A different way to teach

February 22, 2008 03:22 pm

— BY SISTER HELEN MARIE BURNS
HBURNS@MTALOY.EDU
Most experts on service learning agree that it is a classroom tool or methodology. In other words, service learning is a way to teach rather than a classroom distraction.
Two faculty members from Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, have echoed these sentiments.
“I’m integrating a project into my North American Native Literature course so that students can move from the ideas they encounter in the literature to a real-world application,” said Barbara Cook, an English professor.
Similarly, Nicole Luther, instructor in the American Sign Language program, said: “I want my students to experience the skill of transliterating with observation and guidance. My course goals and learning outcomes have not changed, but I do feel (they) have become more rigorous and yet more rewarding for my students.”
Cook is working with her students this semester to select a local library, to ascertain which Native American texts are currently available for children, to compare these texts with those approved by the nationwide Native American community, and to assist the library in raising funds to purchase new texts if necessary.
Students will gain an understanding of the popular images of “the vanishing Indian,” “the half-breed” and traditional misconceptions about Indian life, Cook said.
They will learn how the materials available to children reinforce stereotypes or create accurate learning, she added.
Luther’s course on transliteration is designed to help students learn to translate rather than interpret and to go from one form of language into another form of the same language.
Partners within the community have come easily because of the high demand for sign language interpreters. Real-life situations reward students for skills they possess and teach them the value of giving back to the community, a learning Mount Aloysius considers very important.