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 #3
Integrated 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,
Service Learning
The Complete Guide to
– 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 Project
PAY 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 #6
Funding 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/Demonstration
• 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 Learning
It’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