Blog entries from jaymespyne

Education As An Exercise in "Chair-Sitting"

Jaymes Pyne — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:39:05 +0100

Today I received a text message from the daughter of a family friend that I think deserves a wider read. To demonstrate a trend in education, sometimes anecdotal evidence can shed light on an issue in ways that thousands of pages of hard evidence can't. Although I read tons of articles on service learning, it's a conversation with a student that really gets my attention.

We'll call her "EM." EM is ten years old and attends a charter school in West Michigan. Most of the interaction iRead More...

Best Colleges for Service Learning??

Jaymes Pyne — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:05:20 +0100

U.S. News & World Report released the 2010 "Best Colleges for Service Learning." Who is on the list, and what were the criteria under consideration? And how in the world did they rank colleges on service learning?

Upon a quick inspection of the report, which can be viewed here, it's nice to see that 10 out of the 31 listed schools are in the Midwest, and Michigan's two largest and most respected universities, Michigan State University and University of Michigan, both made the cRead More...

More than Community Service

Jaymes Pyne — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:42:13 +0100

There is some confusion about the definitions of community service and service learning. The term service learning gets thrown around quite a bit, an educational buzz word at times used to describe virtually anything that involves some type of service to the community. But what are the actual differences?

Of course, we should hesitate from looking down our noses at terms other than service learning. Charity and philanthropy for altruistic purposes is a part of American civil society, Read More...

The First Days of Service Learning (Part 1)

Jaymes Pyne — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:45:19 +0100

Many may have heard of the popular resource book from Harry Wong titled, “The First Days of School.” In the book, the author urges teachers that effective classroom management takes modeling, repetition, and most importantly, preparation!

That is why the first days of service learning are so important to the effectiveness of the projects, activities, and learning that will ensue.

Yes, service learning takes some detailed preparation. Yes, it means that teachers (to Read More...

A Day with Cathryn Berger Kaye

Jaymes Pyne — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:32:18 +0100

The Dean of the College of Education at Grand Valley State University holds a Professional Advisory Council (PAC) meeting every two years, inviting superintendants and principals from the tri-county area to help the College of Education with feedback about pre-service teachers. This year’s focus was on service-learning, and as an added bonus, all who participated were able to be a part of a workshop/presentation by international service-learning consultant Cathryn Berger Kaye.

ARead More...

Walk for Warmth

Jaymes Pyne — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:37:17 +0100

Students and teachers at three Grand Rapids Public Schools worked to give a little warmth to those in need. Along the way, they learned that in order to get a little help, you need communication skills, determination, and the ability to see a project through.

The Walk for Warmth was held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 and benefited seniors and low-income families who have not been able to keep up with their heating bills. The event was attended by many of Grand Rapids' prominent figurRead More...

Learning from the Elderly: Art from the Heart

Jaymes Pyne — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:58:40 +0100

Some younger students may not have much experience with senior citizens beyond their own grandparents. They may also be confused or even frightened when confronted with having to navigate through a retirement community if they are not familiar with their surroundings.

A visit to a retirement community will give students a rich understanding of what they can give to senior citizens in the community as well as what senior citizens have to ofRead More...

One More Thing?

Jaymes Pyne — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:47:49 +0100

Is service-learning just "One More Thing?" Why can't it be the same thing?

For teachers, adding things to the plate can many times mean cramming things into an already tight space. Imagine the well-worn image of the overfilled suitcase. So when teachers are bombarded with program after program, the mantra becomes: One More Thing.

In this texting cyber era fond of acronyms, it may also be known as OMT.

When using service-learning, teachers can draw on lessons that tRead More...