By Taylor Ware “By 3 years of age, there is a 30-million-word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families. A recent study shows that the vocabulary gap is evident in toddlers. By 18 months, children in different socio-economic groups display dramatic differences in their vocabularies (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder 2013).” To address this issue, the National Youth Leadership Council devised the National Literacy Project: Bridging the Divide. Tasked with developing this initiative was the Citizenship and Service-Learning (CASL) office here at Missouri State University. The project asks that students create and assemble a variety of reading and writing literacy resources which are to be housed on the CASL website. Last fall, an entire classroom committed to this project. Professor Telory Arendell’s Theatre for Social Change course spent their semester hard at work writing, practicing, designing, and performing. Honor’s student Matt Walter took the lead as producer of their project. Theatre for Social Change is considered the capstone experience for … [Read more...] about Theatre students use the stage to help improve literacy
By Taylor Ware “I hope this project brings more awareness to the importance of nutrition across the globe,” said sophomore, nutrition and dietetics major Ashley Guldan. Missouri State University has been selected to spearhead Bridging the Divide which is a national literacy initiative. The initiative is named for its goal to bridge the divide between wealthy and impoverished families regarding reading and writing literacy. Service-learning students have done an incredible job taking on this project and developing a variety of materials to be shared in-person and online. Ashley Guldan is one of these fantastic students. Over the summer, Guldan took the 1-credit service-learning course. Her 40 hours were split between working on Bridging the Divide and at Springfield Community Gardens. These community partners came together to form the perfect intersection of her nutrition and education passions. Guldan began by selecting children’s books related to nutrition and wrote summaries about each one. These summaries are written to help website visitors to select between the … [Read more...] about Student connects nutrition and literacy in impactful service-learning experience
By Taylor Ware “We fight the same legislative battle year after year,” said Empower: Abilities CEO Shannon Porter. Empower: Abilities is a not-for-profit striving to remove barriers and empower independent living for all people with disabilities. The needs of these individuals vary from person to person, but generally, they include assistance with household chores, cooking, shopping, correspondence and transportation. Assistance in this capacity is often performed by loved ones like friends and relatives. However, this dynamic is a complicated one. It crosses the wires between helping out a loved one and working a full time job. The financial implications are distressing as well. That is why Medicaid reimburses caretakers of this sort via institutional vendors like Empower: Abilities. In more recent years, minimum wage and inflation have continued to rise while rates for these caretakers were stuck in the mud. It is getting increasingly difficult for individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes because of a lack of funding for their caregivers. To worsen … [Read more...] about Empower: Abilities – how service-learning can impact state policy for the better
By Taylor Ware On May 7, the Citizenship and Service-Learning team gathered at Plaster Student Union for a morning of professional development, team bonding and delicious brunch foods. Service-Learning director, Dr. Kathy Nordyke, organized the workshop to educate the staff on a variety of vital tasks to the office’s operation and purpose. The brunch began with coffee, French toast and fun facts shared among tables. Team members, old and new, shared their educational backgrounds and personal interests as a means of cementing a spirit of unity among the office. Soon, the workshop transitioned to the informational component of the brunch. A massive role the CASL staff play is advising service-learning students. Advising tips made up the next portion of the morning, the importance of being accessible to students and making a meaningful connection with them are at the heart of Dr. Nordyke’s message. Our team values experiences of the student participants above all else. The advisor-advisee relationship is a pivotal factor in achieving student satisfaction. Success in this … [Read more...] about CASL combines brunch and professional development to prepare for a new academic year
Faculty - let your students know it's not too late to enroll in a 1-credit Service-Learning course for the spring of 2021 with no late fees. Service-learning is a great way for students to connect what they are learning in your class with real-world experiences. The Registrar's Office allows enrollment for a 1-credit service-learning course throughout the semester. There is no deadline as long as students can complete their 40 hours with a community partner learning site. Please encourage your students to consider service-learning. We have great placement opportunities that include, but are not limited to: Clinical Students - BIO/BMS - Work with the Diabetic Retinopathy program - We still need about 20 students - hands on clinical care Clinical and Social Work/Sociology/Psychology Students - Work with Empower Abilities (formerly the Southwest Center for Independent Living) to work with some 600 patients and their caregivers doing well checks/clinical assessments/scheduling for COVID vaccine - flexible hours, hands-on (remote); training provided. Opportunity for … [Read more...] about Faculty: there’s still time for service-learning enrollment