Service Learning

Service Learning

Service learning goes beyond students participating in community service. Service learning experiences enable students to learn and apply academic, social, and personal skills to improve the community, continue individual growth, and develop a lifelong ethic of service.

Service Learning vs. Community Service

Service Learning

· Students identify an interest and a community need.

· Students develop and complete a service project addressing the community need.

· Students complete structured activities before, during, and after the experience.

· Students reflect and self-assess.

Community Service

· The community need may already be established.

· Students participate in voluntary assignments and activities to serve organizations and/or individuals within the community.

· Community service may or may not align with school-based instruction.

The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) established eight standards for service learning: *

1. Meaningful Service: Service learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities.

2. Link to Curriculum: Service learning is intentionally used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards.

3. Reflection: Service learning incorporates multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society.

4. Diversity: Service learning promotes understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants.

5. Youth Voice: Service learning provides youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service learning experiences with guidance from adults.

6. Partnerships: Service learning partnerships are collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address community needs.

7. Progress Monitoring: Service learning engages participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals and uses results for improvement and sustainability.

8. Duration and Intensity: Service learning has sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes.

*From the NYLC website: