Teaching and Learning

• Oakdale Prison Community Choir Creates Unique Learning Opportunities
• Service Learning Scholar Continues to Given Even in Retirement

Oakdale Prison Community Choir Creates Unique Learning Opportunities

Cohen, overwhelmed with the volunteer turnout, makes valuable connections for inmates and community.

Twenty inmates incarcerated at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville are joining forces with 20 volunteer community members and eight University of Iowa students. Together, they’re lifting their voices in jubilant song as part of a groundbreaking choral experience this semester.
The Oakdale Prison Community Choir provides an opportunity for the offenders to sing with others and the tools to successfully re-enter society. “The idea as expressed in the book, We’re All Doing Time, is that no matter where you are, if you aren’t at peace with yourself and the place you are in life, you’re just doing time,” said Assistant Professor Mary Cohen, project director. “No matter what place you’re in, you can find peace. This philosophy resonates with prisoners and creates a perfect theme for our performance.”

Given the high rates of incarceration in the United States—and Iowa—it is critical to provide more tools to enhance the safety of correctional facilities and to find ways to help this population re-enter society, Cohen said. Not only do the prisoners benefit from the program, but Cohen hopes the community volunteers and students will as well.

“I hope the volunteers and students will think more critically about how we are leading the world in the number of people we incarcerate,” she said. Cohen explores the positive things that can be done with this population while they are incarcerated. She has added a writing component to the choral singing pedagogy. The choristers receive weekly writing choices that relate to singing and choir experiences. She hopes that some participants’ writing will be used as introductions to songs or poetry for original songs they can sing at the concert.

Service Learning Scholar Continues to Give Even in Retirement

Wade's service learning program goes international.

Social Studies Education Professor Rahima Wade became a premier scholar in service learning during her 16 years at The Univ. of Iowa. Wade, who retired this year, said her long tenure shows how connected she was to her work in the College.

"Before I started at Iowa, I hadn’t held the same job for more than a year. I was able to stay because there were so many opportunities to take advantage of as a professor—research programs, grant programs. I changed my classes and the way I taught them. It was always creative and fresh.”

Wade said one of the best things was the National Service Learning in Teacher Education Partnership, a program she started that helped bring together teacher education programs across the country to promote service learning. “That one really mushroomed and has gone international,” she said. “I like to start things and watch them grow.”

Wade said she is also proud to have been a part of the Civic Connections Program, a federal grant she managed for the National Council for Social Studies for four years that involved 300 teachers across the country. “That program was exciting because it empowered teachers and provided the resources they needed to create community-based activities with their students,” Wade said.

Alisa Meggitt (BA ‘92/IED ‘02), a sixth-grade teacher at Lucas Elementary School who has interacted with Wade on several projects over the years, describes Wade as her “hero.” “She’s a visionary and I respect her commitment to social justice in service learning,” Meggitt said. Colleague Professor Gregory Hamot has worked with Wade for 14 years and described her as “a giant in her field.”

“She has had a tremendous impact on our field and on teachers throughout the country through her service-learning workshops and research,” he said. Wade, now living in Massachusetts, continues her consulting work for school districts and higher education institutions, teaching them how to integrate service learning into their curricula.