Teaching the Town Hall: Incorporating Experiential Learning in a Large Introductory Lecture Course

Autor/inn/en	Forestal, Jennifer; Finch, Jessie K.
Titel	Teaching the Town Hall: Incorporating Experiential Learning in a Large Introductory Lecture Course
Quelle	In: Journal of Political Science Education, 17 (2021), S.116-129 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1551-2169
DOI	10.1080/15512169.2020.1725528
Schlagwörter	Experiential Learning; Large Group Instruction; Introductory Courses; Citizenship Education; Local Government; Cognitive Development; Self Concept; Citizen Participation; Political Science; Undergraduate Students; Instructional Effectiveness + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen; Einführungskurs; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Gemeindeverwaltung; Kognitive Entwicklung; Selbstkonzept; 'Citizen participation; Citizens'' participation'; Bürgerbeteiligung; Staatslehre; Politikwissenschaft; Politische Wissenschaft; Unterrichtserfolg
Abstract	Experiential learning has been shown to help cultivate habits of effective democratic citizens, but it is often seen as infeasible for large classes. This need not be the case. In this paper, we describe a group project designed to introduce students in a 70-person Introduction to Politics course to the basic political processes of local government. In addition to guidance on how to implement the project, we also discuss survey data from students in the class to compare pre- and post-tests for each semester as well as comparing post-tests across two semesters. We explore how students who were enrolled in the course responded to the experiential learning component of the course on three separate dimensions: cognitive development, community awareness, and self-understanding. Ultimately, students reported that they felt civically engaged because they worked directly with community partners who they felt benefited from their involvement (community awareness) and they developed their skills for teamwork and collaboration (self-understanding). Our evaluation suggests that this group-level experiential learning project in a large course can be an effective tool for political science education as well as student development and implementing these kinds of experiential learning interventions can improve with each iteration of the project. Additionally, in light of student feedback, we provide suggestions on how other faculty members teaching large courses could incorporate this project into their own pedagogical practice. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01