How to Facilitate Successful
Service Learning in the
Social Studies Classroom
Dr. Alice W. Terry
Kennesaw State University
Garfield on Community Service
What is
Service Learning?
What is Service-Learning?
“...an innovative teaching methodology
that integrates community service with
academic study to enrich learning, teach
civic responsibility and strengthen
communities. ”
National Commission on S ervice-Learning, 2002
.
The power of service-learning for American schools
“Service-Learning is a particularly
fertile way of involving young people in
community service, because it ties
helping others to what they are
learning in the classroom.
In the process, it
provides a compelling answer to
the perennial question:
‘Why do I need to learn this stuff?’”
General Colin Powell, founding chairman of America ’s Promise
A recent report from the Center for
Information and Research on Civic
Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
found that:
57% of 15 to 25-year-olds
are completely
disengaged from civic
life.
1)
Preparation
2)
Action
3)
Reflection
4)
Celebration/Demonstration
Preparation

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


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What will you do?
Who will you need to help you?
How will you make contacts?
How will you begin?
How will you incorporate this
experiential design into your
content curriculum?
How will you incorporate this
experiential design into your
classroom?
JUST DO IT!!
 …the process of gaining meaning and
understanding from experience
 …helps students identify their own values,
develop empathy for others, and compare
their assumptions to real world experience
 …the key to successful experienced-based
programs
Celebration...
Multiple methods
designed to
acknowledge, recognize
and further validate
student’s service work
(Toole, Conrad & Nelson, 1998)
In order to gain the most from their
service experience, students need
exposure to the
3 R’s of Celebration:
Recognition, Respect, and Reward.
(Bohnenberger and Terry, 2002)
The K-12 Developmental Service Learning Typology
…addresses the differences in service learning
activities based on the level of student learning and service.
Community Service level…
Students
 Volunteer as
a docent at
an historical
museum in
your
community
Bradley’s Level 1 corresponds to
Bradley’s
Community Service:
 Reflection is informal
students observe without
giving insights into the
reasons behind the
observation
 Task is one dimensional
Observation
reflections are conventional
or repetitions of what
students have heard from
others
Community Exploration level…
Students

Research your town history.
Investigate and write a report on
historical buildings, sculptures, or
activities in your community
Bradley’s Level 2 corresponds to
Bradley’s
Community Exploration:
 Reflections are more
thorough
But do not allude to
broader system in which
the aspect is embedded
Analysis
 Students demonstrate a
beginning ability to
interpret evidence
Community Action level…

Students

Brainstorm ways to
publicize and/or
preserve your
community's
heritage. Then
design and
implement a plan
of action to
increase interest in
your town and
tourism
Students identify a need area,
develop a plan, take Action.....
...and get RESULTS!!
Bradley’s Level 3 corresponds to
Bradley’s
Synthesis
Community Action:
Students
 view things from multiple
perspectives
 make appropriate judgments
based on reasoning and
evidence
 perceive conflicting goals
within the situation
 recognize that the differences
can be assessed
How can you integrate service
learning into the curriculum?
Will
it be part of an elective class or a
content class?
Will it be tied to the content and/or
skill objectives?
Can it help meet school objectives?
Can it be continued throughout the
semester or year?
Choice and Voice
in Service Learning
 Give
the students a choice and voice in
deciding the focus for the activity
 This
insures more interest in and
commitment to the activity
Choice and Voice
•Let students select the project
•Allow students to conduct their own
research around their interests
•Design working groups based on different
intelligences and interests, i.e,
Media
Facilitators
Public Relations
Art
Technology
Communications
Using Choice and Voice in Reflection
Giving
students a voice in how they
relate their reflections can lead to
higher levels of reflection.
Journaling
Writing poetry
Singing a song they wrote
Role-playing
Creating a slide show
How can I find the time?

Try an interdisciplinary approach


Compact the
curriculum/differentiation


effective when the same service learning
theme is explored in multiple classes
Cover required curriculum in 4 days in a
week; use the 5th day for service
learning, etc.
Reschedule the school day so that a
block of time is available for service learning
Decide on the type of service…
Students take positive hands-on action to make a
difference in the community through needed projects
identified, organized, and implemented by the students
Students engage in social action and advocacy
designed to impact decision-making on public issues
by raising awareness, getting bills passed, etc.
Students assist and support an existing, established
effort such as the Cancer Society, Kidney Foundation,
MADD, Meals-on-Wheels, Save the Rain Forest, etc.
Cooperative Learning Strategies
Cooperative Groups and Jobs

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Project Facilitators - elected
Press Secretaries
Video Coordinators
Photographers
File Clerks
Journalists
Scrapbook Coordinators
Cognitive Apprenticeship Model
(Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989)

Four elements that lead to
learning:
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Scaffolding
Modeling
Coaching
Fading
Teacher’s role: facilitator
Student-run, student-focused
class
Creative Problem Solving Process
(Osborn, 1963; Parnes, 1967)

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Identifying problems &
challenges
Recognizing and stating the
important
problem
Producing alternative solutions
Evaluating alternative solutions
Planning to put solutions into use
(Torrance,
Brainstorms anyone?

Have students brainstorm possible problems on a
Jot Board
problems discovered during fact-finding
 problems the students may encounter while trying to
effect change in the community.
Narrow the brainstormed challenge ideas to five or six.
From among this list, select an Underlying Challenge by
identifying the most significant issue—the problem on
which that the class feels it can have the most impact
and influence.


Students work together as
ideas flourish on the Jot Board!
Tips & Techniques
What’s in a name?
 A group
identity and unity is often
established within a group or class by
encouraging the service learning
students to choose an acronym, a name,
for the group and/or the project
 RIPPLES, SWaMP Kids, Backstage
Crew
Tips & Techniques
•A team T-shirt is fun for the students to create
•It can unify the students as well as advertise the
service learning project
•The T-shirt can be worn on any project outing
or presentation
•The design should be
connected to the project
topic and/or the project
goals
Tips & Techniques for Community
Meetings

Students get the group on the agenda of the
meeting—call at least a week in advance

Select a spokesperson to represent the class

Prepare a complete, concise, and creative
presentation

The spokesperson presents the ideas your
class has with others providing support
•
*
Create and
Implement
Plan of Action
Fly!*
Generate
and Evaluate
Action Ideas
Generate Challenges and
Select Underlying Challenge
Conduct Extensive Research
Identify Areas of Concern in the Community
Perhaps the old African proverb,
“It takes a village to raise a child, ”
will coexist with a new
American proverb,
“It takes a child to raise up a village. ”
(Te rry, 2000)
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