Service Learning It’s In The Bag

Filling our students lives with rich experiences

What is Service-Learning?

It is a teaching strategy that provides students the

opportunity to be involved with activities that address local

needs while developing their academic skills and commitment to their

community.

The most effective way of learning skills is “in context” placing learning objectives

within a real environment….

SCANS Executive Summary Report, 1992

Essential Elements of Service-Learning

• Integrated curriculum• High service• Student voice • Reflection• Community collaboration and

partnerships• Celebration/Demonstration

Where Do I Begin?Teamwork and Collaboration

Pick an activity or series of activities that promote and teach teamwork. The students

must trust each other!

Possible activity* Toxic Waste included in your packet

Ten Easy Steps for Bringing Service to your Classroom

Step #1 Assess the needs and

resources of your community and school

•Walk about- Walk your community. See what needs improvement.

•Newspaper- Have students bring them in or collect them and review the top stories or needs that are centered around your current curriculum topic.

•Guest speakers- Invite a person in from the agency or organization to speak with the students

•Brainstorming- What ideas come to mind….

Step #3Integrated Curriculum

• Start with the learning– Establish curricular connections to State Standards and

Objectives. See page 31, The Complete Guide to Service Learning.

– What service project lends itself to the use of this knowledge?

• Start with the service– Identify the service project. See page 34, The Complete Guide

to Service Learning

– Ask, What curricular objectives can be taught or linked to the service?

Note: You have handouts in your packet that describe both types of organization.

Step #4&5 Selection and Planning of the

ProjectPAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL

• Use the Service-learning Planning Guide- in your packet. Enlarge the Guide to a 11X14 and let students write on it.

• Remember Student Voice • Brainstorming• Prepare students! Make sure the students have

enough background information that they can learn from the experience. Examples include:

*Sound, sights and smells of an assisted living center or homeless shelter.

* Liability and safety at the service site*Procedures and protocol for different

agencies

Step #6Funding and Resources

• Service Learning Mini-Grant

• See Fund Raising 101 in packet.

• Community Business

• PTA

Step #7 Implement and

Manage• Decide on a project

• Get funding in place

• Define resources

• Reflect on project as the work continues

What do we need to do next?

How are we doing so far?

What do we need to change?

Step #8 Reflection

This step actually happens before during and after the activity. Have your students

reflect on the following questions.

What? Now What? So What?

Note: See your packet for detailed examples and definitions

Step #9 Evaluation

• Prior to the activity you need to identify the desired goals, objectives and outcomes.

• Have an evaluation tool developed prior to the activity. www.rubistar.4teachers.org

• Ask, what will be measured and how will it be measured?

• Design a pre and post evaluation tool so that you can measure student learning. Idea: Three or four questions before you begin the unit and then integrate the same four questions on your final unit exam.

Step #10 Celebration/Demonstrati

on• Reflection of both personal and

organizational success.• Highlight benchmarks along the way.• Acknowledge finished programs and

products.• Use a variety of strategies- See handout

in the packet for examples.

Service LearningIt’s In The Bag

Service Learning is rooted in the belief that all persons are of unique worth,

that all have gifts for sharing with others,

that persons have the right to understand and act on their own situations,

and that our mutual survival on the planet Earth depends on the more able and the less able serving one another.

Robert Sigmon “Three Principles of Service Learning, 1979