Bridging the Gap for Pre-service Teachers.

Abstract Service-learning has proven to be an effective pedagogical approach to improving the teaching and learning environment. While many projects have focused on the impact of this method on student learning in general, fewer studies have looked specifically at its role in the preparation of student teachers. Using a community-based project, undergraduate students in a Physical Education Teacher Education program served as subjects for this two-year study. According to qualitative findings, these students reported that the service-learning experience had a direct impact on their collaborative skills, ability to apply their subject matter, their leadership skills, and ability to communicate their ideas in a real world context. ********** As the demand for quality educators increases nationally there is a need to examine the effectiveness of the undergraduate experience for pre-service teachers. Effective and meaningful teaching requires an ongoing commitment to pursue methodologies that will maximize the learning environment. This is especially the case as we prepare students for the teaching profession. As teacher educators we have a responsibility to go beyond methods that tend to promote passive reception of course content by our students. Rather, we should explore methods that support and encourage active student participation and application. In fact, McBeath (1991) recommends that effective teaching will move students from a dualistic stage of learning, characterized by a teacher dominated environment, to the commitment stage of learning, characterized by an inquiry centered environment. Collaborative teaching and learning methods foster such an environment. This technique works because the learning environment is a dynamic community whereby the learner and instructor work together as partners in the discovery, comprehension, and application of course content. We can further strengthen and expand this community to include community-based partners. This type of partnership can be illustrated using the service-learning model. Service-learning can be a powerful educational tool because there is a link between course content and community needs. Furco (1996) suggests that ideally the and learning components are of equal value whereby enhances learning and the learning enhances the service (p.12). In other words, this pedagogical approach supports a reciprocal giving and receiving by all participants. As a result, benefits associated with service-learning projects include: 1) bridging the gap between theory and practice; 2) building partnerships between university and community affiliates; 3) meeting community needs; 4) applying course content in the real-world; and 5) providing opportunities for personal and social growth on the part of the undergraduate student. While incorporating service-learning experiences into undergraduate programs has been a practice of university instructors for decades, a recent trend has focused on the usefulness of this tool as a component within teacher education programs (Barnes, 2002; LaMaster, 2001; Watson, Crandall, Hueglin, & Eisenman, 2002). Service-learning projects benefit pre-service teachers because of opportunities to learn and apply pedagogical methodologies, prepare for diverse school settings, participate in practicum experiences prior to student teaching, and understand their teaching responsibilities and abilities (Barnes, 2002; Paese, 1989; Watson et al., 2002). LaMaster (2001) described the multidirectional impact of a service-learning experience that linked a university and a high school. University instructors and their undergraduate students, along with physical educators, their students and their principal, collaborated to resolve concerns related to lack of motivation, behavior management, and curriculum within a high school physical education program. The target outcomes for this project included early field experiences for the undergraduate students, teaching and motivational strategies for the high school teachers and improved motivational levels and participation of the high school students. …