“Connecting and Reporting” Series

What an email can do these days! This is how I met Dr. Phyllis Ryder, who has taught service learning courses at George Washington University since Spring 06. I saw her information in an e-newsletter, contacted her and we initiated a writing partnership. As part of this series you will get to read the articles that students Nicole, Robert, Paola and Elisa wrote for CentroNía. But first let me introduce you to Phyllis so you can better understand the background and purpose of the project.

Dr. Ryder, can you explain what a service learning course is and how you started it?

It is a format where students volunteer with local organizations as part of my writing class. People who teach first-year writing around the country have been partnering with local organizations for a long time, so I had heard about the idea for a while. I decided to start doing it myself after I had been teaching courses about how people use rhetoric to create social change.

What do you think makes this format different from a typical writing class?

I thought students would gain a deeper appreciation for the power and the complexity of writing for public audiences if they could see it from the inside. My writing students partnered with six organizations in Spring 07 and the research and writing projects focused on the organization of their choice.

Did the students achieve the goals of the course as you expected?

My goals are not only to teach them to properly write academic papers but also to expose them to the reality of our society. The partnership writing with you was one of the most productive relationships for my students: most of them say that the relationship teaches them a great deal about paying attention to their audience, it provides motivating topics for their research, and it makes them appreciate how much goes into public nonprofit work. Writing with CentroNía made them think very carefully about the larger implications of simple words, how to set a tone, how to find the right angle, and how to interview in a manner that would provide the kinds of quotes and insights they needed. All the students who worked with CentroNía were extremely enthusiastic about the experience. They really enjoy the opportunity to get out into DC and to give back to this community.

I would like to thank CentroNía for the great help and growth opportunity that working with you represented. Isabel and I are currently discussing future possible topics for us to keep working this upcoming fall. This was just the beginning!

Student's articles will be included one at a time in future e-newsletter issues. Stay Tuned!