From Staff Reports
AMERICUS — “Service Learning A Teaching Design,” a book by Americus native LaVerne McLaughlin, details “service learning as a most promising innovation in educational reform,” according to the author.
McLaughlin defines service learning as “the integration of community service with the academic content of course work that will help develop civic responsibility. Service learning is also considered a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together to promote student learning and development,” she said.
McLaughlin came up with the material for her 84-page book because of research she had to do to teach her service to leadership class.
“When I began teaching the service to leadership class, I had no text. Therefore, I had to conduct research in order to complete class preparation,” remembered McLaughlin. “I selected readings and books related to the topic, and proceeded to use the resources in class. After creating the teaching tool in notebook format, I decided to publish the documentation.
“’Service Learning A Teaching Design’ is very useful for those institutions who emphasize servant leader roles for all graduates. It can also be adapted to any kind of extra curriculum volunteerism for civic engagement and special projects for community service involvement,” the author said.
McLaughlin said she wrote the book for both the general public and academic community.
“The book is a good tool for civic organizations, churches, fraternities and sororities, social clubs, high schools, colleges and universities who focus on student volunteerism and civic engagement. The book includes forms that can be used in conjunction with a class or program on volunteerism and service learning,” she said.
McLaughlin said her research concludes that service learning courses facilitate at least four types of student outcomes: a greater sense of personal efficacy, an expanded awareness of the world, a heightened understanding of personal values and an increased level of engagement in academic course work.
The community benefits from volunteerism and service learning because volunteers often have skills, knowledge and expertise to share with others, she said.
“The community and volunteers both learn from each other, and a commitment to better the community as a whole is usually promoted. Many students and citizens volunteer in hospitals, libraries, schools, nursing homes, social service programs for the homeless, tutoring and literacy action programs in order to fulfill their desire to help others.”
McLaughlin said, “Students who participate in service learning often become student leaders and continue to give back to the community when they leave college. Most organizations today include some form of volunteerism as part of their membership program. Volunteerism is one of the best ways for people to get involved in civic activities and develop civic responsibility.”
“Service Learning A Teaching Design” is designed to be used as a supplement to teaching courses on service learning, said McLaughlin. The book sheds light on the relationship among the perceptions of university students regarding the impact of service learning on student leadership potential, she said.
Several types of community projects are discussed as service learning tools. These projects included literacy-based community service learning and traditional service learning experiences. “Service learning is the integration of community service with academic content of course work that has been identified by educators as practice that will develop civic responsibility in today’s youth. This is a goal that is articulated in many college and university mission statements throughout the United States.
“There has been rapid growth in the use of service learning research in the past 10 years. More information is needed to improve the understanding of service learning as pedagogy on college campuses and high school campuses.
McLaughlin is director of The James Pendergrast Memorial Library at Albany State University. She is an associate professor and teaches courses on service to freshman seminar and service leadership.
She received a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science, cum laude from Spelman College in Atlanta, a master’s in library science degree from Atlanta University where she was an Andrew Mellon Fellow and member of Beta Phi Mu. She also holds a doctoral degree in public administration and has been a librarian and educator since 1976. She has also served many years as an associate professor/librarian at Georgia Southwestern State University.
McLaughlin writes a column called “Bookin’” as a part of the section called “Southview” for the Albany Herald. She said she was recently appointed to serve on the Publishing Committee of the American Library Association.
She is married to Frederick McLaughlin, Ed.D., and is the mother of a son, Frederick Laney McLaughlin. She serves as campus coordinator for the American Democracy Project which seeks to keep students engaged in civic activities. She has served as a motivational speaker for various colleges and universities and civic organizations.
And, she enjoys speaking to groups who are engaged in civic engagement as a project to better the world and community in which they live.
“Service Learning A Teaching Design” may be purchased at the following web sites, authorhouse.com, barnes&noble.com; and ebscobooks.com.
