The CATESOL Journal

In a service-learning project designed for preservice teachers of an undergraduate linguistics course, survey results determined that the service-learning component of the course transformed student thinking about teaching in the public school classroom, working with English language learners (ELLs), and interacting with students of other cultures and languages. Students reported a great difference in understanding the applicability of the material being studied, and they were much more satisfied with the course based on their real-world experience. In turn, public schools that partnered in the service-learning project reported that the elementary students who participated in the project showed greater attendance, more enthusiasm for schoolwork, greater oral participation in class, and increased reading ability. This service-learning project was designed to not only benefit the preservice teachers at the university and the elementary ELLs they worked with but to create a future school system that has better-prepared teachers for the benefit of the entire community