Oct. 29, 2010

ICU, Tokyo

Indianapolis

Crossing Borders at Home and Abroad:

Transformative

Service-Learning

For Japanese Students

International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement 2010 Conference

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Authors

Florence McCarthy, PhD. Special Advisor for Service Learning Center

International Christian University (ICU), Tokyo;

Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Educational Research, University of Western Sydney

Mutsuko MurakamiLecturer/Program Coordinator

Service Learning Program

International Christian University (ICU),

Tokyo, Japan

Key concepts

• Crossing Borders

• Defamiliarization

Data

Written Reflection of twenty-four ICU students engaged in service-learning in local and Asian settings, 2007

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Service Learning at ICU

ICU is a small liberal arts university

with 3,000 students Known in Japan for its internationalism

and bilingual education Begun after WWII with support from

Protestant Churches mainly US Emphasis on nurturing responsible

global citizenship

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Service Learning at ICU

Service learning composed of:

--2 sequential classes

--service in the field

--a post-service reflection workshop

--research-focused advanced course

all credit bearing

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Service Learning at ICU

Individual students perform service abroad on their own, or in small groups with other non-Japanese students

Get exposed by oneself to new cultural environments

Very rare and challenging for Japan

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Service Learning at ICU

2 service options:

　　 -- Community service in Japan

-- International service primarily abroad

Predominant number of students

choose ISL (46 out of 61 in total, summer 2010)

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A multicultural network in Asia providing diverse learning environments for students in different national settings

Twenty-eight ICU students performed service through SLAN partner institutions in summer 2010

Service Learning Asia Network-SLAN

10ICU student in orphanage in India

11ICU student in a village in Malawi

12ICU student in summer school in China

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Japanese context

• new emphasis on service or ‘volunteering’

• students lead sheltered lives up to college; without much opportunity to develop social skills and awareness of social issues

• emphasis on educational achievement, exams, cram schools

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Theoretical overview:

crossing borders

and

defamiliarization

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A border delineates

“particular identities, individual capacities, and social forms”

(Giroux, in King 2004:134)

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Crossing borders

Signifies the ways that students’

•self awareness,

•concepts of others

•beliefs and assumptions

•can be questioned & changed through service-learning

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Defamiliarization involves

critical awareness and reflective practice that moves student’s participation from charity to transformation.

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Methodology

- Data based on written reflections of 24 students participating in 2005 ICU exchanges, not all in SLAN

- Translations done by Japanese fluent in English

- Emergent themes used as focus of paper

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Areas of Analysis

What students learned about themselves, What they learned about others,

Impact of their experience on visions of Asia

and other Asians,

Changes in ideas about their careers and

futures

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What students learn about themselves

“I’ve learned the importance of a single

smile; it can change the whole atmosphere”

“My indecisive personality has improved”

My experience “gave me confidence. . .”

“It gave me initiative to look at the world

through different eyes. . .”

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I realized that it would take much, much more than shallow “enthusiasm” to work overseas as an NGO office staff (member).

Learning from negative experiences

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Learning from negative experiences

“I, a Japanese, survived my two week stay in that unsanitary, inconvenient living environment. . .I came face to face with myself, doing some soul-searching and reflecting on the things I had been devoid of. . .I became negative while I was staying in the local area. Mentally fatigued, I lay down all day long, even though I knew I had come all the way to Thailand to do much more than that. I allowed myself to give up.”

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Learning from negative experiences

I could never say that I ‘enjoyed’ my one-month internship, but the whole experience was thought-provoking. I broke down in tears a couple of times. . ., but my stay in Thailand has certainly helped me become a more matured (sic) person.”

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Visions of Asia

“One of the key words from this service learning (in China) is ‘serve as a bridge.’ It has been such a meaningful experience to be in Hong Kong and China where they are both close cultures. As (for) Japan being in Asia . . .. Japan has not included itself as a member of Asia. The history of Japan and the close countries has made me rethink the international relations of Japan. We have to know the other, as well as to know about ourselves.”

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Visions of Asia

“I was very much impressed by ‘Indian hospitality.’ I don’t think I know any other countries in which I, as Japanese, was welcomed more warmly. I was so moved that people warmly welcomed me smiling wherever I went. I thought that Japanese people should learn this hospitality from them.”

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Lessons of History

• “The discussions had to be stopped when each of us became too much (sic) emotional, and a student started crying. I’d rather not have any discussion with anybody if he or she is offended and hurt.”

• Highlight of stay “to have talked about the relationship between Japan and China with local students.”

• “Made me look at Asia, not at Western countries as before.”

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Border-Crossing Experiences Continue

in Transformative Service Learningof Japanese Students…

…again in summer 2010

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1. A sophomore (F), who returned from 6 week- summer service in northern part of Thailand reflected:

“I did not like Thai food, could not get along with my host mother, had to hide my feelings to keep smiles. I kept telling myself, ‘How can this happen this way, unbelievable! “’. I wanted to go back home to Japan. I was weeping every night.

• I opened up and discussed problems with the host mother; decided to concentrate on service, trying to help classes for mountain tribe girls, realized this is “my place” of service

• I learned the situation of the students, decided to write a senior thesis on the developmental education of mountain tribe people of Thailand. I learned how much I was supported during my service; service is what you do with them, not for them.

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2.A sophomore (F) who chose to perform service in the Philippines because she was interested in “development theories” she had learned in class. After 5-week work at an NPO for the sexually abused women and children, she reflected:

I was shocked to learn that abusers were often in own family, learned many of their problems were caused for unemployment and consequent poverty; the local culture rooted in the long history can bar development.

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I saw a vicious cycle there: poverty, lack of education, abuse taking place, no where to go.

I was yet moved by the close and warm way the people in the Filipino community were related to each other. One person said, “We are poor, but rich with friends.”

We say “serve to learn” but I saw “learn to

serve.” It is important to learn (the local situation) to make good service. I learned how little I know about my own country, too. Now I am interested in many more issues and eager to learn and serve in my own way.

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More recent research

• “The Impact of Service-Learning: Reflections from Service-Learning Alumni”, 2009

• “Lessons from Service Learning in Asia:

Results of Collaborative Research in Higher Education”, 2009