From www.taylor.edu - Taylor University, integrating faith and learning

Taylor, Blackford County Circuit Court Combine for Tutoring Program

09.25.2009


Taylor University social work students are working with the Blackford County Circuit Court to expand a tutoring program for students in the Blackford County School System.

Beginning this month, junior and senior social work majors will travel to Blackford High School in Hartford City to tutor high school students, who will in turn, tutor middle school students.

Dr. Cathy Harner, professor of social work at Taylor, said the budding program is the vision of Hartford City Judge Dean Young, and the opportunity to involve Taylor students came through Blackford County's Chief Probation Officer Aaron Henderson.

The program, which launched last spring, began with high school students tutoring middle school students. To implement the second phase of the effort, Henderson contacted Taylor to find college students who could tutor the high school students.

"It's exactly what social work is all about," exclaimed Harner, who has since incorporated it into the curriculum of two of her classes. Junior and senior social work majors enrolled in her Social Work Process and Practice and Advanced Social Work Practice classes fulfill the course's service learning components through the tutoring program. She said 24 Taylor students are participating.

"Both classes focus on teaching students to develop better communication skills, and now they have real people to practice on," said Harner. "This (program) gives them the perfect opportunity to learn and make a difference at the same time."

As for the future of the program, Harner wants to take it one semester at a time. "If the students like it, I hope they'll continue with it on their own," she said.

Lauren Shepherd

 

About Taylor University: Founded in 1846, Taylor University is an interdenominational liberal arts university of evangelical faith located in Upland, Ind. The 2010 U.S. News and World Report survey America's Best Colleges ranked Taylor the number one Baccalaureate College in the Midwest. It marked Taylor's third straight top ranking following ten straight years of being ranked in the region's Top Three.
 
Taylor University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).