Andy Reyes

May 5, 2009

I. "MY SYNTHESIS PRODUCT SHOWS THAT..."

A. I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose).

I have a stronger sense of commitment to service-learning, firmly convinced from my synthesis that it is sound pedagogy. I see its value as a tool that can help promote critical thinking, community-building, reflectivity, and cultural competence, all of which are elements and values that I see as crucial not just for students but for their teachers and communities (schools as well as communities of residence). I feel greater confidence in “promoting” my project—beyond just “completion” as a project but as a long term pedagogical commitment, especially as I continue to be a practitioner in higher education who is trying to bring the curriculum closer to the students and the community. My sense of community engagement is also a bit sharper as I have extended my project (through discussions and presentations) in my other doctoral courses.

I have struggled (off and on) with believing that my project would have great impact, not just with my students but with other practitioners. Although there is a deep sense of nobility in trying to promote service-learning, there is an overwhelming sense of despair that can come from students who through no fault of their own, consider any form of community engagement the last thing they want to do. There is greater pressure on me as a creative practitioner to pursue my goals as creatively as possible so that I am still able to make an impact in ways that sometimes appear less “mandating” or “authority-oriented” (as, teacher, for example) in the classroom. Service-learning is not always easy to sell and the challenge is to amplify its relevance, value, and impact for students—and even the larger college community. Once students make the connection (which could take a while), then it becomes easier to “infiltrate” the class.

As a CCT practitioner, I feel empowered in knowing that a “hard sell” idea can work, and that students can “unlearn” old ways and learn new ways of constructing knowledge. I, too, am unlearning my old ways as I’ve had to allow room for other ways of thinking. Discarding old lenses for some new ones has been rewarding.



B. I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now.

Through my synthesis project, I have learned about the enormous body of service-learning that exists out there. There is certainly more to it than recycling or volunteering at a homeless shelter. Discovering new knowledge has been exciting and challenging, and I know that I have so much yet to learn. At the same time, I feel that with what I have learned I can do so much, as far as initiating community projects, writing curricula, presenting at workshops, and collaborating with other practitioners. At the moment, I am thinking of using service-learning as a springboard to a larger study for my doctoral studies (rough title: how service-learning community activist practitioners improve their teaching pedagogy and reflective practice).

I have actually shared this topic of interest with a professor in the Higher Ed program and he has encouraged me to start thinking about expanding my lit review and to start connecting with other activist educators in the UMB system. I have also been attending more professional development opportunities related to service-learning, civic engagement, and curriculum development—as these are areas that I feel I now want to learn more about. I feel my interests in these areas have expanded and deepened as a result of my synthesis work.

I still would like to continue to learn more. There doesn’t seem to be enough fully engaged service-learning programs in the area. What I am finding are bits and pieces of meaningful work, and so would like to do more research on other schools and colleges that do service-learning and community-based practices on a grander scale.



C. I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide the most important direction.

For the synthesis, I feel that I have covered what is realistically possible within the time frame I had. I do see, however, the deeper permutations that my paper has led me to rethink/reconsider. For example, I am interested in the possibility of actually a more curriculum-focused project at some point in the future. Of even greater interest is finding a way to use the ideas of service-learning in a higher education course. I had suggested to a professor that the UMB EdD Higher Ed Program look into infusing a service-learning or civic engagement component into the EdD Program (e.g., a structured, reflective community-based activity for an EdD student to implement in the community that connects to his/her goals as an EdD student, say, a student helps set up a literacy program in Chelsea through UMB, with meaningful UMB-Chelsea-student collaborative participation.)

I would like to create a service-learning “network” of practitioners in the Boston area (as well as others) to start a “practice-driven” think tank that would have as its goal the building of partnerships between and among institutions and practitioners as well as community agencies and providers that could “synergize” on ways we could all work together.



D. I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.

I have attained a level of confidence with my project, but must also say that I am quite open to expanding it in many other areas where I feel there is more to learn. I feel that although I have identified propositions, counter propositions, and counter counter-propsoitions, I may in the near future, give the paper a different twist. Just last week, I was asked to design an education course with a service-learning component (for an education course) for Bunker Hill students who plan to teach in the Boston public schools. The dean (person-in-charge) and education department chair want to mandate service-learning as a way to “weed out” students who are “declaring” themselves as “teacher wannabe’s” but have really no clue or interest in working with communities. Service-learning just might be a tool that helps these students see classroom “reality” for themselves.

E. I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence (with realistic deadlines) to realize these objectives.

I have tried to keep all deadlines and given myself plenty of time to read, write, rewrite, and share my work as it evolved. I found myself becoming closer to the topic over time (in terms of knowledge level and interest), and it felt a bit less alien to me as I learned – and talked –more actively about my topic, project, future interests, as well as heartaches and challenges. Service-learning is not quite as abstract and esoteric as it felt in the beginning; it is navigable terrain to me at this point.


F. I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources.

I feel confident that I acquired new knowledge that I didn’t have before—or only superficially understood or held. I have spent ample time with experts and students and others who have helped shed light on many questions and issues I had on the broad subject of service-learning. I have been directed to primary and secondary sources that I probably would never have considered reading or examining.


G. I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports.

I have managed to include in this project information that I believe best helps practitioners interested in learning more about service-learning, thereby sharing and strengthening my own learning in the process. I did feel shaky for quite a while as far as getting comfortable with the material, but that ambiguity is significantly more manageable and actually encouraging me to plug along in this area.


H. My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to.

I plan to attend an intensive summer institute on service-learning and civic engagement at Tufts University next year in order to continue to grow in this area. Tufts is quite the leader in civic engagement and this would be an opportunity to work with other practitioners in the field. I would also be closer to getting a qualifying paper proposal and a qualifying paper next year.


I. I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.

I hope to be the champion of service-learning in ESL courses. I think the potential is there and we need to maximize the benefits that service-learning can bring our students. I plan to present on service-learning at area conferences as well as a bigger national venues.


J. To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing.

I now have a more concrete idea of what service-learning is and can actually see/make the connections to other courses I am taking in the doctoral program. I can actually see myself pursuing this area for my dissertation. I can imagine myself contributing new knowledge in this area in the near future.

II. DEVELOPING AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER, INCLUDING TAKING INITIATIVE IN AND THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS

1. I have integrated knowledge and perspectives from CCT and other courses into my own inquiry and engagement in social and/or educational change.

I’ve always “tinkered” with what I learned in CCT—in my own teaching practice at BunKer Hill. I recall adapting 602 and 611 (my first two courses) materials in my ESL courses. I used DIALOGUE in a seminar I taught last year. I also try to use some of the CCT concepts in my EdD courses. I feel I have benefited myself and others from “walking the walk” as soon as I tried to apply whatever it is that intrigued me (at UMB/CCT) in my own work as a classroom teacher. Service-learning became more alive and real to me after I connected it to CCT and included elements and concepts such as collaboration, team-building, creative thinking, reflective practice, cooperation, and discovery—in my own synthesis phases of thinking, reading, writing, planning, and building.
I’ve become a better listener, a more reflective teacher, a less-judgmental person, a teacher who sees and respects each individual’s domain (I’m better at thinking in grey, and am better at fighting black-white thinking). I find myself constructing knowledge less rigidly as I might have done in the past. Openness to a plurality of perspectives feeds and guides my thinking and planning—and indeed, my working with others both in the classroom and the larger community.


2. I have also integrated into my own inquiry and engagement the processes, experiences, and struggles of previous courses.

I do hope that I have learned a lot from previous courses, in terms of content as well as approaches to ideas and beliefs and concepts. To this day, I still feel that I am learning about PBL and research, and still growing with every little bit of information I encounter in my other courses (in the doc program) as well as just in general. I feel that my orientation to learning is significantly more acute and open. It’s much easier to learn when one has that eagerness and “plasticity” (David Martin should be happy) that I use to embrace new endeavors and experiences.


3. I have developed efficient ways to organize my time, research materials, computer access, bibliographies, etc.

I’m significantly better at this, but can learn so much more. I plan to spend a part of the summer just getting better with computer skills, research skills, organizing my own work (and life, etc.), and saving a lot of time. Although quite efficient and adept at juggling schedules, I’d like to find ways to better use technology to my advantage. I need more PowerPoint and Excel skills, too. I plan to take all the training I can use to make my own EdD student life easier.

4. I have experimented with new tools and experiences, even if not every one became part of my toolkit as a learner, teacher/facilitator of others, and reflective practitioner.

I definitely consider myself an active experimenter—and have always enjoyed/thrived on doing “trial runs” with whatever I have learned. My toolkit is packed with the tools of creativity, self-reflection, openness to ideas, flexibility, enthusiasm, patience, spontaneity, “child-like” curiosity, intellectual curiosity, and love of learning. My toolkit is also still evolving, so I’m not always in the same place. You can be sure that if I tried it in the CCT classroom, I also tried it in my ESL classes. I am what I consider an “applied practitioner;” I can claim ownership of concepts and ideas only if I try them out myself and see how they actually work.


5. I have paid attention to the emotional dimensions of undertaking my own project but have found ways to clear away distractions from other sources (present & past) and not get blocked, turning apparent obstacles into opportunities to move into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory.

I took a leap of faith with my project. Initially, I had some uneasiness about it, but realized later (perhaps more than sooner) that I was getting somewhere. In my EdD courses, I found that what I was doing in my synthesis was finding itself a home in some of the EdD discussions around civic engagement, democratizing education, community-based practice, and curriculum relevance. It was encouraging to see a depth that I might have taken for granted if I had stubbornly told myself that my topic was a “no go.” I was inspired that what I was working on something (service-learning, etc.) was “larger than life” in other courses. This goes to show you that there are other lenses out there. What you may think is banal and “blah” might actually be food for thought in other circles.


6. I have developed peer and other horizontal relationships. I have sought support and advice from peers, and have given support and advice to them when asked for.

I made friends and professional alliances and contacts working in the course of CCT and my synthesis project---classmates and colleagues as well as community practitioners. I also found a “market” of interests in my own topic of research. I never would have realized this very early on in my time at UMB.


7. I have taken the lead, not dragged my feet, in dialogue with my advisor and other readers. I didn't wait for the them to tell me how to solve an expository problem, what must be read and covered in a literature review, or what was meant by some comment I didn't understand. I didn't put off giving my writing to my advisor and other readers or avoid talking to them because I thought that they didn't see things the same way as I do.

I shared what I had with my adviser and official reader as well as other colleagues. I had faith (after some time of questioning and doubt and nervousness) that there was something in my project that was special. I also stayed open to suggestions and comments throughout the process. This project has led me to other steps/possible projects in the EdD program as well as helped me make connections with other people at UMASS and other institutions. At this point, I feel that my work is marketable and can draw interest in, say, other academic institutions looking to align themselves more closely with partner communities. In particular, state institutions will have an interest in my project.


8. I have revised seriously, which involved responding to the comments of others. I came to see this not as bowing down to the views of others, but taking them in and working them into my own reflective inquiry until I could convey more powerfully to others what I'm about (which may have changed as a result of the reflective inquiry).

I changed this paper (and yes, my thinking) quite a bit---and perhaps, my own way of “attacking” my project. I became much more reflective and risk-“takish” with what I was “constructing.” Ultimately, I felt more convinced that I was heading down the right path and that I would be open to new discoveries. I grew, it seems, every time my paper grew, not merely in size, but in scope and depth.


9. I have inquired and negotiated about formal standards, but gone on to develop and internalize my own criteria for doing work—criteria other than jumping through hoops set by the professor so I get a good grade.

I have never been a grades-oriented person, having realized early on that as a professor, I don’t “do grades” with my students. I find that I learn better when I do my best—and with my students, I try to convey the pleasure of learning, re-learning, and unlearning as they “do school.” I believe I have developed my own inner criteria of what feels right or honest or manageable. I have taken more pleasure at peeling the grey layers of a subject that had a small kernel of interest in the beginning, and now, seems rather enormous to really conquer. The excitement is on the rise, especially as I discover more about service-learning quite frequently. My thirst has not been fully quenched, so there is more to unravel.


10. I have approached the CCT synthesis course and the CCT program as works-in-progress, which means that, instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the fact, I have found opportunities to affirm what is working well and to suggest directions for further development.

This is where my road once again begins. My discoveries regarding service-learning are my new jump-off point for the next stage. I am very much a practitioner-in-progress and plan to be one for a long time. I’m glad I don’t think that a “finished product” is required of every academic endeavor I undertake, and so welcome the new directions I find in service-learning.