Service Learning
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Fall '04 Service Learning Courses

Total number of Students who participated in Service Learning: 211
Total number of Community Partners: 28

REC 2031 Introduction to Outdoor Recreation Resources: Dr. Thayer Raines
Fall 2004 Students 22, Hours per student 10, Total # of hours 220
Each student was required to spend a day as a team member reconstructing a section of the Appalachian Trail in Gifford Woods State Park. This experience served as a focal point of reference for a number of in-class discussions regarding the wise use, preservation, restoration and management of natural resources for recreation. The Community Partner was: Herb Ogden & Greg Western, Green Mountain Hiking Club.
REC 3008 Essentials of Challenge Course Technology: Dr. Thayer Raines
Fall 2004 Students 8, Hours per student 24, Total # of hours 192
Students host a two-day team development workshop for the 6th grade classes of Poultney Elementary School using the GMC ropes course. Elementary school class goals were: appreciation of diversity, peer respect, conflict resolution, cooperation, and improved decision making. Reflection was carried out verbally in small and large groups. The 6th grade students provided written feedback. A one-month post-workshop evaluation was conducted to assess retention of team-building behavior, to identify the most memorable experience, and to obtain suggestions for improvement. The Community Partner was: Poultney Elementary School, and the contact person was Mr. Harrington, 6 th Grade Teacher.

REC 4051 Recreation Seminar: Dr. Thayer Raines Fall 2004
Students 22, Hours per student 30, Total # of hours 660
Students created a full-day symposium for the general public and recreation professionals on the theme of Recreation and Technology. Arrangements were made for using campus facilities, instructional technology, and community resources. Students managed all aspects of the symposium including public relations, marketing, logistics, budgeting, publications, registration and evaluation. A keynote speaker was obtained. Seven workshops were created by students including: Technology & Climbing, Outdoor Recreation & Competitive Sport Technology, Artificial Technology, The Impacts of Environmental Manipulation for Recreation, Technology & Board Sports, Technological Trends in Environmentally Minded Therapeutic Recreation, and Technology & the Ski Industry. Debrief included a review of strengths and areas of possible improvement, peer and audience evaluation. Several faculty provided formal written feedback.

ELA 1013 Environmental Science: Natalie Coe Fall 2004
Students 26, Hours per student 14, Total # of hours 364
The course is focused on understanding the importance of biodiversity to the well being of ALL species, including Homo sapiens . Students learn concepts in basic ecology and conservation biology and apply their learning in the outdoor laboratory. The class SL project involved clay plain restoration with The Nature Conservancy (Mary Droege, 802-265-8645). Individual SL projects included continued work with TNC, and work within the Poultney and Killington communities as well as the GMC farm.

Art 3051-01 Illustration: Jennifer Baker Fall 2004 Students 9, Hours per student 12, Total # of hours 108
Illustration class, wherein students were supposed to create illustrations for the Regional Guidebook by Virginia Westbrook and Paul Hancock. Contact was made through Paul Hancock. Reflection will occur at end of semester, when work is done.

Bio 2021 Field Biology: Kathleen Doyle Fall 2004
Students 15, Hours per Student 25, Total # of hours 375
The Field Biology class conducted a natural community inventory and mapping project at Sullivan Educational Woods in Middletown Springs for the M.S. Conservation Commission. Throughout the semester, students kept individual field journals in which they wrote personal reflections and submitted a written reflection piece at the end of the project.

Rec 1021 Program Planning for Recreation: Carol Hartshorn Fall 2004
Two sections were offered: 17 Students and 19 Students = 36 Students Total
Hours per student 15, Total # of hours 540
The Program Planning course teaches students how to organize and conduct programs in recreational settings. Within this class the students helped early in the semester with the Green Mountain Senior Games, and then did all the planning for the annual Poultney Halloween Parade and Party. The contact person for the Halloween party is Jonas Rosenthal, the town manager. We work with Ardis Smith on the Senior Games. Reflection pieces include written response pieces as well as class discussions.

ELA 1025 Seeing Ourselves: Vangie Blust Fall 2004
Students: 16, Hours per student 3, Total # of hours 48
The class will identify course related concepts such as: self-concept, self handicapping, self monitoring, socialization, agents of socialization, social influence, and relate concepts and understanding to 3-5 hours of service with a community partner. Students are encouraged to keep a journal, and will fill out a reflective questionnaire.

ELA 1000 12 Images of Nature: Eleanor Tison Fall 2004
Students:20, Hours per student 2-6 (4.5 average), Total # of hours 90
As one of the general learning goals for this core Environmental Liberal Arts course for all first year students is to develop a sense of personal responsibility--to consider one's role in and effects on a variety of communities--each of the 20 students in the class were required individually or in teams to participate in a service learning project. Student's then shared their experiences in class and wrote a reflective essay in their writing journals about the experience and what it revealed to them about the communities they now were part of. Projects varied from volunteering at college campus-based events, such as the Senior Games, the Welsh Harvest Festival, and Faculty/Staff family holiday socials, to projects in service to Poultney community partners such as the Garden Club of East Poultney, Stonebridge Inn committee, and Poultney High School. Six students actually participated in more than one project, and the entire class assisted in hosting a visit to our classroom from 12 Poultney High School 8 th graders with their English Language Arts teacher, Catherine Oliverio. The 8 th graders were treated to group presentations about college writing and explaining our particular course, as well as a glimpse of campus and the renewable energy projects of the GMC farm. These projects also served to orient these new GMC students to their immediate social environment.

EDU 3071 Elementary Math Methods: Mark D'Amico Fall 2004
Students: 15, Hours per student 5, Total # of hours 75
EDU 2000 Students 8, Hours per student 60, Total # of hours 480
EDU 3000 Students 5, Hours per student 21, Total # of hours 105
EDU 3500 Students 5, Hours per student 21, Total # of hours 105
Students are tutoring and teaching K - 6 students mathematics. The students assisted in local classrooms, and taught and tutored a Kindergarten Class. The community partner was Poultney Elementary School. EDU 1000 Introduction To Environmental Education: Teresa Coker Fall 2004

Students: 22, Hours per student 9, Total # of hours 198
This course was designed to be an introduction to environmental education. Students were required to design and implement a group environmental education/interpretation project. One group created portable signs and flyers for the student-run coffee house. They worked with Emily Paul, the manager of the coffeehouse. One group worked on improving campus bulletin boards in hopes of reducing the amount of paper flyers hung all over campus. They worked with Brian at Student Life. And one group conducted an after school program on the Poultney Nature Trail for Poultney Elementary. They worked with Ray Pentkowski, the principal, and Vicki Vosbourgh, the after school coordinator. At the end of the semester, each group was required to make a presentation to the class about their project that reflected roles, challenges, learning, and improvements.