Service Learning Project

Service Learning Project - *1 point 

Complete a minimum of 25 hours of demonstrated service to the community 

How does service learning support civic readiness?

Service learning provides students with the opportunity to make positive contributions to their communities. Service learning can “spark the civic imagination of students of all ages as they begin the lifelong habits of engaged learning and active citizenship.  Given opportunities to use the knowledge and skills they learn in school to address meaningful issues in the community, students gain an understanding of the importance and benefits of civic participation and how to effectively engage in our democracy.” 

What is service learning? 

Inquiry-based approach that combines service to community with learning objectives. 

Define Service-Learning

Service-learning is a type of experiential learning that drives students’ academic interests and passions toward addressing real community needs. Through the process, young people are compelled to answer questions such as:

For example: picking up trash on a river bank (service) + studying water samples under a microscope (learning) = science students collect and analyze water samples, document their results, and present findings to a local pollution control agency (service-learning!)

Source: https://nylc.org/why/

 Five stages:

a. direct service 

b. indirect service - including advocacy 

Service-learning as an Instructional Strategy

Service-learning is important as a teaching strategy because it involves young people in engaging learning activities while preparing them to be lifelong members of a democratic society. For service-learning to be successful, teachers must intentionally design it to meet desired outcomes such as academic, civic, and social emotional learning.

Service-learning is a proven instructional strategy to engage students in their education when they understand that their service is authentic, has substance over time, and can be understood in the context of academic or civic content. Service-learning benefits students as they learn to lead their experience, problem-solve with their peers, and access the the expertise of adults.

The student service-learning experience is known as IPARD: investigation, planning and preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration of learning. Students benefit from engaging in the service-learning experience as they lead every part of the process, generating learning and growth opportunities along the way. Even when the action seems complete, the transformational power of the process continues as students, teachers, and communities identify new needs and opportunities.

Source: https://nylc.org/why/

Reflective essay/presentation: 

Sample Reflection Questions :

Issue-focused questions: 

Self-focused reflection questions: 

Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation criteria for the reflective essay/presentation will be locally developed, and should include an evaluation of selected students’ Civic Knowledge, Civic Skills and Actions, Civic Mindset and Experiences listed in the Civic Readiness Domains. 

Effective service-learning programs share the following eight traits: 

1. Have sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes. 

2. Are used intentionally as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards.

3. Incorporate multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society.

4. Actively engage participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities. 

5. Promote understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants. 

6. Are collaborative, and mutually beneficial and address community needs. 

7. Engage participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals and use results for improvement and sustainability. 

8. Provide youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults.

National Youth Leadership Council, “K–12 Service-Learning Standards for  Quality Practice,” (2008)

Service Learning is Not a Checklist 

Common PIG activities that will NOT count towards the Service Learning: 

Community Service vs. Service Learning

Service learning goes beyond the concept of ‘helping out’ or ‘volunteering’ by combining specific learning goals and outcomes into the community-based activity based on their verified needs.  Use the 5 stages of inquiry based service learning listed above to think about how these common activities could be strengthened to become service learning. 

Service Learning Project - Resources 

National Youth Leadership Council, Service Learning, www.nylc.org/standards, www.nylc.org/objects/publications/StandardsResearch.pdf”

 New York City Department of Education, Service Learning Resources, https://infohub.nyced.org/in-our-schools/programs/experientiallearning/service-in-schools/service-learning-opportunities-andresources 

Service learning is a graduation requirement in Maryland. Information about Maryland’s service learning requirement, http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Pages/ServiceLearning/par.aspx 

Why Service-Learning?

Service-learning empowers students to be involved in their own learning, to share their voice, and to care about their community. It is a flexible approach, easily adapted to different age levels, community needs, and curricular goals. Service-learning supports hybrid models of learning including online learning. It helps bridge the gulf between online, in-school, and afterschool learning. Service-learning allows students to address real world issues, inspiring them to Serve. Learn. Change the world.®

To learn more about quality service-learning implementation, check out the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for quality practice, watch this inspiring video, and visit our robust Resource Library.

Source: https://nylc.org/why/