Welcome to the
Service Learning Texas
Summer Institute!
Presenters: Kristin Foster & Su Mohr
Thank you
Westwood High School
Student Leaders:
Divya Rayapati
Gunjan Singh
Noor Momin
Service Learning is:
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“A way for youth to gain knowledge and develop skills while
meeting real community needs” –Service Learning Texas
• The object is to ensure that the service is meaningful and
will meet the needs of those being served.
Student Leadership is:
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Personalization, strength building, and bridge building
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Focus on algebra and science classrooms
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Requests by teachers and students
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Never “target” students; Trust instincts and work with all
students
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In High demand; Requests for support are frequently denied
due to unavailability
Student Leadership is also:
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A Service Learning project designed to collaborate with school
district initiatives to close the achievement gap
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Students partner with teachers and provide service in
classrooms
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State elective credit
Conference Mission Statement
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Utilizing the 2010 youth track service learning curriculum and
the leaders model, a framework to hear youth voice and
implement curriculum linked service learning will be provided
We brought duct tape in case you are struggling
Ice Breakers and Team Builders
Break into pairs or trios…
Interview each other and gather the following information (5
minutes total)
• What do you enjoy? Hobbies?
• What are you good at? Hidden talents?
• What do you want to learn about?
Introduce each other to the entire group, but only share their
name and 1 thing you want the entire group to know about
your partner (remaining 5 min).
Look & Listen
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Use the notebooks at your table and your own experiences
and knowledge base to discuss local community issues or
social “hot topics”
Relate each to what you are learning/teaching in the
classroom
“L” of Leaders Model
Student Reflection Questions
“L”: Look and Listen
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Has every voice been heard?
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Has the youth voice been heard?
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Is someone taking a leadership role?
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Can you clearly see how the social issue relates to what you
are learning or would like to learn in your class?
“L” of Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“L”: Look and Listen
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As the adult facilitator/teacher, how would you ensure that
youth voice has been heard?
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How would you ensure clear curriculum links are being made?
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Discuss possible service learning projects/programs you
might use or have used on your campuses and the challenges
you might face when implementing them.
More on Next Slide…
More Teacher Reflection Questions
“L”: Look and Listen
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What procedures would need to follow in order to begin a
service learning project on your campus?
Discuss how an adult/teacher might “sabotage” listening for
youth voice and the impact that might have on project
outcomes
Examine the issues!
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Using the notebooks, identify the local community resources
and pick two to explore more deeply. Divide your group in
half so each role plays the following:
• Utilizing the phone script provided in your notebook, appoint
one person in your group as the “volunteer coordinator”
representing the community partner you have chosen to
explore.
• Have the remainder of your group act as the youth team/class
making the calls. Practice the script as though you are actually
making the calls.
“E” of Leaders Model
Student Reflection Questions
“E”: Examine the Issues
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How did your group rule out issues along the way?
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How hard was it to find a community partner?
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What kind of priorities do you need to have in order to make a
partner “official”?
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Ease in Partnering
Communication
Level of impact
Greatest need
Clearest link to curriculum
“E” of Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“E”: Examine the Issues
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How do you decide if you need to narrow the potential
partners prior to student involvement?
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How much money could you anticipate budgeting for this
project thus far?
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What was your groups’ experience with the phone script.
How to Decide
“A”: Agree to Take Action
Using the “decision making matrix” sample provided in your
notebook, decide how long we will take break.
“A” of Leaders Model
Decision Making Matrix
Criteria
Length of
Break
5 minutes
10 minutes
Smoke break?
Goals of Session
& limited time?
Is there food
available?
Will there be a
line in the
bathrooms?
Total
Decide
“A”: Agree on a Project
Using the “decision making matrix” and possibly the following
criteria, decide on a service project:
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timeframe
cost/materials
transportation
accessibility
accomplish the concerns/priorities
skills within the group
weather forecast
learning goals: project design linked to curriculum?
“A” of Leaders Model
Student Reflection Questions
“A”: Agree on a Project
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How important were team dynamics in agreeing on a project?
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Was their conflict in coming to agreement?
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If so, how did you handle it?
“A” of Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“A”: Agree on a Project
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What other ways might you encourage group consensus on a
service project?
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How much time might this step of the project design take?
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What is the teacher’s role if it is already anticipated that the
project design is not feasible?
…more on next slide
…more Teacher Reflection Questions
“A”: Agree on a Project
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How might you modify the student’s reflection questions in
order to ensure they have had the best opportunity to be
successful?
What problems or concerns do you anticipate encountering;
both with the students and with the district/campus?
Student Reflection Questions :
“D” – Develop a Plan
When considering who would fill these possible roles, consider
these questions:
• What are your skills?
• Would you like to learn a new skill?
• How do we chose who does what?
Project Manager
Storyteller/thank you notes
Artist/thank you notes
Budget Manager
Devil’s Advocate
Time Keeper
Communicator/Public Relations
Note taker/data & results
Cheerleader/Encourager
Musician
“D” of Leaders Model
…MORE student reflection questions
How can you document your progress and impact during the
project?
• Results (ie. # bags of trash)
• Creative documentation (film, photos, comments)
Documentation team
• Photographers
• Videographer
• Journalist
• Project manager
Are the goals of the project specifically outlined?
Have you considered contacting the partners who weren’t
chosen?
“D” of the Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“D”: Develop a Plan
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What possible structures might you put into place to ensure
each student’s skill base is utilized to its potential?
At what point, and at what level, might a teacher intervene
when the plan does not include the original priorities and
clearly indicate curriculum links?
Execute the project!
…now this is fun stuff!
How are you documenting what you are doing?
• Before/after pictures
• Results and responses, including: feelings, thoughts,
impressions
“E” of Leaders Model
Student Reflection Questions
“E”: Execute the Project
• Did you consider reflecting on progress throughout project
implementation?
• Were any modifications to your plan necessary during the
project?
• How important was team work during this phase?
• Did any conflict arise? And if so, how did you handle it?
More on Next Slide…
More Student Reflection Questions
“E”: Execute the Project
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What was surprising?
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What was challenging?
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What was most disappointing?
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What did you enjoy?
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Would you repeat this elsewhere or in another setting?
Teacher Reflection Questions
“E”: Execute the project
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How many roles of duct tape will you need during “your
execution”?
Why is duct tape even more important during this phase of
the project?
“E” of Leaders Model
Students Review Outcomes
…Reflection taken to the next level!
Utilizing a note taker (noting reflections), communicator
(facilitator) and project manager (driver), document the
following:
• What did we accomplish?
• (How many bags of trash, how many people served, etc)
• What did we learn?
• (curriculum links and other surprises)
• What would you change?
• How are we going to share our process and outcomes (what
you learned)?
More on Next Slide…
…More “Student” Review Outcomes
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How did you monitor progress?
How flexible were the project activities and did you modify as
needed?
Have you written thank you notes?
“E” of Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“R”: Review Outcomes!
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How might you receive and utilize feedback from students,
community partners and administrative staff in order to
improve your overall project design and implementation?
Discuss the possible budget issues and time constraints you
might confront on your campuses?
Students Developing the Showcase
Hints:
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Consider using the decision making matrix?
The focus of the showcase is best centered on what you
learned throughout…rather than what you did for the project,
although that should be included.
How do you best demonstrate your learning gained from the
project and how it was linked to curriculum?
…More on Next Slide
…MORE Students Developing the Showcase
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How can everyone be involved in the presentation?
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Has the project manager delegated assignments and tasks? If
not…why not? And then…WHO?
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How do you celebrate the results if you didn’t meet the
project goals?
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How do you share/include your showcase with the community
partners?
”S” of the Leaders Model
Teacher Reflection Questions
“S”: Showcase
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How will you showcase what you have learned today with your
campus, district and community?
Complete post test and evaluation.
For the past year, I have told Divya, Gunjan and Noor: “I bow
to you”.
So, please stand and help me thank our student leaders with a
group bow!
To request the youth track curriculum prompt cards and other
digitized forms, please email:
su_mohr@roundrockisd.org