Service Learning

Service learning is defined as: "A form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves."

Service learning provides a wonderful opportunity to develop character and enrich the minds of students. When students engage in authentic service learning, they are empowered to find a larger sense of purpose in their academic work, discover their interests and passions, and become problem solvers as they actively participate in meaningful real-world projects that can impact their communities. Service learning adds rigor to teaching and promotes deeper learning.

Service learning experiences can be transformative for students as they develop empathy and compassion for others, engage in civic responsibility, and are empowered to believe they can make a difference in the lives of others. Explore the following testimonials that demonstrate the impact of service learning on students’ lives:

• In this 4:20 minute video from Character.org, a student from a National School of Character describes how service learning had a transformative impact on his life. His mother adds her perspective as well.

• This article, describes the Freedom Fighters Project and the impact it had on students.

Service learning projects include certain essential elements:

1. Related to Learning: what areas are you interested in learning more or researching?

2. Authentic Service: Projects should meet a genuine need of the community!

3. Student-Led: You are implementing your creative ideas with adult support!

In her book The Complete Guide to Service Learning, Cathryn Berger Kaye outlines the five-step process that students follow when engaged in authentic service learning. TheK-12 Service Learning Standards are the “ingredients” or components of the process described below.

1. Investigation – using interviewing and other means of social analysis, students: catalog the interests, skills, and talents of their peers and partners; identify a need; analyze the underlying problem; establish a baseline of the need; begin to accumulate partners (community members, parents, organizations, and/or other students).

2. Planning – with guidance from their teacher, students: draw upon previously acquired skills and knowledge; acquire new information through varied; engaging means and methods; collaborate with community partners; develop a plan that encourages responsibility; recognize the integration of service and learning; become ready to provide meaningful service; articulate roles and responsibilities of all involved; define realistic parameters for implementation.

3. Action – through direct service, indirect service, research, advocacy, or a combination of these approaches, students take action that: has value, purpose, and meaning; uses previously learned and newly acquired academic skills and knowledge; offers unique learning experiences; has real consequences; offers a safe environment to learn, to make mistakes, and to succeed.

4. Reflection – the teacher or students guide the reflection process through role play, discussion, and journal writing. Participating students: describe what happened; examine the difference made; discuss thoughts and feelings; place experience in a larger context; consider project improvements; generate ideas; identify questions; encourage comments from partners and recipients; receive feedback.

5. Demonstration – students showcase what and how they have learned, along with demonstrating skills, insights, and outcomes of service provided to an outside group. Students may: report to peers, faculty, parents, and/or community members; write articles or letters to local newspapers regarding issues of public concern; create a publication or Web site that helps others learn from students’ experiences; make presentations and performances; create displays of public art with murals or photography.

Explore this generationOn resource that takes you through the service learning process.

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

Decide what type of charitable project best fits your objectives, values, preferences, and resource capacity:

• Will you find friends and family to join you?

• Would you like the organization you support to focus on a particular need? For example, collecting eyeglasses or sports equipment, building a well and learning about clean water initiatives, or raising money to fight hunger or to aid victims of a natural disaster.

• Will you be raising funds or collecting items to donate?

• If you are collecting items, will someone coordinate drop-off, storage, shipment, and payment for shipment to the intended recipients? This step often makes the collection of goods prohibitively more difficult than raising funds.

• How much time can you invest? Make sure that expectations are aligned, if projects are overly ambitious, this could result in burnout or disappointment and not be repeated in future years. Starting small is often preferred, so you can continue the project and grow from strength to strength.

Service Learning Reflection Journal

Looking for ideas? Check out these Examples of Service Learning/PBL Projects

• Revitalizing Rochester: Illuminating Standards Video (EL Education – Models of Excellence):Eleventh grade students in Portland, ME, created documentary films to highlight the human impact of Hurricane Sandy on residents of Rockaway, NY; they also did service work restoring homes and businesses. Connected to a larger study of climate change. Explores the power of narrative to effect change in students and the world.

• ReVOLT: Illuminating Standards Video (EL Education – Models of Excellence): Eighth graders plunged into a 5-month, interdisciplinary expedition using design to solve a real world problem. No core academic subject was left out as the students actively engaged in multifaceted projects across classrooms.

• Peacekeepers of Chicago: Illuminating Standards Video (EL Education – Models of Excellence):Seventh grade students in Chicago, IL created a book to honor local heroes working to achieve peace in an urban community plagued by gun violence. The book, featuring student essays and photographs of the Peacekeepers, was part of a project that included a study of the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment, and a campaign to address gun violence around the school with public service videos, community meetings and a city-wide “Day of Peace” event.

• The Eye of the Storm: Illuminating Standards Video (EL Education – Models of Excellence):Eleventh grade students in Portland, ME, created documentary films to highlight the human impact of Hurricane Sandy on residents of Rockaway, NY; they also did service work restoring homes and businesses. Connected to a larger study of climate change. Explores the power of narrative to effect change in students and the world. Watch other Illuminating Standards Videos.

• Social Justice: A Whole-School Approach: Read about a social justice-based school that addresses larger issues as a learning community, builds curriculum around service learning, and regularly involves families. (Edutopia)

• Promoting Empathy in Middle School: Diverse teams of students build a stronger school culture by working together on service projects to address community needs. (Edutopia)

• Middle School Maker Journey: Preparing for the Capstones (Edutopia)

• San Francisco Bat Kid: A Model PBL Project (Edutopia)

• WebSLAM: Real-World Problem Solving with Civic Focus (Edutopia)

• The Happy Eating Place: How Elementary Students Can Run their Own Business (Edutopia)

• Design Thinking Meets a Community Action Project (Edutopia)

• The Tech Detectives: Students take Ownership of Technology (Edutopia)

• World’s Largest Lesson / Getting Started / Lesson plans and resources to teach the 17 Global Goals / Resources for online and at home learning

• generationOn – Projects and Causes / generationOn Service Learning Lesson Template

• Learning to Give Lessons / Lesson Units / Lesson Plans by Cause

• myPBLworks.org (Buck Institute for Education) – Projects (login required for plans – free registration)

• Kid World Citizen – Service Learning Projects for Classes

• Rootsandshoots.org Projects (Jane Goodall Organization)

• Getting Smart Series: Project-Based World

Tips for Planning Service Learning/PBL Projects during Online Learning

· Why PBL Can’t Wait & Remote Learning could be a Good Time for a Capstone Project (Getting Smart)

· How to Create a Project Based Learning Lesson (Cult of Pedagogy) – See next link for accompanying resource for online learning.

· How to Design PBL for Online Learning ( https://craftedcurriculum.com/ )

· Tech Tools to take PBL Online (Corwin Connect)

· School Closures? Using PBL in Remote Learning During these unprecedented times and school closures..

Involving Students and Families in Service Opportunities During COVID-19

• Ideas to Act for the Common Good During Coronavirus Crisis (Youth Service America YSL)

• Global Youth Service Day: Project Ideas that Can be Done at Home (Youth Service America YSL)

• generationOn – Volunteer at Home Projects / Family Volunteering

• The Passion Project by Imagine If – In the face of school closures due to COVID-19, how do we empower students to take ownership of their learning from home?

• Simple Safe Service (Learning to Give) - Service Projects you can do from home! These Simple Safe Service projects give your family ideas for generous actions that encourage youth voice and promote the common good, even when we are apart. Each project includes step-by-step instructions, reflection, and a connection to an optional lesson plan.

• Rootsandshoots.org Projects (Jane Goodall Organization)