Conclusion: Now What?
Conclusion: Now What?
This module will sum up the key takeaways of this Pressbook and includes a summative assessment.
Module 5 Learning Objectives
At the end of Module 5, learners will be able to:
- Reflect on their learning and un-learning from the modules
- Apply their learning to their own experiences in the past, present, and future
- Evaluate the efficacy of the modules and provide meaningful feedback
- Understand the variety of opportunities in community engagement open to you as a McMaster student
Benchmarking Activity
It is common practice in experiential and community-engaged learning to use a benchmarking activity, which typically occurs at the beginning and end of a course or unit so learners can see how their thinking and skills have changed as a result of their learning.
It is time to return to our opening scenario and see if your answers to the questions have changed.
Benchmarking Scenario
Part 1
A local elementary school has contacted your university class about meeting with their Grade 8 students before they fill out their high school options forms. They would like members of your class to meet individually with small groups of their students to discuss your high school and post-secondary educational experiences. Your group will then ask you questions as they plan their next steps.
You have been assigned to a small group of students and you will talk with them for one hour to give them advice. You receive short descriptions of your assigned students.
Meet Your Students
- Lara is planning to be a medical doctor. Kara’s mom is a teacher and grew up in Canada. Her father is an artist and grew up in Hong Kong. They have a religious background and Kara does not participate in many mainstream Canadian activities. Instead, she spends her time studying and caring for her younger siblings. She gets near-perfect grades on all of her assignments and becomes very upset when she makes mistakes.
- Her teacher has recommended she take all Enriched and Academic courses in Grade 9 so she can prepare to go to university and medical school in the future.
- Momolu was born in Liberia and came to Canada with his family as a war refugee at the age of six. He speaks many languages and was enrolled in ESL classes at his elementary school. He speaks English fluently now, and he has a strong interest in arts, music and drama. He receives Bs and Cs in his classes. One of his teachers complained that he is “argumentative,” since his perspectives on history and geography are informed by his family and culture rather than always conforming to expected Canadian ideas.
- His teacher has recommended he take applied courses and the high school insists on putting him in ESL classes because of his name and skin colour.
- Kevin has been diagnosed with a learning disability and a behavioural disorder. His single mother works nights and does not have the benefits to pay for a social worker to work with Michael. He was labeled as a troublemaker in primary school and this label has followed him throughout his education, with many teachers giving up on him instead of encouraging him. He has been expelled twice already from school for bullying.
- His teacher has recommended he take locally-developed courses. If he manages to graduate high school, he is encouraged to look for a non-skilled labour job.
Part 2
At your meeting with the students, you discover that only Lara pays attention to your advice, anxiously listening to everything you say. The other two students have already learned that adults in positions of power do not take the time to listen to them and cultivate a relationship; instead, adults tell them what to do. You sense they already feel boxed in by the educational system that only nurtures certain types of students.
Final Thoughts
Thank you, and good luck as you pursue your community-engaged learning experience!
