Where's the Wisdom in Service-Learning?

Edited by:
Robert D. Shumer, Metropolitan State University

Published 2017

The service-learning field is 50 years old in the United States. Much has been developed over that time in the fields of K-12 schooling, higher education, and community organizations. People who have been involved in the movement have worked individually and collaboratively to include servicelearning as an effective pedagogy and program in educational settings. They have created opportunities for students, teachers, faculty, and community members to learn about academic content and personal commitment to serving others for social change and community impact.

In this book we hear from individuals who have been involved in the effort for more than 30 or 40 years about what they have learned from their experiences and what wisdom they can share with others who will be involved for the next several decades. Their experience, insight, and understanding will hopefully help younger people to improve and expand on the movement and place service-learning and community engagement as a regular part of American education.

“Robert Shumer has been a stalwart of the service learning movement for decades. He’s a practitioner, a researcher, an experimenter. This book gives valuable perspective for all of us going forward.” ~ Paul Loeb, Author of Soul of a Citizen

“At a moment when many are asking how higher education can better serve our democracy, Robert Shumer’s book reminds us that we still have much to learn from those who built the movement for community engagement through service learning. As befits the field, the chapters in this book derive wisdom from experience and, in so doing, give us insight and inspiration for identifying the way forward.” ~ Andrew J. Seligsohn, President, Campus Compact

“This book provides a strong foundation for promoting discussions on how the service-learning movement has evolved over the past 30-40 years. Rob Shumer has pulled together several key leaders in the service-learning movement to share their stories and experiences. This book will be useful to a younger generation of service-learning practitioners and faculty who will continue to build the field that these pioneers so generously cultivated.” ~ Elaine K. Ikeda, Ph.D. Executive Director, California Campus Compact

CONTENTS
Purpose of the Book. Foreword. Wisdom: The Ultimate Goal of Education and Learning. Acknowledgements. History and Precursors of Service-Learning Theory, Development, and Research, Robert Shumer, Timothy K. Stanton, and Dwight E. Giles, Jr. The Wisdom of John Duley, John Duley. Service Learning: Memories and Perspectives, William R. Ramsay. Reflections of a Mobiocentric Service-Learning Pioneer, Bob Sigmon. Half-Full or Half-Empty ... Who Knows? Reflections on Forty-Five Years in Service Learning’s Trenches, Timothy K. Stanton. The Wisdom of Jane Szutu Permaul, Jane Szutu Permaul. A Time to Serve, a Time to Lead, James C. Kielsmeier. The Wisdom of Terry Pickeral, Terry Pickeral. Where’s the Wisdom in Service Learning? My Story, Rob Shumer. Service Learning: A Journey of a Lifetime, Cathryn Berger Kaye. The Wisdom of Bobby Hackett, Bobby Hackett. From A Chance to the Dance, or From Happenstance to Happening, Robert Shumer. About the Editor.

REVIEWS
"Where’s the Wisdom in Service-Learning? is Rob Shumer’s collection of reflections from 10 leaders representing decades of experience. The volume is a valuable addition to the canon of knowledge about the history and development of service-learning. Additionally, by reflecting on the current state of the field and giving suggestions for a path forward, Shumer, John Duley, William Ramsay, Bob Sigmon, Timothy Stanton, Jane Szutu Permaul, James Kielsmeier, Terry Pickeral, Cathryn Berger Kaye, and Bobby Hackett offer helpful wisdom to current and emerging practitioners, scholars, and partners with the potential to advance and strengthen the field." Leslie A. Garvin North Carolina Campus Compact in Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement (Read full review)