Chapter Excerpts

For the last three years, I have been incorporating field researching and service-learning approaches in my composition courses in the First-Year Learning Communities Program (FYLCP) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). During this time, I have noticed that students need assistance transitioning into classrooms that incorporate service-learning approach. Helping students transition into a service-learning curriculum helps to acquaint them to the types of researching and writing activities and assignments that service-learning projects demand, such as engaging in developing questions and conducting semi-formal interviews, writing formal or professional emails, keeping schedules, and using a journal to record observations or reflections on their experiences. The purpose of this research is to provide composition instructors with an example of how to incorporate service-learning approaches within their own classrooms while still meeting the goals and objectives of their school’s curriculum, as well as how to acclimate and help their students' transition into this kind of curriculum. Current trends in composition studies claim that one way in which to engage students in civic engagement and argumentation is through the application and practice of service-learning projects. However, rather than just having freshmen engage in full-fledged service-learning projects from the beginning, I feel that students need help transitioning into service-learning curriculum. Writing activities and assignments in service-learning projects, such as developing interview questions, learning how to write a formal email, scheduling and planning trips, etc. are important in preparing students cognitively, not only with the proper writing skills, but also with the proper attitude in which they can adequately develop and ask questions, research, and reflectively write on their authentic learning experiences. The research presented in this study details the classroom activities, the major assignments and the outcomes of a fifteen-week service-learning project in two English composition classrooms.