Students: Consider Enrolling in This Community-Based Learning Course for Spring

Many SPAN 232 students are studying to become teachers and wish there were more opportunities to get hands-on experience in the classroom.

There are!

And many of our SPAN 232 students come to appreciate service learning by this point in the semester and wish more courses used it.

They do!

Here is a an e-mail I received today from Val Werpetinski about a course that may interest our students.

Hi Ann,

Below, I've pasted an announcement for an innovative service-learning course, which may be of interest to some of your students. The course provides a unique opportunity for students to explore environmental education, build leadership and teamwork skills, and get involved in the community in a meaningful way. It would be great if you're able to forward the announcement to those who might still be course shopping for spring. I'm happy to answer any questions about the course.

Thanks much,

Valeri Werpetinski
Center for Teaching Excellence
werpetin@illinois.edu

*********************************************************************************
Service-learning Course Available for Spring 2009!
NRES 285: Community Stewardship through Environmental Education

WANTED! University of Illinois students who

• are interested in the environment
• enjoy working with children
• want to make a difference in the community
• are eager to build their knowledge, skills, and resume
• need a 3-hour course that is educational and fun

In this service-learning course, students will learn about topics related to biodiversity, ecosystem health, and the effects of aquatic invasive species. They will work in small groups to teach children (grades 4-8) about these topics, using the "Nab the Aquatic Invader"
website and interactive, science-based activities.
And, they will develop community stewardship projects with children to teach community members how to reduce the spread of invasive species.
Students will present their stewardship projects at an environmental conference at the end of the semester.

Field work includes classroom visits twice per week for one hour at one of the following schools: Stratton Elementary School, Thomas Paine Elementary School, Edison Middle School, and Franklin Middle School.
Eight sections (CS1-CS8) with various days/times for school visits are available. All sections meet together on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:50 p.m. for lecture/group work. This course is open to ALL majors and has NO prerequisites and is team-taught by NRES faculty with instructional support from Extension's Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

http://courses.uiuc.edu/cis/schedule/urbana/2009/Spring/NRES/285.html

For questions, contact Professors Cory Suski (suski@illinois.edu,
244-2237) or Joanne Vining (jvining@illinois.edu, 333-6145).
********************************************************************************

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