SERVICE-LEARNINGMAKING A DIFFERENCE

WHICH IS CORRECT?

service-LEARNING

SERVICE-learning

service learning

SERVICE-LEARNING

WHICH IS CORRECT?

service-LEARNING

SERVICE-learning

service learning

SERVICE-LEARNING

• Equal emphasis on service and learning.

• The student is able to apply knowledge from the classroom to the service, and in turn can use the service experience to deepen their understanding of learning components.

VOLUNTEERISM“The engagement of students in activities where the primary emphasis is

on the service being provided and the primary intended beneficiary is clearly the service recipient.” (Furco, 1996)

• More service than learning

• Little reciprocity (recipient benefits the most)

• Example: A student volunteers occasionally at the local hospital and visits with patients who have Alzheimer's. The patients benefit most from this situation.

COMMUNITY SERVICE“Community service is the engagement of students in activities that

primarily focus on the service being provided as well as the benefits the service activities have on the recipients.” (Furco, 1996)

• Slightly more service than learning

• Some reciprocity (recipient & provider both benefit)

• Example: A student helps serve food to the homeless during the holidays. The student gets to see how they are making a difference, and the homeless population benefits from the service.

INTERNSHIPS“Internship programs engage students in service activities primarily for the

purpose of providing students with hands-on experiences that enhance their learning or understanding of issues relevant to a particular area of

study.” (Furco, 1996)

• More learning than service

• Little reciprocity (provider benefits the most)

• Example: A student gets an internship at City Hall to learn more about local government. The student participates in the internship primarily to enhance their own learning.

FIELD EDUCATION“Field education programs provide students with co-curricular service

opportunities that are related to, but not fully integrated with, their formal academic studies.” (Furco, 1996)

• Slightly more learning than service

• Some reciprocity (recipient & provider both benefit)

• Example: An education major spends a semester as a student-teacher in a local school district. The school benefits from the service, but the focus is on the learning and experience the student is gaining.

SERVICE-LEARNING“Service-learning programs are distinguished from other approaches to experiential education by their intention to benefit the provider and the

recipient of the service equally, as well as to ensure equal focus on both the service being provided and the learning that is occurring.” (Furco, 1996)

• The learning & service are equal.

• Equal reciprocity

• Example: A psychology student studying the affects of age on the brain visits a local senior citizen center and applies what they have learned from their course in creating activities for the residents that help stimulate their brains. The student benefits from being able to apply their knowledge, and the residents benefit from the service.

DISTINCTIONS AMONG SERVICE PROGRAMS

Volunteerism

Community Service

Service-learning

Field Education

Internship

Recipient

Service

Provider

Learning

Who Benefits?

Focus

Source: “Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education”

Source: “Break Away: The National Break Connection, Inc.”

CONTINUUM ACTIVITY

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Where would you say your student falls on the active citizenship continuum?

2. How could they be encouraged to move towards being an active citizen?

3. What challenges might be faced in trying to move up the continuum?

STUDENT #1Amanda is a freshman at the FHSU. She thinks she wants to join some kind of service organization, but quite honestly she doesn’t  have a lot of motivation. She doesn’t understand why anyone needs her help or how she could have any real impact. She just knows she likes the way she feels when she volunteers.

1. Where would you say Amanda falls on the active citizenship continuum?

2. How could she be encouraged to move towards being an active citizen?

3. What challenges might be faced in trying to move up the continuum?

STUDENT #2Jonathan is a junior at FHSU. He has recently begun volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house. He enjoys the work he is doing and always feels really good about himself when he leaves. He tells his friends how important the work he does is and how much he is changing the lives of those he works with. When his friends ask about the individuals and organization he works with and what social issues they are trying to work with, Jonathan really does not have any answers for them. And he never makes the effort to talk to or learn from the individuals at the Ronald McDonald house.

1. Where would you say Jonathan falls on the active citizenship continuum?

2. How could he be encouraged to move towards being an active citizen?

3. What challenges might be faced in trying to move up the continuum?

STUDENT #3Catherine has become increasingly engaged with a local refugee center. She consistently helps at the center working with the refugees in English classes and citizenship classes. She critically questions the current issues refugees are facing in the community and around the world, and wonders why these issues are coming up, and how she can be impactful on a structural level.

1. Where would you say Catherine falls on the active citizenship continuum?

2. How could she be encouraged to move towards being an active citizen?

3. What challenges might be faced in trying to move up the continuum?

STUDENT #4Henry is a freshman at the FHSU. He loves to read the local newspaper, but doesn’t understand or really like most of the viewpoints. He really doesn’t think he has much of an impact on the world around him and generally doesn’t care to hear opinions other than his own. When his friends try to talk about current issues with him or social justice topics, he generally diverts the subject or brushes it off as unimportant.

1. Where would you say Henry falls on the active citizenship continuum?

2. How could he be encouraged to move towards being an active citizen?

3. What challenges might be faced in trying to move up the continuum?

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

1. Where do you fall on the Active Citizen Continuum?

2. How can you make an effort to more towards being an active citizen, if you aren’t there already?

3. What are some challenges you might face as you move along the continuum?

COMPONENTS OF QUALITY SERVICE

EDUCATION“Breakers learn about the complexity of the social issue through reading materials, speaker panels, documentaries, and guest lecturers related to current trends and historical context. A strong educational foundation for the trip will contribute to a meaningful service experience.” – Break Away

• Education can include:

• Becoming informed about the social issue

• Becoming acquainted with the community and culture

• Discovering underlying factors related to the social issue

DIRECT SERVICE“Strong, direct service should provide an opportunity for participants to

engage in direct or “hands on” projects and activities that address unmet social needs, as determined by the community.” – Break Away

• Direct service:

• Is tangible

• Addresses direct needs of the community

• Can be accomplished by those of varying skill sets

REFLECTION“Thinking begins in what may fairly enough be called a forked-road

situation, a situation that is ambiguous, that presents a dilemma, that proposes alternatives…Demand for the solution of a perplexity is the

steadying and guiding factor in the entire process of reflection.” – John Dewey

• The hyphen in service-learning

• It creates the “meaning” of service work

• Reflection is necessary:

• Makes connections

• Allows for personal growth

• Allows participants to take ownership of the experience and its meaning

REFLECTION• Reflection should be:

• Connected – provides opportunities to integrate learning from service with academic content or personal development

• Continuous – ongoing, occurring before, during, and after service experience

• Challenging – supports and challenges students to engage issues by thinking critically, pushing them to pose stimulating questions and develop alternative explanations for their initial perceptions

• Contextualized – relies on the context of the issues being discussed and the service setting. Occurs in many forms (formal, informal, journaling, artistic expression, video, etc.) and settings (in the classroom, at the service site, in small and large groups, etc.)

Source: “A Practioner’s Guide to Reflection in Service Learning”

GETTING INVOLVED

GETTING INVOLVED

GETTING INVOLVED

• Circle K International

• Stripes for Hope

• Tiger Pals

• Global Leadership Project

• American Democracy Project

• Women’s Leadership Project

Service-related organizations:

GETTING INVOLVED

On-campus volunteer opportunities:

• Victor E. Garden

• Forsyth Library Food Pantry (Tiger Food Exchange)

GETTING INVOLVED

Off-campus volunteer opportunities:

• Habitat for Humanity of Ellis County

• Humane Society of the High Plains

• St. Joseph’s Food Pantry

• Jana’s Closet

• Arc of the Central Plains

• Hays Area Children’s Center

• Sternberg Museum

• Local churches and religious organizations

• …and MUCH MORE!