INVST Community Studies Teaching Methods

INVST Community Studies uses two teaching methods:

For us, service learning integrates theory with the practice of community service.  Since we know there are many ways to improve ourselves and society, and many paths toward personal and social change, we encourage members of INVST Community Studies to engage in diverse types of community service ranging from meeting direct needs to working for structural change.  We expect that the community service experiences will benefit both the student who is serving and the organization being served.  Our students work with, not for our community partners.

Participatory Education is an approach to teaching that values every individual’s capacity to be both teacher and learner.  As Brazilian educator Paolo Freire explained, "The learner is not subordinate to the teacher or mentor, but a participant in a dialogic exploration toward knowing and understanding."  In our participatory model, students and staff work together to co-construct meaningful learning experiences and an effectively functioning organization.  As a result of our model, participants expand their critical consciousness, recognize that their actions and inactions define social reality and that they have the power to positively alter the quality of their lives.