College Of Business Students Teach Principles Of Economics To Poudre Elementary School Students In Service-Learning Project
Wednesday, April 2, 1997
FORT COLLINS--More than 100 business students at Colorado
State University are sharing what they learn in class this
semester with 1,250 Fort Collins elementary school students as
part of an extensive community-service project.
Through a variety of hands-on activities, elementary school
students learn the basic concepts of economics as well as how a
business works and the important role business plays in today's
society.
The program, run in cooperation with Poudre School District
elementary schools and Junior Achievement of Fort Collins, also
provides college students opportunities to polish their
presentation skills and learn the importance of giving back to
the community by sharing knowledge.
Assistant professors of management Mary Tucker and Anne McCarthy
incorporated a
service-learning project in three spring-semester classes to expose students
to the value of community
involvement. The professors also plan to use the project for a research study
that evaluates whether
service-learning programs influence students' intention to be involved in
community service projects
after graduation.
"Community-service projects are an important and valued part of the
college experience,"
Tucker said. "We find that once the students get into the classroom and work
with children, they see
the benefits of the experience and want to continue it throughout their
lives."
The college students are divided into teams and teach five sessions in
one elementary class.
Junior Achievement, which has created an extensive K-12 community service
program, provides
course materials for each grade level and coordinates classroom visits with
Poudre School District.
Activities explaining different principles of economics vary by grade
level. Fourth-graders, for
example, participate in interactive lessons that illustrate how natural
resources are used in the economy
and how businesses make decisions based on the resources available. Students
in other grade levels
learn the difference between wants and needs and the different roles private
sector and public sector
industries play in the economy.
"College students who participate in this program walk away with
greater self-confidence and
a better understanding of not only what they learn in class, but how they can
make a difference in the
community," said Kristi Allsman, senior district manager for Junior
Achievement's Rocky Mountain
region, which is based in Fort Collins. "Projects of this kind are extremely
valuable to the elementary
students involved. They learn the basic aspects of business and also are
exposed to a new member of
the community."
Allsman added that the service-learning project dovetails with a new
law beginning this fall
that will require all Colorado elementary schools to teach economics.
The community-service project under way in the College of Business is
one of many taking
place in other departments on campus. Since the university's Service
Integration Project began in
1992, more than 1,000 students each year participate in service-learning
projects as part of classroom
activities, said Cindy Cleary, assistant director of the Office of Community
Service. Cleary oversees
the service integration program.
"Today's students are idealistic and they want the opportunity to act
on behalf of that idealism
in a meaningful way," Cleary said. "In addition, an increasing number of
professors at Colorado State
expect students to participate in a community project just as they are
expected to do research or take a
test. It's a valuable part of students' college education."
McCarthy said research shows that people involved in community service
projects benefit
emotionally and psychologically from their experiences.
"We want the students to realize that helping others benefits them as
much--if not more--than
the people they help," McCarthy said.
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