WSU Faculty / Staff phone Department(s): E-mail
*Colleen Finegan-Stoll Ph.D., 775-4582, Teacher Ed. cfstoll@desire.wright.edu
Ron Helms Ph. D., 775-3231, Teacher Ed. rhelms@discover.wright.edu
Vanessa Jones, 775-3031, grad student in counseling program

Starting Point:
Nancy Reder, M.S. Ed. Counseling 236-9965 Starting Point

Stating Point Mentors:
7 Service Coordinators (Registered Nurses, Licensed Social Workers, Early Childhood Specialists, Masters of Ed., and MUCH experience)

* contact person
FAX 775-3301

Course name(s):
Dr. C.F-S. - Classroom Management - Ed 302
Dr. R.H. - Elem. Social Studies Curriculum / Materials - Ed 417

Credit Hours: 3 quarter hours for each class

Approximate number of students:
20-25 students taking both classes concurrently (pre-service teachers who are getting certified in Early Childhood and/or Elementary Education).

Approximate time dedicated to service learning component:
20 (3 hrs. for orientation, 15 hrs. for actual experience, 2 hrs. for guided reflection)

• Set appropriate learning goals for students as members of a group and as individuals.
• Design effective behavioral expectations and management plan
• Join with parents / guardians in setting appropriate educational goals and behavioral expectations.
• Design classroom management systems that are relevant to the students and will therefore more likely produce positive results.
• Convey high expectations to all individuals, conveying mutual respect and reinforcing student's self esteem.

• Increase appreciation for diversity.
• Appreciate the resources of the family and community.
• Prepare a better-informed citizenry in general and pool of teachers, specifically.
• Learn about social services available to families and communities.

Specific Population with whom you would like to work:
Population representative of the families in the Greater Dayton Metropolitan area (Dayton City; Trotwood-Madison; Montgomery County: Germantown, Mad River, Brookeville, Farmersville, etc.)

Agency you have identified as a potential partner:
Montgomery County Educational Service Center: Montgomery County Early Intervention Program: Starting Point

How will these courses add to your student's understanding of cultural diversity?
Teachers cannot be myopic! The classrooms of children they teach are becoming increasingly more diverse. This co-curricular experience will help the pre-service teacher to view the child in a more holistic manner and in the context of the family. The pre-service teachers will experience the love and caring attitude that most parents have for their children and how they express it in terms of their own specific family dynamic.

The pre-service teachers involved in this Service Learning Program will experience first hand that the world is the child's classroom, with the family as the primary teacher. It will help the prospective teacher realize that the environment experienced by their future students as infants and young children is very influential. An effective educator needs to realize this fact in order to determine academic, attitudinal and behavioral expectations for each individual student.

Interactions with Starting Point, as a member of the Montgomery County Early Intervention Consortium, will help the students to be more aware of the availability and interconnectedness of community agencies, including primary/secondary health care.

How will this experience benefit the clients?
Often, parents express the concern that their children's teachers don't understand the issues with which they, as families, have to deal. Parents are concerned that teachers think they do not care about their children. Teachers expect them to teach or tutor their children even though the parents may not have the ability nor the time to even help them with their homework due to other serious and vital life concerns. This Service Learning Program is an opportunity for parents to help "educate" teachers-to-be to realize the full realm of their lives: their strengths, their needs, and their concerns.

Specific Plans:
** We have met with the above agency and have collaborated with them to design this Service-Learning program (letter of support from Montgomery County Assistant Superintendent enclosed). Vital components of this Service Learning Program are the orientation and reflective aspects of the experience. Mentees will be carefully introduced to this project, mentored throughout the academic quarter, and debriefed following the experience.

Orientation:
Nancy Reder, M.S. Ed. in Counseling will conduct a 3 hour orientation including:

• Completion of a pre-attitudinal Survey, designed by the preceptors (in consultation with WSU stat consulting services).
• An overview of Early Intervention / Starting Point services and the goals of the agency.
• Benefits of early intervention (enclosed)

Discussion:

• of responsibilities and expectations of the 7 Service Coordinator/mentors.
• of responsibilities of student/mentees.
• student participation in program:
  issues of travel, time, meeting locations, etc.
• the agency carries liability insurance, so student/mentees will/may travel with Service Coordinator/mentors.
• what to do in case of emergencies.
• environment and other factors which students will be experiencing.
  diversity and stereotyping.
• verbal and non-verbal reactions to interactions and environmental conditions.
• dress code, and suggested types of interaction.
• confidentiality, ethical responsibilities and procedural safeguards (enclosed).
• Student/mentees will read "Three Letters from Teddy" (enclosed).
• Student/mentees will view portions of the video "Children in America's Schools"
• Student/mentees will write an affective response to article and video.

• Each of the 7 Service Coordinator/mentors will be assigned 3 student/mentees.

• Three Wright State Faculty/ Staff preceptors may also participate in home visits.
• 3 week blocks of time for each student/mentee (in which to complete home visits).
• Service Coordinator/mentors will choose families from their case loads who will best exemplify goals of this Service Learning Program and who give permission for student to accompany service coordinator.
• It is each student/mentee's responsibility to contact Service Coordinator/mentor; thereafter interacting and scheduling directly with her student /mentee.
• Each student/mentee will complete 4-5 home visits (1 on 1 with Service -Coordinator/mentor).

De-briefing / Guided reflection:
Nancy Reder, M.S. Ed. in Counseling will conduct a 2 hour de-briefing session and guided reflection including:

• Completion of a post-attitudinal survey, designed by the preceptors.
• Reflective process producing affective written response.
• Evaluation of Service Learning Program as related to goals and suggestions for improvement.
• Service Coordinator/mentors will discuss and evaluate this Service Learning Program as related to the goals of the program and of Starting Point's goals.
• Service Coordinator/mentors will seek input from clients regarding the benefits and value of the pre-service teacher's participation in the program.

** It is our goal to nurture this partnership among educators at WSU, providers (Starting Point) and the community (families and schools). We plan to measure and improve effectiveness of this program and continue and expand as it meets goals of these three partners in this endeavor.

Week 1: 		Orientation	March 31 - April 4

Weeks 2,3,4:		Home visits	April 7 - 25

Weeks 5,6,7		Home visits	April 28 - May 16	

Weeks 8,9,10		Home visits	May 19 - June 6

Finals Week: 	De-briefing	June 9 -June 13

The preceptors, Colleen Finegan-Stoll, Ron Helms, Nancy Reder and Vanessa Jones, plan to:

• document the process that was followed to set up and design this Service Learning Program.
• to measure changes in attitude as a result of the home visitations and the program in general (pre-post attitudinal surveys and student reflections).
• to document de-briefing and evaluation information by participants, making suggestions for improvement in the future.
• to document input from clients regarding the benefits and value of the pre-service teacher's participation in the program.

The preceptors will discuss and prepare the most effective format(s) in which to disseminate this information, such as:

• brochure
• written or oral presentation
• video
• examples of "action research" on Finegan-Stoll's and Helm's websites

• Teacher Education Department
• College of Education and Human Services
• Centers for Teaching and Learning, Healthy Communities and/or Campus Climate Committee

• Montgomery County Educational Service Center
• Montgomery County Early Intervention Program: Starting Point
• Montgomery County Early Intervention Consortium (various Greater Dayton Metropolitan Areas services and agencies, educators, social works, health care providers, etc.)

• Presentations at various relevant professional organization.

Budget:
Explain how you will use the funding:
The preceptors (Starting Point & WSU) are so committed to this program, that they have donated their services, including conducting the orientation and reflection sessions.

Materials/Supplies                 -0- none needed

Printing/Copying

-copying materials for student/mentees       50.00

 such as info, pre-post attitudinal 

 surveys, mini-evaluations, etc. 			



-preparation and dissemination of infor-    200.00

 mation regarding process, experience,

 results, etc.(as explained above)

 

Transportation                 -0- agency provides

                                             _____

                                          $ 250.00

• Benefits of early intervention, Confidentiality, ethical responsibilities and procedural safeguards

• "Three Letters from Teddy"

• Orientation packet given to families as they begin services through Starting Point. It will also be given to student/mentees.
• Recommendation / letter of support from Montgomery County Assistant Superintendent

• Letters of recommendation ftom Dr. Jim Uphoff, Chair of Teacher Education Department and Dr. Greg Bernhardt, Dean of Education, are available, if desired.