will address any restrictions with my lead teacher and ensure
that everything I do within the classroom is appropriate and productive.

Phase 3: Action
● I attended the 6th grade CA classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:45-2:15.
While in the classroom, I was able to assist the students by helping them with their
incomplete assignments and studying for upcoming exams. I also helped to debunk the
students misconceptions about their work to ensure they had a firm understanding of the
information they were about to be tested on.
● When studying for an upcoming math quiz, one student was becoming frustrated that he
could not figure out a math problem using the distributive property. I approached this
problem from several angles in an attempt to help him understand the concept. Since we
were using the distributive property, I introduced the concept to him using simpler
concepts such as factoring and simple division. We worked through the problem step-by-
step, and I was able to identify where his confusion was stemming from within the
problem we were working on. Unfortunately, the class period ended before I could find a
way to explain the problem in an effective manner, but I plan on returning to his class
period later this week and tackling the problem with a fresh approach.
● The students benefited from my service learning project because they received individual
attention they may have not gotten in their regular classroom environment. The CA
instructors benefited because they were able to give individual attention to their students
without being concerned that the other students weren’t receiving help when they needed
it. Additionally, I benefited from my service learning project because I was able to gain
valuable experience teaching students and seeing first hand how all students learn
differently. I also had the opportunity to see how a curriculum assistance class is able to
help high functioning special needs students in their core classes so that they are not left
behind.

Phase 4: Reflection
● Top Five Lessons Learned (For each lesson, use specific examples to thoroughly describe
how the lesson was learned.)
○ 1. Small acts of service can make a huge difference in a student’s academic
success. While working individually with a student in the 7th period CA class, I
quickly became aware that she was not understanding the major math concepts
that I was presenting her with. After finding a way to explain the concepts to her
visually, I saw the concept click in her mind. After that, she was able to solve the
rest of her problems with ease.
○ 2. Frustration can make simple concepts seem near impossible for a student,
making completing problems difficult and time consuming. While working
 with a student individually, we came across a math problem that proved to be
difficult and confusing for them. The more I attempted to explain it, the more
frustrated and unmotivated he became. I quickly learned that the best solution for
this student would be to step away from the problem and try again with a fresh
mind, but the student was eager to persist and figure it out. We would have been
much more successful with this project had the student allowed us to go on a walk
and clear our brains.
○ 3. Students can be rash and unpredictable. As a potential special needs teacher,
I need to be able to expect the unexpected. While not severe, I had a student in my
CA class lose confidence in his work and aggressively hit the table with a
calculator as well as make some disruptive comments. I had to attempt to regain
his focus without losing my calm attitude. While difficult, I was able to get him to
complete a few more problems without quitting.
○ 4.Different instructors can have varying teaching methods. Since I was given
the opportunity to observe two different CA instructors for sixth grade, I was able
to see two different approaches to a CA classroom. Mrs. Lewis has a much more
direct approach to her students issues, while Mr. McCotter is a bit more laissez-
faire in his classroom. I enjoyed seeing these different teaching methods because
it showed me that there is not one correct way to teach; I need to be adjustable
and figure out what teaching methods feel the most natural to me within my
classroom.
○ 5.Students change on a day to day basis. While working individually with a
student in my 6th period CA class, I quickly realized he was having a bad day. He
was unfocused and angry about the work he was being asked to complete. After
discussing with my lead teacher Mrs. Lewis, she explained to me that this
particular student did very well the previous week. It is important for me to be
able to recognize when my students are having a bad day and be aware that they
have lives outside of the classroom. They may not always come to my class in a
good mindset to learn, and I need to be aware that they face many challenges
other than what I present them with.
● Reflection Questions
○ How can you transfer this experience into your future classroom?
In my future classroom, I will be open minded and accepting of all my students. I
am fully aware that not all students have the same capabilities and strong suites. I
will use my skills as an educator to serve a variety of learning methods in order to
reach as many students as possible with the information I am presenting.
○ How did your service learning project change your assumptions of the causes
and solutions needed to address larger societal needs?
My service learning project helped me to understand that small acts of service can
make a huge difference to big picture issues in society. I always had the assumption that
you need to set large goals to solve societal issues. I found while working that to change
larger societal needs, you need to start at a small scale. Helping these students with their
classwork allows me to teach them problem solving skills they can keep forever. I feel
that CA helps prepare the students for success in their later life.
○ How did your service learning project develop your problem solving and
critical thinking skills?
Working in a CA classroom was much different than any other teaching
experience I had prior to ED204. The students learned in various ways, each student
different than the others. When a student was having a hard time focusing, I had to
brainstorm ways to keep their interest through the assignment. When a student was
having a difficult time understanding a concept, I would have to come up with multiple
approaches to ensure they had multiple opportunities to understand the information.
○ What did you discover about yourself throughout this project?
Throughout my service learning project, I discovered the passion I had for
teaching. I always knew that this passion was inside me, but I did not realize how much
joy I would find in helping students succeed. After witnessing new information “click”
with a student, I could not help but feel immense pride in her persistence and progress.
This project helped solidify with me that I chose the correct career path.