Service-learning 101
From UA Service Learning
[edit] Definition
Service-learning is an educational strategy which involves students in meaningful service to their communities and to society while engaging in some form of reflection or study that is related to the service.
Service-learning experiences:
- Meet actual community needs
- Are coordinated in collaboration with the school and the community
- Are integrated into the student’s academic curriculum
- Provide structured time for students to think, talk, write, and/or reflect in other ways about what they saw, did, and felt during their service activity
- Enhance what is being taught in the classroom by extending the learning into the community
- Foster the development of a sense of responsibility to and caring for others
[edit] K-12 Service-learning Standards for Quality Practice
- Meaningful service: Service-learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service.
- Link to curriculum: Service-learning is intentionally used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards.
- Reflection: Service-learning incorporates multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about self and society.
- Diversity: Service-learning promotes understand of diversity and mutual respect among participants.
- Youth Voice: Service-learning provides youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults.
- Partnerships: Service-learning partnerships are collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address community needs.
- 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.
- Duration and Intensity: Service-learning ahs sufficient duration and intensity to adress community needs and meet specified outcomes.
[edit] Benefits of Service-learning for the student
- Self-esteem and Personal Development
- Empowerment (I can make a difference.)
- Self-image (I am confident and competent.)
Social and Interpersonal Development
- Social comfort (I can handle myself in a variety of settings.)
- Group work (I can be a member of a team to complete a task.)
- Intergenerational connectedness (I can interact with adults I know and those I do not know; I can learn something from adults.)
- Social sensitivity (I can understand and appreciate others who are different from me.)
Values Development
- Social responsibility (I have an obligation to take care of others who are less fortunate.)
- Civic responsibility (I have an obligation to participate in public affairs.)
- Team responsibility (I understand that sometimes a group can accomplish more that an individual.)
Academic Development
- Improvements in basic academic skills (I am using my abilities in math, writing, reading.)
- Improvements in specified subject matter knowledge (I am learning about history, social studies, science.)
- Critical-thinking skills (I am making decisions and solving problems.)
- Engaged learner (I am interested in what I am doing and motivated to accomplish the task.)
Career Exploration/Development
- Career Exploration (I am learning about different careers and jobs.)
- Development of job related skills (I am gaining experience and skills that I can use in the world of work.)