Service-Learning and Foreign-Language Teacher Education

Author(s): Gresilda Tilley-Lubbs

Source: Hispania, Vol. 87, No. 1 (Mar., 2004), pp. 132-134
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
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and
Service-Learning
Teacher Education
Foreign-Language
Gresilda
Virgina Polytechnic

Tilley-Lubbs
Institute & State University

(Virginia Polytechnic
(William and Mary) and Gresilda Tilley-Lubbs
in
State
Institute and
University) facilitated a workshop at the AATSP Annual Meeting
in
were
involved
to
enable
teachers
fourfold:
The
objectives
Chicago in July 2003.
an
to
of
service-learning
(1) gain
understanding
Programs
Foreign-Language Teacher-Education
in teacher-education programs; (2) explore the implications of service-learning as an assessment

Jonathan

Arries

review for accreditation of teacher-education

tool for the ACTFL/NCATE
programs; (3)
as ameans of meeting theNational
investigate the possibilities of incorporating service-learning
Standards in Foreign Language programs K-12, and (4) examine various service-learning models
in existing programs.
In July 2003,39 million Hispanics became the largest minority in theUnited States (Census
increasing the likelihood that pre-service teachers will encounter classrooms in which
Hispanic children will be included. Therefore, service-learning projects situated in the Hispanic
education programs to com
community not only provide an opportunity to link foreign-language
a
munity needs; they also provide ameans of giving pre-service teachers firsthand understanding
of the community and its culture.
The facilitators presented the rationale for and history of service-learning,
integrated with
Both
schools.
their
in
established
have
the
about
programs are
programs
respective
they
sharing
based on critical theory and issues of social justice, creating a transformative experience for the
2000),

students.

then divided into small groups in which participants discussed their own
The workshop
on
in
teaching. They shared with each other their early years as teachers, focusing
experiences
in the classroom. After sharing with each other, they
their reactions to diverse populations
described their partners' experiences to the larger group, leading to a discussion of the power of
in the
authentic community service integrated with academic outcomes (Erickson and Anderson)
preparation

of pre-service

teachers.

instills a
that followed was framed in the precept that service-learning
The discussion
commitment to social responsibility, social change, and social justice (Cochran-Smith). Partici
nurtures the valuing of the
pating in a service-learning program situated in the Latino community
resources
children
and
cultural
and
interests,
bring to school (cf. Cochran
linguistic
knowledge
the influences that
understand
It
teachers
and
Smith; Freir?; Greenberg
Moll).
helps pre-service
shape students, such as language, culture, ability, family, and community (cf. Smylie, Bay, and
shared research that suggests that teacher education programs consider a
Tozer). Tilley-Lubbs
new paradigm incorporating service-learning to foster an understanding of diversity, attention to
service, concern for social justice, knowledge of the subject area, and development of critical
thinking skills (Tilley-Lubbs).
To provide models of existing service-learning programs, Arries and Tilley-Lubbs described
the program in which he
Arries presented
their own programs (Arries; Tilley-Lubbs).
amonth. During that time,
for
to
of
a
the
Shore
Eastern
of
students
Virginia
group
accompanies
at
Health
the
workers
the students interpret for themigrant
Department, providing services for a

"Service-Learning

and Foreign-Language
Hispania

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Gresilda
Tilley-Lubbs,
Teacher Education"
87.1

(2004):

132-134

13 3
Forum
Pedagogical
that
would
otherwise
have
their
great difficulty communicating
non-English-speaking
population
health needs. He spoke of the journaling and discussions that helped the students to synthesize
their experiences, describing how he integrated Hispanic literature as a foundation for reflective
journaling. By spending a month immersed in a cultural setting different from their own, the
students develop knowledge in a unique way.
Tilley-Lubbs

Similarly, Tilley-Lubbs described her program atVirginia Tech inwhich the students partner
with Latino families in the community. Spending 50 hours during the semester in the homes of
their partner families, the students come to understand the hardships involved in being a Latino
immigrant living in the United States. They also experience vicariously the realities of poverty
and amarginalized existence. Much of theirwork revolves around teaching ESL to the family and
serving as cultural mediators with theAnglo world. They also serve as interpreters and advocates
with the children's schools, providing them with a greater understanding of the homes of the
Latino children who will someday be in their classrooms when they are teachers.
The

facilitators

also discussed

the Interstate New

Teacher Assessment
and Support
for
(INTASC) Standards that form part of the National Council Accreditation
Teacher Education (NCATE). The timeliness of the topic is due to the 2002 approval by the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of the American Council on
Consortium

(ACTFL) foreign-language
Teaching Foreign Language's
teacher-preparation program stand
ards. As teacher-educators bring their programs into parity with accreditation standards, they will
need to find ameans of collecting data that assess pre-service teachers in terms of subject matter,
performance, and disposition; in other words, these standards emphasize what teacher candidates
should know, be able to do, and be disposed to do. Not only will these standards affect the teacher
education programs; they will also impact foreign-language programs that prepare the teachers in
terms of subject matter. In addition, the facilitators led a discussion about the role of service
learning programs in the high schools, suggesting ways in which service-learning
that address the 5 C's of the ACTFL K-12 Standards: communication,

experiences
connections,

comparisons,

and

provides
cultures,

communities.

The participants then worked together in small groups to discuss the ways service-learning
could provide assessment in their own programs. They investigated ways to incorporate service
learning in curricula, working together to produce a plan to identify community partners, and to
monitor and assess service-learning
in teacher-education programs as well as in high-school
foreign-language programs. In a final sharing session, the participants discussed the pros and cons
of various types of model service-learning programs. By the end of theworkshop, the participants
had sufficient information to examine various programs in order tomake an informed decision
about

incorporating

Works

a service-learning

component

in their

courses.

Consulted

on the Teaching
Council
of Foreign Languages.
(2002). "ACTFL/NCATE
Program Standards
Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers." Retrieved
July 20, 2003. <http://www.actfl.org>.
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Standards for Beginning
(2003). "INTASC's Model
July 20, 2003. <http://www.actfl.org>.
Language Teachers." Retrieved

American

for the

Foreign

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and Models

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Ed. Gary A.

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The Education

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U of Chicago
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July 20, 2003.