Introduction

The CSL Project in psychology was initiated as an alternative to the traditional research project. The intent of the CSL project is to meld research on sound psychological findings with service to help the community. This project has taken two forms so far and may continue to evolve based on student and teacher evaluation. The first projects were student selected. Students worked individually or in small groups of up to three, identified a community need and developed a way to address this need by applying concepts in psychology. The second project was done as a class with students, working in small groups, selecting a topic of interest to research and write an article about to be published in a newsletter aimed at incoming freshmen. The purpose is to provide freshmen with sound advice for helping them succeed in high school based on psychological research and coming from a student perspective.

Timeline and Description of Student and Program Participants

Students are enrolled in a half credit elective psychology course that runs for ten weeks in a 75-minute block scheduled class. Students have approximately four to five weeks to complete this project. Typically we have two research days in the library, two class periods in total for planning and completing some project work, and two or three classes in the computer lab to work on newsletter articles.

Materials and Resources Needed

Library, Internet access, human resources in the community, computers with Microsoft Publisher or PageMaker, and a photocopier.

Essential Questions

How can knowledge of psychological research be applied to improve our community?
How can psychology help improve the success or incoming freshmen to Spaulding High School and Barre Technical Center Campus?

Focusing Questions

What are effective ways to demonstrate knowledge of psychology in a CSL project?
What are effective ways of influencing freshmen behavior?

Rationale

To provide students with a meaningful way to apply concepts that they are learning about in psychology to help improve the lives of others.

Culminating Activities

Students implement their projects, complete written narratives and evaluations and collect feedback from community participants. They shared their experiences with other students in class. Present finished freshmen newsletters to the administration for consideration to distribute to new freshmen.

Addressing Service Learning Best Practices

Curricular Goals

  • Students complete research to enhance their knowledge of psychological concepts of interest to them.
  • Students analyze and evaluate the importance of content to be included in the project.
  • Students practice research skills.
  • Students practice writing skills.
  • Students learn to assess community needs.
  • Students evaluate project quality.

Assessment

  • Students write a narrative that reflects their personal learning and performance on this project.
  • Students also evaluate their peers in a written narrative and questionnaire.
  • Students are evaluated by the teacher for teamwork, research, decision-making, and project quality.

Service Goals

  • To identify and provide useful service to community members.
  • For students to reflect on their own experience and use this knowledge to help others.

Participation

  • Work in groups on research, planning, and implementation of project.
  • Make community contacts.

Diversity

  • Students were assigned to works in groups based on the diversity of skills and to work with students that they do not typically choose to work with.
  • The freshmen newsletter project will hopefully promote a school ethic of acceptance and welcoming of freshmen by upperclassmen.

Community Connection

  • In self-selected projects students worked with diverse community clients (i.e. youth sports programs, regional planning groups, preschool and elementary school children).
  • The freshmen newsletter is connected with sending schools other than Spaulding High School.

Preparation

  • Class units on stress, development, learning, perception, and memory are covered before the project is begun.
  • Students conduct library research on psychological topics related to their project.
  • Community clients are identified.

Reflection

  • Students evaluate their own experience and performance on this project.
  • Students evaluate the peers that they work with, as well as the project as an activity for this class.
  • Community clients are asked to evaluate the projects.

Celebration

  • We recognize the work done during the presentation of projects at the end of the quarter.