Course Description

This service-learning course connects UGA students with partner schools and approved community programs. Students complete a seminar (online or face-to-face) and a field placement assisting educators and community leaders with science, agriculture, or environmental instruction while developing teaching, communication, and leadership skills.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate credit will require students to complete a separate, additional project specific to the service learning context of the class. The project will be determined by the student and instructor consistent with needs of the service learning community partner and the interests of the graduate student and faculty. The project will require a higher level of mastery of concepts in the class and will be graded at a higher standard appropriate for graduate students. Additional readings will also be required.

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Athena Title

FOCUS Service Learning Exper

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Non-Traditional Format

This course combines an online or face-to-face seminar with an in-person service-learning placement at approved schools or community programs. Students apply course content directly in field placements, with approximately 75–100% of instructional time occurring through service-learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom setting.

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Undergraduate Prerequisite

Permission of department

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Graduate Prerequisite

Permission of department

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Semester Course Offered

Offered fall, spring and summer

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Student learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to design and facilitate hands-on science and agriculture learning activities that improve the experiences of K–8 learners in classrooms and community programs, analyzing feedback, and refining their instructional choices based on real-world challenges using evidence and sound reasoning.
• Students will be able to connect K–8 learners to STEM and agriculture careers by incorporating career exploration into lessons, conversations, or activities.
• Students will be able to use age-appropriate, interactive strategies - visuals, models, demonstrations and digital tools - that foster curiosity, positive attitudes, and engagement in science learning, adapting their designs based on learner engagement and mentor feedback and experimenting with new teaching strategies and developing original responses to site needs.
• Students will be able to collaborate with classroom teachers and community educators to support instructional goals and enhance learning at their placement sites.
• Students will be able to reflect on their service-learning experiences to develop civic responsibility, professional growth, and community involvement that extends beyond graduation, helping students recognize ethical dilemmas, reflect on their own social identities, and practice inclusive ways of engaging learners..
• Students will be able to strengthen their own communication, leadership, and instructional skills through teaching, mentoring, and program facilitation, strengthening interpersonal communication by reading social cues, engaging respectfully across cultural and linguistic differences, and adapting strategies in real time based on feedback from peers and mentors.

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Topical Outline

• Orientation to Service-Learning and Project FOCUS
• Classroom Management Strategies for K–8 Learners
• Understanding Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences
• Outdoor, Garden-Based, and Community-Based Education
• Designing Age-Appropriate Lessons for K–8 Students
• Best Lesson Presentations and Final Reflections

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Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes

Analytical Thinking

The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.

Communication

The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.

Critical Thinking

The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.

Leadership & Collaboration

The capacity to engage in the relational process of optimizing personal and collective strengths toward a common goal.

Social Awareness & Responsibility

The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.

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Syllabus

Select Faculty / Instructor to download syllabus:   Helm, Maria   Helm, Maria

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Public CV

Select a file to download:   Helm, Maria

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