What I learned in AASL submitted by Zon

What I learned in AASL 

The other day, I was asked by a classmate who knows that I was in charge of recruitment in Japan, before coming to Extension, “How can you write about the experience in AASL class in your resume?” 
I gave a quick answer at that time, but I would like to write again about what you can learn in a class called AASL because it is a good opportunity to review my experience. 

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Even though AASL (Academic Advancement through Service Learning) is defined as “A class to learn English through Volunteering,” the actual contents extend beyond this. The class consists of lectures and volunteer experience, and its lectures are more like a sociology class than an English class. Therefore, the key point for us is to connect the conceptual things we learn in the classroom with what we experience in our volunteer work. Also, it is important to maximize the “takeaway” for the whole class by stimulating our discussions. 

The topics we discussed in the class so far are as follow: 

-Importance of “Why” (and What): 
Recognize the “why you do it” which is fundamental and makes you do what you want to do. 

-What’s my Lens? (Single Story): 
About a prejudice and a bias. Recognize the “Lens” which you see things through. 

-Community Revitalization: 
Learn the process, the difficulty, and the key success factors of the community revitalization through the local case. 

-Volunteerism: 
Understand the Volunteerism, an American culture of using someone's resources to help the other people. 

-Social Justice: 
Learn the process of thinking what to change. 

-Leadership: 
Learning what the leadership is, what the leadership types are, and what our leadership types are. 

Personally, I consider “Community Revitalization” to be the core of the discussions we have in the class. Then, it is good to connect the other factors, such as Volunteerism, Leadership, and Social Justice, to the concept of community revitalization. For instance, in the process of the revitalization, the citizens, the government, and the companies should coordinate their efforts. And a nonprofit, as a catalyst, can connect each player’s Volunteerism to circulate the resources and therefore enhance the process. It is like an engine that powers the circle of the revitalization. In addition, leadership is necessary in that process, obviously, and the direction and the strength of the leadership is determined by none other than the “why”, 
and sometimes the bias and the way of thinking about the Social Justice) which the leader has. 
Besides, in the volunteer experience, you can go to a thrift store, elementary schools, etc. you can actually join to the cycle of improving local communities. For example, in thrift shop, you can play a part in a role of offering some resources which some people don’t need any more to other people. In elementary schools, you can offer your reading skills as a resource to kids who need the opportunity to improve their literacy over their summer vacation. To be honest, I personally wasn’t interested in volunteering before this quarter, but I noticed the significance through the experience and the discussion in this class, and this is one of the best benefits I have got from AASL. 

In addition to this, I would like to add some ideas from the “micro” viewpoint. The team work with my classmates is so precious to me. I could not get the ideas I described above without my classmates. In this class, we construe abstract concepts through discussions about various texts and videos. In those discussions, sometimes I come to comprehend difficult concepts with the words of the teacher or the classmates, and the other time I may help the classmates to comprehend some concepts with my words. Fortunately, because the atmosphere in the class is really active, and because we trust and respect each other, we have a lively exchange of opinions every time. Even though my speaking skills are low, the more opinions I give, the more stimulus I can provide the in-class discussion with, and the more things I can learn from my classmates. Again, the team work with your classmates is precious and finding out how you can contribute to the “team” is the key point.

Improving your English through AASL Class - submitted by Hamed

Improving your English through AASL Class 

Would you like to engage in an interesting English learning experience? Most English classes are based on the authority or lecture style where all you do is sit and receive information, which makes it a very boring learning process and difficult to keep up with. However, this is not the case when it comes to the Academic Advancement through Service Learning (AASL) class. AASL is different because it is based on improving English through experience and engagement rather than only in-class lectures. Through the AASL core class your English skills are going to be dramatically improved due to the interaction with native speakers from the local community, enrollment and practicing English in activities of daily living, and the style of active and advanced in-class lectures. 
This class is essentially centered and based on volunteering. Volunteering gives you the chance to work, engage, and cooperate with English speakers. You will get the opportunity to spend about fifty hours with local community members. This unique experience should be exploited as much as possible by being an active volunteer. Instead of doing your tasks passively and looking at your watch waiting for the end of your work, try to engage with the staff or other volunteers. Always ask questions and speak your mind. Do not hesitate and do not be shy of your English level. Following these rules will definitely give you a very enriching experience of engaging with English speakers that will result in a swift and surprising improvement in your English skills. 
A lot of slang and practical vocabulary are not usually taught inside academic classrooms. Such important parts of the language are learned through the enrollment and working in English based environments. No matter how advanced your level is, you will definitely have some gaps in your English. Those gaps can be filled by doing practical volunteering tasks such as pricing, cleaning, tutoring, and providing help to others. Living this routine life in a place where English is the only spoken and understandable language will clearly show you your weaknesses and seamlessly you will start to fill those gaps. Doing activities of daily living while you are practicing your English skills is not only beneficial to increasing your vocabulary, but it is also very important to practice the new vocabulary you have learned in your classes which will strongly help to store them in the long memory. 
AASL is a unique, interactive class. This class is mainly about you, about students. From discussing very interesting important topics such as social justice, leadership, education, civic life, and many others to engaging in novel fun activities with your classmates, I promise you that will feel anything except boredom. The class style and how it is presented by a very unique and experienced teacher (Amy) makes the learning process a very fascinating and enjoyable one. Do not worry about the class level. Even if you are 105 or 109, your skills will be challenged in a way that allows you to improve and learn swiftly. Covering all basic English skills, you will get the chance to practice your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. To gain the most of this class, try to do all homework seriously. Some tasks have no evaluation, but to greatly improve your skills, pay attention to the reading, listening, or writing assignments. Enjoy the readings, not by taking them as a boring homework that you need to finish, but as an interesting topic about which you will learn. Another very important aspect of learning is improving your personal skills. In this class, you will get the time and the chance to discover some of the hidden sides of yourself. This includes a lot of reflection about what you do and why you do it. This can greatly influence you and improve a very important aspect of your personality. Although this class has the largest amount of work that you need to do, but you will definitely feel as if it is the simplest and most intense-free class.

An Introduction From Amy

As the current teacher and coordinator the Academic Advancement through Service Learning core class, I'd like to give a brief introduction to myself and the origin of the class.

I was born and raised in New York where I participated in community service from a young age.  As I got older and moved away from New York and my family, I missed this aspect of my life and made a commitment to return activities that helped me give back to my community.  Then I started to research the language learning opportunities that projects like this could provide for my students.

I'm excited to continue this journey and facilitate students' new experiences as they explore San Diego, American culture, and community service.