Perspectives of Service-Learning: Faculty Member Erika Koss

Contributed by Suzie Kim, S-L Program Assistant and Co-op.

Photos provided by Jessica Drench of 826 Boston and by the Service-Learning Program at Northeastern University.

This is one of a 3 part series exploring the partnership between Erika Koss' service-learning course First-Year College Writing and 826 Boston. 

Erika Koss

This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Erika Koss, Assistant Dean for Research, Program Development, and Outreach of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH). 

We discussed her relationship with 826 Boston, how she utilized service-learning in her classroom with the help service-learning teaching assistant (S-LTA) Lea Choukroun, and her fascination with human rights and the global coffee industry. 

Erika and 826 Boston

Many professors withing CSSH integrate service-learning as part of their curriculum and as an Assistant Dean of the college, Erika is no stranger to the program. However, this past spring semester was the first time she had incorporated S-L into her First-Year College Writing course.

"It all came together last minute," Erika explained as she poured me a cup of direct-trade coffee from Uganda. "I had a prior relationship with 826 Boston so I approached Jessica Drench [Associate Director of 826 Boston] to see if she had any outstanding tutoring needs."

First-Year College Writing student working together with BTU student.

Erika's First-Year College Writing course was not your average-cup-of-joe. Like the the coffee I was sipping, the service-learning in this course was an intricate blend of project-based and direct service. In between sips of fragrant blend of lavender, nectarine and golden raisin coffee, Erika explained the ways she felt service-learning added another dimension to her course. 

"For most of my students, it was the first time [having] a relationship with a middle schooler that is not a family member," Erika explained. "It added a deeper perspective about the community that surrounds [Northeastern University]. Even just the idea of going on the T in a direction they might not otherwise travel really opened up the students' eyes to the Boston Public Schools," Erika said. 

The original structure of the service was much like a preceding partnership between another Associate Dean of CSSH, Chris Gallagher, and 826 Boston. 

Similar to to some of his past classes, Erika and her students travelled to Boston Teacher Union School (BTU) and 826 Boston during class time. On site, their tasks ranged from assisting younger students to create ink prints for their publications to discussing edits the BTU students had written for their memoir. 

Erika believed that traveling, tutoring, and sharing this experience together created a feeling of unity between the students in the class. And if that wasn't enough, surely battling frigid winds and trudging through heaps of snow prompted the students to at least be physically closer to each other just to keep warm. 

"Some of them expressed their desire to serve at [826 Boston] in the future," she beamed. She triumphantly wiggled five fingers at me, "Five out of seventeen [students], which is a pretty good ratio!"

Erika and Lea Choukroun

S-LTA Lea (left) and Erika (right) pose in front of a
Rwandan peace basket that hangs in Erika's office. 

In comparison to the sections of First-Year College Writing that she had taught prior to this spring semester, the Service-Learning Program certainly made its mark in more ways than one. However, the biggest takeaway from the program for Erika was her relationship with S-LTA Lea Choukroun, second year Behavioral Neuroscience major. 

In fact, when I walked into Erika's office for our interview, she had just been finishing up a conversation with Lea. 

"Before you came in, we were basically talking about [Lea's] life,"Erika said. She had been giving advice to Lea as a mentor figure and the two were discussing reconnecting before Lea left for her international co-op in Bali in the upcoming fall  semester. 

It was easy to see that Erika and Lea were a power duo. They had developed a dynamic mentor/mentee relationship as they navigated the service-learning territory that was new to the both of them. 

"I have never had service-learning in any [of my] courses at any institution, never had a TA. Lea upped the standards of S-LTAs in the future," Erika said. "A lot of students would linger [after class] and I always felt comfortable directing students to her. If they had a question about service-learning , I knew Lea wouldn't have a problem handling it. She did a fantastic job. I feel like I just got a great gift in her." 

Looking forward

Currently, Erika is following her passion for coffee to Africa over the month of July. She is leading grant writing workshops at an all-women's college in Uganda before heading off to a coffee farm in Uganda. 

We wish Erika a safe trip there and back and hope for her return to the Service-Learning program in the coming fall semester! 

Be sure to check out faculty member S-LTA Lea Choukroun and 826 Boston's perspectives as well!

Perspectives of Service-Learning: S-LTA Lea Choukroun

Contributed by Suzie Kim, S-L Program Assistant and Co-op.

Photos provided by Jessica Drench from 826 Boston and by the Service-Learning Program at Northeastern University.

This is one of a 3 part series exploring the partnership between Erika Koss' service-learning First-Year College Writing course and 826 Boston.

Lea Choukroun is a second-year behavioral neuroscience major and a seasoned service-learning student. As part of her Inquiries of Cell & Molecular Biology course, Lea served at Citizens Schools,a nonprofit that partners with public middle schools in low-income communities to provide an expanded learning day. It was her experience as a volunteer at Citizens Schools that sparked her love and curiosity of education theories and methods. 

“I became really interested in the American education system, about how it works and the history behind it. I wanted to know more about it,” she explained. 

The following semester, Lea promptly enrolled in Polly Attwood’s Education in the Community course and served at Ellis Memorial, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Boston's inner city working families with high quality education and care for children, youth and vulnerable adults.

Lea's fascination for teaching extended far beyond the walls of the courses that she was enrolled for. Her curiosity led her to apply to be a service-learning teaching assistant (S-LTA) last spring semester. She already knew what she wanted out of her experience.

"I was really interested in the behind the scenes [process] of being a professor," she said. However, what she gained was more than just what she had hoped for, starting with her mentor-mentee relationship with Erika Koss.

Lea and Erika Koss

When they first sat down for a meeting, Lea and Erika discussed both their mutual goals for the students of the First-Year College Writing course as well as Lea's own personal/professional goals as an S-LTA.

"[When Erika asked me], 'What do you want to do?' I said, 'Anything and everything I can help with.'"

Lea and Erika's relationship extends past just the classroom. Erika is a mentor to Lea by advising her on her personal development as well. In fact, when I walked into Erika’s office to interview her, she and Lea had been finishing discussing reconnecting when Erika returns from Africa and also other opportunities to partner in the future semesters. 

Erika put great effort into creating learning opportunities and Lea embraced them wholeheartedly.

Her face lit up as she explained all the responsibilities she was given as the S-LTA. "At the beginning, [Erika] just had me take attendance and then that turned into 'research this [topic] and present [it] in class.' And then it became 'teach class for the whole period today.' Then it was 'Here you go, blackboard is yours. Mark all the Blackboard discussions and come up with a Service-Learning rubric.'"

“She really trusted me and I really appreciated it that,” Lea said. We hope that Lea has an amazing semester abroad as she continues to expand her passion for teaching (and also that she returns to Service-Learning the following Spring semester!)

Lea and 826 Boston

With the snowmageddon of 2015, there was a great deal of flexibility required to reorganize and schedule. Lea was right in the fray, managing stakeholders. She worked closely with the staff of 826 Boston (to read more about 826 Boston and their role in Erika Koss’ First Year College Writing course, click here. To learn more about 826 Boston, click here)

One of the challenges Lea faced as an S-LTA was organizing and scheduling site visits with the course's community partner 826 Boston. The course is a different style of service-learing as some of the service happened during class hours. 

Lea works with a 7th grade student on ink prints for the cover art of the publication.

Lea's class traveled together to Boston Teachers Union School (BTU). Students first partnered with younger students of BTU and worked to create cover art for their upcoming publication. Then, they started one-on-one tutoring to help with the writing process, where Erika's students incorporated lessons learned in their own course for their tutoring sessions with the BTU students.

"[The staff of 826 Boston] was very understanding when the [snowstorms hit]. They were always willing to communicate and be flexible with the students' schedules," Lea said on her experience working with 826 Boston.

Looking forward

“[My experience as an S-LTA] really solidified and clarified my wish to be a teacher,” Lea said. “All the things I was doing for the class, like preparing reflection questions and rubrics were things I’ve always wanted to do.”

She even joked, "I would almost rather do all that than go to my own classes."

This coming fall semester, Lea is ready to pack-up and move to Bali for her international co-op at the Green School.

"They teach from the theory of 'green education.' The school itself has no walls." Lea explained. The school is heavily integrated with the neighborhood that surrounds it. Community members volunteer to cook meals for the staff and students. In return, Green School has their own brand of service-learning in which course instruction integrates several hours of community service a week for their students.

"I wanted to see the operation of different organizations and different teaching methods. I'm interested in what is most effective and what is not."

We hope that Lea has an amazing semester abroad as she continues to expand her passion for teaching (and also that she returns to the S-L program the following spring semester!).

Be sure to check out faculty member Erika Koss' and 826 Boston's perspectives as well!

Perspectives of Service-Learning: Community Partner 826 Boston

Contributed by Suzie Kim, Service-Learning Co-op

All photos originated from the 826 Boston website or were provided by Jessica Drench. 

This is the one of a 3 part series exploring the partnership between Erika Koss's service-learning First-Year College Writing course, and 826 Boston. 

The entrance to the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Center in  Roxbury, MA.

The sign on the building read “Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Center” in bold green letters. They popped out from the surface of the brownstone, suspended over the entrance by silver beams. Underneath was a two-doored glass hemisphere bordered by the same green forest green color.

The interior looked like a rustic gift shop for your average cryptozoologist or hidden creature researcher. Along the front window, a tarantula bathed in the sun rays that filtered in. Another tank held an intrusion of cockroaches. The shelves along the walls were filled with field equipment for casual cryptozoological research such as unicorn tears or bigfoot toenails.

Jessica Drench, Associate Director of 826 Boston, welcomed me by a huge bulletin board that hung across the back of the store. It stretched from the ceiling of the room to the floor and was littered in clouds of post its about Bigfoot sightings. 

As I let my eyes wander around the whimsical store, Jessica tugged on the bulletin board. It slid open to the side and revealed an entire space hidden behind the store! I stepped through  the now open doorway into a spacious area that held bookshelves and rows of wooden benches and chairs.

This was where the 826 Boston magic happens!

826 Boston and Northeastern University 

Following the success of prototype 826 Valencia program in California, 826 Boston became the seventh chapter of 826 National.Under the umbrella organization, 826 Boston shares the same mission as its sister branches across the nation. All 826 chapters provide a creative space and free writing programs for students ages 6 to 18. It encourages and cultivates both creative and expository skills in their students, as well as providing mentoring opportunities for volunteers.

When 826 Boston first started in 2007, the program staff consisted of Daniel Johnson, the founding executive director and one volunteer coordinator. Since then, the program staff has expanded from two staff members to eleven.

More hands on deck meant that the capacity of the program to develop and flourish increased as well. This is where the seeds of the now mature partnership between Northeastern University and 826 Boston were sown.  

“Our founding director, [Daniel Johnson], started a conversation with Chris Gallagher, [Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning and Experiential Education at Northeastern University],” Jessica explains. The sixth, seventh and eighth graders at 826 Boston had been working on a publication.

"The uniting theme [of the project] was work,” said Jessica. “The students did transcriptions of interviews of people about their jobs.”

The range of careers covered in the book is diverse. Some kids opted to interview their parents because they simply wanted to learn more about what their mom and dad did everyday. Others sought out people with unique jobs such as an exotic animal handler.

As final drafts of the transcriptions were collected, Chris Gallagher brought his Northeastern students on site to tutor students one-on-one and help edit their projects. (The completed publication, A Place for Me in the World, is available on 826 Boston’s online store.)

The summer, NU's relationship with 826 deepened when the CSSH hosted their annual staff development conference with the Office of Public Affairs.

826 Boston, Erika Koss, and Lea Choukroun

This past spring semester, 826 Boston continued a similar relationship with Erika Koss’ First-Year College Writing course. They partnered with students from the Boston Teachers Union School (BTU) to aid in their newest publication.

Publication by Boston Teachers Union School students. 

On top of one-on-one tutoring, Erika’s class assisted the students in creating visual representations of pieces of their memoir in ink prints This meant the college class traveled to BTU as well as the 826 Boston main office regularly to serve. The effort that they made was certainly acknowledged.

“This was in the context of this winter,” Jessica recalls. “[Erika] had so many classes being canceled, and she still needed to get through the content of her own course while still making sure to honor the commitment she made [to us] to come in with her students to tutor. There was one day I was driving to the site and I saw a long line of students trudging to the snow with Erika at the front in her big white coat… just charging ahead through the ice to get to the school.”  

Students in their one-on-one tutoring session
at the Boston Teacher's Union Schools

Jessica also mentioned her appreciation for Lea Choukroun, the Service-Learning Teaching Assistant of Erika Koss’ course for her flexibility and organization. Lea was crucial to sorting out the times between the students and 826 Boston to make sure every student served the required amount of hours.

“The winter affected our timeline quite a bit,” Jessica said. “To be able to get all the pieces together felt like an iceberg at one point, but their class came in and saved the day.   

“Service-Learning is the gas in the tank of our after school program,” Jessica said. “We have tremendous volunteers, many who come from Northeastern. There’s a true enthusiasm to be there and the [826 Boston] kids pick up on that,” Jessica reflected.

826 Boston and You

For anyone who loves to nurture their creativity and has a passion for working with kids, 826 Boston is a magical place. If you are interested in volunteering, explore their website for opportunities! 

We look forward to partnering with 826 Boston in semesters to come! 

Be sure to check out the perspectives of faculty member Erika Koss and S-LTA Lea Choukroun as well!

Hostelling International: Home is Where the Heart Is

Contributed by Alana Rogers, 
Photos from Hostelling International Boston website:
http://www.hiusa.org/massachusetts/boston

Alana Rogers is a service-learning student who served at Hostelling International as part of her Connections and Decisions course.

Laughter. Food. Friendships. What better way to spend a Wednesday night? These are the wonderful things I experience every other week at my Service-Learning community partner, Hostelling International Boston. Each four-hour session is spent cooking a meal with hostel guests, who are visiting from around the globe, while jamming out to music, and discussing common interests. Although it may sound simple, both guests and volunteers, such as myself, learn a lot about the global community and who we are as citizens of the world.

My role as a volunteer includes planning meals and encouraging positive interaction between guests. However, my role is not a difficult one to achieve, as conversation runs seamlessly and there is always plenty of food. Some of this semester’s sessions have included making burritos and preparing an ‘Italian Night,’ complete with pasta and garlic bread. Preparing and eating these communal meals allows volunteers to share American culture with guests, and for guests to teach us about the culture of where they are from. Each session I meet people visiting from a wide range of countries, such as China, Venezuela, Argentina, and India. Although they come from many countries, many of them are just like me – young individuals trying to find their place in the world.

My serving with Hostelling International Boston has helped me develop as an individual over the course of one semester. One important way in which my volunteer work has had a tremendous effect on me is in helping me on my journey of declaring a major. I have always enjoyed working with people, but I never realized how much joy I take away from interpersonal interactions until I began socializing with guests at the hostel. Planning and cooking meals every other week also helped me realize that I enjoy hands-on work and preparing programs.  From this experience, I was able to declare a major in Architecture before the end of the semester. Although my decision was not directly influenced by my experience at Hostelling International, serving there did help me realize that I enjoy working in small groups, which is often the work environment at an architecture firm.

The most enjoyable aspect of volunteering at Hostelling International Boston, besides cooking and eating delicious food, is meeting the guests who are visiting Boston from all across the globe. I am interested in learning about their cultures and traditions, and am open to sharing my American traditions with them. My hope for every guest is that they take a piece of Boston back to their home country and that they, too, discover a little piece of themselves that may help with their own exploratory process.

Conceptual Drawing: Thinking Outside the Box with Jamal Thorne

Contributed by Suzie Kim, S-L Program Assistant and Co-op

April 24, 2015

Northeastern students working alongside AFH students

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jamal Thorne early this March. We sat across from each other in the bustling first floor of Ryder Hall, the hub of the College of Arts, Media and Design courses.

As a college student, Jamal was a pioneer in his field. He was among a group of students who initiated a newly formed cooperative M.F.A program between the Museum of Fine Arts and Northeastern University. During this time, he received the Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant, a significant grant that aids and assists contemporary artists. With his experience, it is no surprise that he was the facilitator of a new service-learning art course this semester called Conceptual Drawing.

His Conceptual Drawing course is different from a traditional art class in two ways. First, the course does not teach students to draw in an observational manner.

“We think about what to draw and that thought process becomes the things that you want to draw. Instead of painting an apple, we paint an idea, a conversation, emotions, human interactions, we draw transformation,”explains  Jamal.

The class explores how intangible and abstract things – such as emotions, conversations, thoughts, ideas – are transferred into visual representations  through different mediums.

The second distinct characteristic of this course is that it is one of  the newest additions to the Service-Learning roster. It works in partnership with Artists for  Humanity (AFH), a nonprofit organization that provides a safe and meaningful place for urban teens with a passion for art.The  program employs high school students of every art level to explore  art as a creative outlet  through internship  programs.

Conceptual Drawing then pairs  the high school students of AFH with college art students. Course instruction takes place at AFH, which Jamal described many times as “alive and electric.”  (To see pictures, click here)   

Students take notes as Jamal Thorne gives his lecture on the
on the site of Artists for Humanities

Jamal believes that the course provides an opportunity for these relationships to form in a very organic manner and the benefits of the partnership comes full circle.

Painting by AFH student 

“[College students] develop inhibitions in [their] creative faculties as [they] get older. They’re analytical in their thinking and their [art] style whereas the teen participants’ age, there are no hesitations. There are infinite possibilities,” Jamal said. “When the Northeastern students are faced with the uninhibited creative influence of the high school students, they are forced to push themselves.”

The grade in this class is not reflective only of the student’s artistic skills, but also how well they interact with the high school students and establish flourishing mentor-mentee relationship. The course encourages college students and the high school students to actually get to know each other through discussions about their assignments.

Finished paintings are set out to dry 

As for the AFH high school students, they were given the opportunity to receive college level art instruction as well as positive role models that were close in age.

Jamal believes that art is a great tool for engagement and empowerment.  Service-Learning always welcomes new mediums of civic engagement and will continue to look out for innovative opportunities such as Conceptual Drawing.

For students who are interested, Conceptual Drawing is open to students of all majors and will be available in the upcoming fall semester. 

Expanding Our Concept of Community with Dr. Cecelia Musselman

Contributed by Suzie Kim, S-L Program Assistant and Co-op

February 19,2015

Irregular amounts of snow aren't the only thing the blustery cold winds of winter have blown into Northeastern this semester. This spring has seen slight changes to the structure of the Service-Learning Program that have allowed for new and different courses to jump on board the S-L train. One of these courses, Advanced Writing in the Disciplines for the Sciences, is taught by Dr. Cecelia Musselman. Although the course is certainly not new, the Service-Learning component is a fresh twist to her usual syllabus. Students in the Advanced Writing in the Disciplines for the Sciences are expected to contribute a scientific article to the Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, as their Unit III project.

"Writing is experiential. Period, " she points out, when asked about how Service-Learning has influenced the way she thought about her field. "When you pick up a pen and interact with the audience, that is an experience - but, it may not always be a service." In writing, the audience has a significant influence on the style and voice an author uses. Most students learn writing etiquette implicitly, and, for the most part, individually. What the Service-Learning component adds to this course is the opportunity to actively and consciously explore these lessons through reflective discussion with their peers. As students partake in these discussions, the virtual audience of Wikipedia starts to become the virtual community. This is significant as it shifts the student's focus from their individual contributions to identifying an actual need in the community and addressing it.

"I've been working on a research project concerning Wikipedia," Dr. Musselman explained when asked about her personal and professional goals for teaching her classes with Service-Learning in mind. "There is countless research done on how to write a good paper or a great review but there is no 'rule book' for encyclopedias, even though they've been around for a very long time. I'm interested in what kind of writing [our students can] do for Wikipedia." Many people believe that in this new age of technology and virtual communities, accessibility to information on the internet would be more viable, yet Dr. Musselman feels that there is still a gap in the level of accommodation for Wiki-users within the online community. The articles that the students are expected to write hold very dense scientific content, which may not be easily understood by people outside of the scientific community or those who are not familiar with the jargon of these specific fields.

This is where Service-Learning comes in - which Dr. Musselman describes as "an enhancement" to the class.

 "On campus, we have this idea that Service-Learning means you have to leave the classroom but that's not always the case," Dr. Musselman explains. "We don't [always] need to work in other people's classrooms or spaces to create mutually beneficial relationships [with our communities]." This is an observation that the Service-Learning Program keeps in mind as we explore a new variety of ways to partner with courses such as Dr. Musselman's.

We look forward to what the rest of this spring semester has in store for this class - as well as warmer weather and no more snow!

Taking Co-op & Math to New Heights through Service-Learning

Contributed by Matt Goreham, S-L Program Assistant & Co-op

December  1, 2014

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rick Porter and Lisa Campagnoni, the instructors of MATH 3000 Co-op & Experiential Learning Reflection Seminar to discuss how their class was going with the implementation of Service-Learning.  MATH 3000 connects academic and co-op experiences to gain knowledge through reflection. The course is required of all students majoring in math and returning to campus after their first co-op. The course itself is not new, but Service-Learning is the newest component of the course. Professors Porter and Campagnoni are aiming to have a positive influence on the students' next steps in life and help them make well thought out decisions. 

The two were thrilled as to how well the class was progressing.  They expressed how meaningful it was to the students and how they saw a real change in many of them. Students were realizing that this class was about much more than a mere grade.  Through their service, the students were able to see how their skills were valuable to the community; an experience many hadn’t experienced through their co-ops. “The in class reflections were very impressive to see,” remarked Professor Porter. 

The professors believed Service-Learning could be a valuable tool for this course because students would have a “real time opportunity to reflect.” This real-time reflection is incredibly important in the Service-Learning Program; by articulating their progress students have made, they’re able to see their contributions making positive influences in the community. The growth of the students is proof that they are benefiting their community partner which is one of the main goals of the Service-Learning Program; we want to make sure the relationship between student and community partner is mutually beneficial.

When I asked what Professor Porter and Campagnoni would say to other faculty who may be skeptical to implement a Service-Learning requirement into their class they had nothing but positive things to say. “Go for it!” was the first thing I heard (from Lisa) after the question was asked. It is obvious you will never know until you try, but trying is what it is all about. This experiential pedagogy can truly take learning to the next level as seen firsthand in the Math 3000 Co-op & Experiential Learning Reflection Seminar.

Math 3000 Co-op & Experiential Learning Reflection Seminar will continue integrating Service-Learning in the Spring 2015 semester - we can't wait to see what happens!