An Introduction to Service-Learning

Common forms of community-based learning are school field trips, internships and apprenticeships, which, although they have no formal service purpose, offer important experiences for you

An Introduction to Service-Learning

Angie Martínez Bernard Gill November 15, 2006

© NYLC, 2005 2

learning objectives.

A Philosophy

Service-learning embraces young people as a community resource

and asset It views all people in a democratic society as citizens with the capacity to contribute – no matter their age

A Community Development Model

Service-learning takes on real issues such as pollution control, hunger and homelessness, and diversity Communities change for the

better when service and learning are joined

As well as a Teaching and Learning Method

Service-Learning is a form of active learning that values critical thinking and problem- solving It involves taking the content from the classroom and putting it to work in the community Research shows that when service-learning is effectively implemented, youths gain in measures of academic

achievement, school engagement,citizenship and character.

Cleaning up a river is service.

Sitting in a science classroom,

looking at water samples under a microscope is learning.

Youths taking samples from

local water sources,

analyzing the samples,

documenting the results and

presenting scientific findings

to a local pollution control agency

to not only call for action, but

What is Service-Learning?

Commonly Used Terms

In The Service Field

 Service

Definitions about service vary across ethnic groups and cultures, but it basically refers to helping without asking for payment in kind or money Service-learning effective practice supports a basic understanding of

different cultural contexts of service.

 Community Service

Community service is a form of volunteerism It is done within a defined community, which could be a classroom, school, town, city, etc It does not have any intentional ties to learning; the emphasis is strictly on the service.

 Community-Based Learning

Community-based learning is a term for any learning experience that

occurs in the community Common forms of community-based learning are school field trips, internships and apprenticeships, which, although they have no formal service purpose, offer important experiences for youths to master skills within a real life setting Community based-learning may or may not include service.

 Diversity

Diversity embodies a broad range of definitions and highlights community

inclusion Understanding diversity and its impact on service-learning is

critical to effective practice For example, NYLC in its recent research on

Activities that commonly take place at the

school site, channeling resources to the

area of need rather than working directly

with those in need of the service

For example:

• Beautifying the school grounds

• Writing children’s books to be donated

to a homeless shelter or hospital

• Creating a school recycling program

Core Components of Service-Learning

The essential components of service-learning as an instructional

strategy for use with youths are:

1 Youth Voice: Youths are fully involved in the identifying and planning of the learning

and service activities, as well as the doing This not only brings ownership, but it more deeply internalizes the learning process through the connection of emotions to the learning

2 Age Appropriate Service: Tasks related to the service-learning project should

challenge and stretch youths cognitively and developmentally, and should also be age appropriate.

3 Genuine Community Needs: Service-learning, to be meaningful, must be an

activity that “addresses” a genuine community need, such that youths see the community as a better place and understand that reciprocal learning will take place.

4 Learning Objectives (Curriculum Integration): The service activity

not only addresses a genuine community need, but it also satisfies learner

outcomes and objectives Youths understand the “why” of the learning as well as the “what.” Learning becomes experiential and applied, rather than rote.

5 Preparation & Safety: Preparing youths for their service experience includes

ensuring they understand their role, the skills and information required, safety precautions, and are sensitive to the people with whom they will be working.

6 Youth Assessment: Assessment strategies should enhance youth learning as

well as documenting and evaluating how well youths have met academic content and skills standards.

7 Program Evaluation: Evaluation of the service effort and its outcomes through

formative and summative methods allows everyone involved to understand the programs impact on youths and the community.

8 Reflection: Reflection is the use of critical thinking skills to cement the learning that

began with the various applications of the project process Reflection activities occur continuously before, during and after the service project and include

celebration.

9 Diversity: Diversity is represented through participants, practice, and outcomes in

that the service values and includes all community cultures and is not “doing it to” recipients, but “with” them

10 Partnerships: Identifying community partners who will work with youths to meet

the jointly identified community need and assist with the project Community-based partnerships insure that youths are meeting a “real” need in the community and not

“doing it to” the community.

Service-Learning Research Based Principles of Effective

Service-Learning Cycle

Pre-Service Reflection Reflection

During Service

Post-Service Reflection

Planning and Preparation

Identifying

a Project

SO WHAT?

WHAT?

Learning Objectives Established

Copyright ©2000 by NYLC and Compass Institute All Rights Reserved.

Service-Learning Component:

1 Youth Voice

Incorporating youth ownership into the service-learning process

is essential By giving youths a "voice" or "ownership" of the learning, we increase their intrinsic motivation and enable them

to find meaning and value in the learning experience Youth voice addresses three factors that influence the attention a

person gives to learning; they are: choices, relevance, and engagement

 Choice- If we want to see decreased apathy and resentment towards learning and increased motivation, commitment, and participation, youths need to have some say in the content, timing, and process of the learning experience Youth voice gives them a say!

 Relevance- Youth need to see how a situation relates to themselves personally, to their family, neighborhood, city, life, interests, etc Youth Voice allows them to select projects and issues that are personally relevant!

 Engagement - Learners must make an emotional connection to the learning experience and have opportunities to interact with others When youth have a voice and ownership of a project, they become emotionally connected!

The following questions will help to guide the

process:

How were youths involved in determining the community need?

How were youths involved in

the project planning?

How were youths given

leadership roles in the project

preparation and implementation?

Degrees of Youth Ownership

community needs and partners,

select the need to be addressed,

identify learning objectives,

plan, prepare for and do project.

identified agencies to determine need

and project youths plan and

implement.

and allows youths to choose one and

help with the planning process.

select emphasis Teacher has determined

the project and plan.

Teacher has identified need, project and

established the learning objectives.

Service-Service-Learning Component:

3 Genuine Community Need

Key Points:

 Determining the genuine community need is

something youths can and should do.

 Determining how to meet the genuine

community need is a key activity for youths.

 Understanding who is benefiting from the

service is also key for youths to see and

understand While youths do “benefit” from

the service, it is important for youths to see

themselves as the “doers” of service and to

know exactly who or what is benefiting from

their efforts.

Effective service-learning engages youths in service tasks that meet genuine needs in the school or community, have clear goals, and have significant consequences for

themselves and others

How Can Youths and Teachers Generate Service Projects?

 Community Needs Assessment

Who needs help in our community?

 Conduct a survey

 Read local newspapers

 Invite community agency visitors

 Conduct a youth community search

 Elicit Personal Visions

How would youths like the world to be different?

 Discuss important values

 Create personal world visions

 Create a community/school vision

 Build on Youth Expertise

What skills or knowledge do your youths have to offer others?

 Identify what individual youth have to offer and brainstorm ways to utilize these skills and interests in helping others

 Focus on Key Public Issues

What are the important issues on the public agenda?

 Key issues are those which have come to the forefront of the national agenda because of their seriousness and timelessness These can be made the focus for service-learning projects

 Collaborate with Existing Programs

Generating Genuine

Community Needs Activity

Your group will have 10 minutes for this activity Please identify a group facilitator and reporter.

 Reading the Newspaper: Everyone reads the

newspaper, lists the needs, identify which one

appeals most to the group, determine a possible project to address the need, report to the entire

group.

 Conducting a Survey: In your group, determine a

few questions that will elicit a community need, go out and ask the questions, come back, determine a project, report to the entire group.

 Community Search: Your group is to go out and

record all the observable needs you can see, come back, determine a project, report to the entire group.

 Assets/Challenges: On a piece of flip chart paper,

draw a line down the middle On one side write

Community Assets at the top; on the other

Community Challenges Draw pictures of both, then determine how you can address a community

challenge Then, come up with a project and draw it Show the entire group.

Service-Learning Component:

5 Preparation

The process of preparing for and carrying out the service encompasses many different activities to help youths develop necessary skills and

knowledge It consists of learning activities, orientation, training and

analysis done prior to and as needed throughout the service experience and includes identifying the community need, identifying community

partners to help with the project, planning and preparing for the project, implementing the project, and evaluating and celebrating the project In doing each of those activities, learning is enhanced and connected for youths Each activity will require youths to problem solve, use critical thinking skills, wise judgment and know more in order to insure that

“their” project responds to the identified need Essential to the “service” in service-learning, the project is also the “learning” tool for the youth.

Aligned with the classroom learning objectives, youths:

Read- newspapers, magazines, textbooks, novels, storybooks

Do research- online, in the community, in textbooks

Survey the community

Interview community members about their ideas and concerns for the

community

Make a commitment to help others

Listen to a guest speaker or attend an assembly

Choose a project by voting, discussing, or debating with classmates

Plan the project - make a timeline, assign responsibilities, gather materials, create a budget, and generate funds if necessary

Recruit others to help including peers and community members

Project Preparation continued …

 What roles or responsibilities will need to be

understood before we begin?

Some projects will lend themselves to small groups taking on

different responsibilities and roles For instance, one school took on the yearly blood drive where five different subgroups worked on the project The group tasks were as follows:

1) Publicity and media;

2) Serving food (what is the best food or drink to serve a person who has donated blood?);

3) How does the blood function in the body?

4) What diseases need to be screened for by a blood bank?

5) How will we set up and run the culmination blood drive day in collaboration with the local blood bank

Other projects may involve everyone in taking on the same task Youths will still need to be clear about their responsibilities and any expectations of them for any given role

 What are some of the difficult issues that we may

encounter while performing this service?

We refer to these as the “What If’s?” We typically have youths

brainstorm possible problems and we do role plays of how they might be handled Examples might be that when you are doing an oral history with a senior citizen and she starts to cry, or you are tutoring a younger child and he wants you to do all of the work, or you are eating lunch at a homeless shelter after working on your service project at the shelter and you are sitting by someone who keeps staring at you, but says nothing.

 What safety issues might we encounter at the service site?

It is critical for issues of liability that youths be made aware of and trained to handle issues that may arise This includes such things

as being sure they know the resources available to help them at the site as well as safety procedures for handling tools or equipment or simply the protocol for crossing streets Do not assume that youths know how to behave at a work site It is best to have this discussion through a collaborative effort between the teacher and community based personnel with whom you will be working.

Project Implementation

event which may last one hour or many days Key to implementation is the use of reflection to continuously monitor events, skills and knowledge gained

Examples of reflection types can be found elsewhere

in this document It is also important to continue to

assess and evaluate youths during this period in order

to be sure the learning

and the service are progressing

at an appropriate pace.

Project Celebration

 Celebrating the project’s accomplishments is as much

a learning process for youths as it is a recognition of what was done We do not celebrate life’s

accomplishments as much as we should – but with service-learning, the accomplishments are so real that celebration is key All partners are involved in the

Reflection Answers the Following Questions:

 WHAT IS IT? Structured, has objectives and involves

critical thinking, sharing, & learning

 WHEN? Throughout – before, during, after 

 WHERE? Anywhere – classroom, site, bus

 WHO? Everyone - youths, teachers, agencies,

recipients

 WHY? To connect & crystallize real world service &

learning experience

 HOW? Individually, in a group, and

using a variety of activities

Some Guiding Principles:

 Most effective when done throughout

 Actively involves recipients & youths

 Utilizes a wide array of reflection strategies and is fun

 Post-service reflection ASAP after event

 Re-examine insights a week, month, semester, year later

DEFINITION: Reflection is the use of critical

thinking skills to cement the learning that began with the various applications of the project process

Service-Learning Component:

8 Reflection