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Approaching Critical: Tool Kit for Moving Toward Critical Service-Learning: Personal Reflection - Kruger

The Indiana Campus Compact Faculty Fellow 2016-2017 Cohort have created this toolkit to help guide practitioners and researchers as they move from traditional forms of service learning to more critical perspectives.

"Journey" Autoethnography

At the beginning of this fellowship, I was aware of service-learning as a pedagogical practice (having been involved with ICC and community engagement activities for about 5 years), was also aware of the concepts of critical theory (having a bachelor’s degree in sociology), and was also aware of the ideas and concepts of social justice (having gone on many tirades in the face of various injustices I have witnessed.  What I was not very aware of (although I had heard the term) the intersections of these ideas in the form of critical service-learning.  The term immediately made sense to me as using the pedagogy of service-learning to bring about social justice, yet there are many nuances that I have discovered throughout the fellowship and many more that I know I have yet to uncover.  At this point, I have learned about more ideas related to critical theories/perspectives than I had any idea existed (e.g., critical geography) and have developed a deeper understanding of some of the elements of the relationship between such theories/perspectives and service-learning.  Mitchell’s definition, and the three key elements of true critical service-learning (redistributing power, developing authentic relationships, and focusing on social change) make sense, although how to accomplish those goals truly and effectively through service-learning is less clear.  However, the fact that service-learning projects may not be sufficient truly to accomplish those ends has become clearer.  As the group has explored critical service-learning throughout the year, it seem that what seemed like digestible idea is actually much larger and more unwieldy than originally expected from a naïve perspective.  It is exciting to come to understand that there is so much more to learn about these concepts and to work with a group of individuals who have varying levels of understanding yet who all have high levels of desire to learn more and to do so together.

"Future-Oriented" Autoethnography

Having developed a somewhat deeper understanding of critical service-learning (CSL) this year, I realize that truly bringing about social change (the key goal of CSL) may not be possible in a semester, a year, or ever.  Thus, my future goals regarding CSL revolve around doing what I can to plant seeds in the students with whom I will work on CSL projects.  If, through my efforts, students adopt a more critical perspective of the social structures in our society and a better understanding of how those structures advantage/disadvantage people differently, then those students might go on to make changes that address those inequities throughout their lives. 

I originally pursued teaching as a career because I felt that I could make a limited difference on my own, but if I could reach even one student a year and facilitate them making a difference, I could exponentially increase the impact I could have on the world.  CSL provides a lens through which I can focus my efforts and magnify the impact I hope to have.  While the world may not be changed by any one project I do or even any well-planned series of projects, the world may indeed be changed by unleashing a steady stream of college graduates into the world who have the desire to make a difference and the beginnings of the skills necessary to do so.  If I work to foster a love of continued learning and the desire to think critically about what is going on, “my” graduates will, ideally, continue to grow and develop along the trajectory of CSL principles.

In terms of my future understanding of CSL, I believe that this fellowship year has changed the way I look at scholarship on engaged learning, and I find myself automatically examining the critical (i.e., social change orientation) aspects of various projects in a way I didn’t before.  I believe that this trend will continue and will permeate both how I read scholarship and how I plan my own classes and projects (even when I am not building my classes around a significant engaged learning project).  I also intend to continue to read and explore relevant topics regarding critical perspectives and to strive to consider the individuals I work with (faculty, students, community member, etc.) through a critical lens (how has their past experience led to the behavior I’m observing?  How can I work with them in a sensitive and caring fashion and meet both of our needs simultaneously?  Etc.)