Service Learning

Service Learning and the Posadas Project

Service Learning is an excellent approach through which to engage students in the content and stories embedded in the Posadas Project. Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.  The service learning template provides schools, teachers and students with a process through which to develop meaningful service that is linked to the Posadas Project and specific classroom curriculum.  The template outlines seven elements of designing a classroom-based service learning project and includes some examples of essential questions by content area (History/Social Studies, English/Language Arts, Spanish, Religion) that could be used to make connections between the course curriculum and the Posadas Project.
For more information about developing service learning projects related to the Posadas Project, please contact Dr. John Traynor at Gonzaga University: (509) 313-3632 or traynor@gonzaga.edu

POSADA
A Film about Unaccompanied Children Knocking on America’s Door

Las Posadas, based on a popular traditional procession from Mexico, is focused on the hardships, hopes and faith of immigrant youth and of Latinos in America.  The project’s two major pieces are a 57 minute documentary, Posada, and its companion web-site – www.posadas-project.com.  The purpose of this resource sheet is to provide teachers with a guide that will provide them with a template to engage their students in the content of Las Posadas.

The design of this template applies the seven elements of high quality service learning as outlined by the Service Learning 2000 Center at Stanford University (which later merged with Youth Service California).

1. Integrated Learning – View the Posada film with a view to making connections to course content.  The video has content that could be connected to History/Social Studies, English/Language Arts, Religious Studies, Culture Studies, Foreign Language courses to name a few.  It is important that there are specific content or skills from the film or subsequent student research that can be connected to the content of the class.
2. High-Quality Service – Through collaboration with varying agencies, students will be able to perform meaningful service that is age-appropriate, well-organized and designed to achieve significant benefits for students and community.  In the context of the Posada project, the service projects will target working with refugee and immigrant families and youth.
3. Collaboration – As mentioned above, connecting with a local agency that has a track-record of working with the local immigrant and refugee population is an important collaboration.  This will ensure that the service is both meaningful and age-appropriate.
4. Student Voice – While the content of the course and the collaboration with the local agencies will significantly drive the design of the service-learning project, it is important to provide opportunities for students to have a voice in the planning and implementation of the project, their own progress toward learning goals/outcomes and in the evaluation of the project.
5. Civic Responsibility – The promotion of the idea that care for others is important is at the core of the Posada project.  It is critical to encourage students to explore how their respective participation in the project is an example of their capacity to have an impact on their community.
6. Reflection – The notion of reflection is arguably the most critical element to a successful project.  As an academic experience, it is an important way in which to ensure and facilitate the learning goals that are at the core of the project.  Reflection occurs before, during, and after the service-learning project.
7. Evaluation – All partners, especially students, should be involved in the evaluation of the project.  The evaluation should seek to measure progress toward learning goals as well as the service goals of the project.

The sites below provide valuable information regarding programs that work with refugees and immigrants and may provide local/regional contacts that could be accessed in order to develop a local service learning project:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/Page.aspx?pid=648

http://www.jrsusa.org/index.php

Potential Curricular Connections:

As described in the above element on Integrated Learning, it is critical that the service work that emerges is linked to specific course content.  This will enrich both the service and the curriculum as well as provide powerful motivation for students to use the knowledge and skills that they developed through their respective studies in a real-world application.  Below are a few examples of essential questions that could be used to make connections between the in different content areas:

History/Social Studies:

• What are historical examples of displaced peoples/refugees/immigrants and what are some of the root causes?
• How have historical events created increased immigration or refugee situations?
• How do the Posadas processions provide insight into Mexican and Mexican-American culture?
• How is the history of the United States, particularly the Southwest, important to understand as it relates to immigration/refugee policy?

English/Language Arts:

• What are works of literature (memoirs, poetry, novels, essays) that convey stories of people in transition?
• How do immigrant/refugee narratives provide

Spanish:

• How do the Posadas processions provide insight into Mexican and Mexican-American culture?
• What are the Posadas processional songs saying and how are they related to Mexican and Mexican-American culture?

Religion:

• How have Christian peoples, throughout history, been displaced?
• What has been the Church’s response to displaced peoples?
• How are refugees and immigrants members of the community that need special attention as an apostolic work of the Church.

An especially helpful site with curricular connections is provided by the Jesuit Refugee Service (USA):

http://www.jrsusa.org/education/educationintro.htm