Service Learning Its 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 #2 BUILDING community partnerships- Collaboration Be realistic Goals of mutual interest Concrete with roles and responsibilities Within your school departments Teach students to find each others strengths and capitalize on them!

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, 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 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. 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 Its 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