Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marhsall College

Academics

Community-based Learning

Linking Classroom Learning with Educational Experiences in the Larger Community

For Dorinda Foster '09, dance is almost a spiritual experience. A West African dancer since fourth grade, Foster has always felt a personal connection to Manjani, which is performed to empower women.

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"A class I took investigated the relationship between spiritual life or personal transformation and social action. I decided to see what effect my spiritual experiences could have on the Lancaster community," Foster said.

With the help of the Ware Institute's Community-Based Learning program, which links classroom learning with educational experiences in the larger community, Foster began teaching Lancaster Elementary school children West African dance at the Brightside Baptist Church Opportunities Center.

"This was an opportunity to reconnect with the excitement I felt when I started dancing, and to share what I've learned with others," she said. Her dance classes were an overwhelming success. The kids loved it, applying themselves to the choreography with perseverance remarkable for their age.

Foster isn't stopping there. She continues to work with the Ware Institute to bring her students to campus so that F&M's African dance team can help teach them.

 

What is Community-based Learning?

Community-based learning blends what students learn in class with real-world experiences.

Students are challenged to link the theories they have learned to the realities in the field.

CBL differs from voluntarism in that students are prompted to consider what they have learned and link those experiences to readings and lectures.

The relationship between the community and the students is reciprocal, in that students provide a valuable service to the community, but also learn from the community.

The aim of Community-based Learning programs is to make students more aware of and active in their community.