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| Source: RMC Research Corporation, Denver, CO, September 2005 | |
| High
quality service-learning can contribute to student academic achievement
and civic and social development. However, for these outcomes to occur,
service-learning projects must be organized to maximize the
meaningfulness of both service and learning. Service-learning is considered a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Constructivists (e.g., Brooks & Brooks, 1999) advocate allowing students to actively create knowledge by grappling with essential academic ideas in a personally and socially relevant context. Many constructivists also recommend that instruction be organized around a problem, and that students acquire knowledge and skills within the problem-solving experience. Service-learning shares this emphasis on active learning and problem solving. However, it is unique in that the problems that students encounter are real community needs, and the knowledge and skills gained, those needed for informed, engaged citizenship. Although there are several useful models for organizing service-learning projects, in a constructivist framework, service-learning is viewed as a cyclical process with four interlocking phases: problem identification and preparation for service, the service activity itself, reflection, and celebration and future planning. The following figures explain these steps in more detail. | |
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Regardless
of the type of project, service-learning should incorporate standards
for best practice. According to ASLER (the Alliance for Service
Learning in Education Reform, 1995), effective service-learning:
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| References | |
| Alliance for Service-Learning in Education Reform. Standards of Quality for School-based and Community-based Service-learning. Alexandria , VA: Author 1995. | |
| Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon, Martin Brooks. In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria , VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,1999. | |
| Web Resources | |
| Youth Service America http://www.ysa.org Youth Service America is a consortium of 300+ organizations “dedicated to making service and service-learning the common expectation and common experience of all young people in America.” YSA sponsors the annual National and Global Youth Service Day, as well as SERVEnet (http://servenet.org/), a website dedicated to linking youth to service opportunities. YSA offers a volunteer resources link with project ideas, publications, and a bookstore. | |
| National Youth Leadership Council http://www.nylc.org Founded in 1983, NYLC is one of the oldest organizations in the nation to advocate for youth service-learning and community service. Their website offers teaching resources, as well as information about NYLC's annual national conference and professional development opportunities for teachers. | |
| The Corporation for National and Community Service http://www.learnandserve.org http://www.nationalserviceresources.org The Corporation sponsors two websites with valuable information for teachers of service-learning. The Learn and Serve grant program site offers introductory background on service-learning (e.g., definition, goals, and impacts), as well as classroom resources, including the Students in Service to America Guidebook . The National Service Resource Center site links to building blocks for effective service programs, as well as online resources, publications, and effective practices. The effective practices section is a great resource for ideas for service-learning projects. | |
| Service-Learning Quality Review http://www.servicelearningtool.com The Quality Review is an online self-assessment tool for measuring the quality of service-learning programs. Respondents rate the importance to their program of quality criteria in 7 categories, as well as their progress toward achieving each criterion. When finished they submit their results and receive a quality score, as well as ideas for improving their programs, and resources. | |
| The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation http://www.chavezfoundation.org The Chavez Foundation was founded to honor and advance “the legacy and universal values of civil rights leader Cesar E. Chavez.” The Foundation seeks to empower individuals to improve their communities through programs in Education, Arts and Culture; Civic Engagement; Sustainable Communities; and Nonviolence. Useful links for teachers include the Youth Corner with interactive classroom activities for teaching about Chavez' principles, and a Resources link. | |
| Constitutional Rights Foundation http://www.crf-usa.org The site offers a range of on-line lessons on constitutional rights and/or service-learning issues. | |
| Peace Corps http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/servicelearning/ This Peace Corps site includes links to major topics in service-learning practice, such as the definition of service-learning, “getting started”, and project ideas. The “getting started” link leads readers through the four phases in service-learning lesson, and includes a list of helpful resources at each phase. The site also offers a service-learning curriculum unit organized around the concept of the common good. | |
| Global Response Network http://www.globalresponse.org/kids_teachers.php Global Response Network is dedicated to fostering citizen partnerships to protect the global environment. Its website issues Action Alerts with information about threats to the global environment, and people and organizations involved in addressing them. Teachers can involve students in letter-writing campaigns regarding environmental issues. | |
| Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service http://www.mlkday.org This site is devoted to the recently established national day of service to commemorate the work of Dr. King. The site offers a toolkit with guidelines for organizing projects. | |
| Disney Channel http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/learningtoserve/index.html This site offers resources for developing a service-learning project to enhance students' acceptance of special needs individuals. A video and accompanying service-learning plan are available. | |
| Print Resources | |
| Eyler, Janet, Dwight Giles, & Angela Schmiede. A Practitioner's Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning. Nashville: Vanderbilt University . 1996. | |
| Kaye, C.B. The Service Learning Bookshelf (2 nd Ed.). ABCD Books. 2000. | |
| Kaye, C.B. The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum and Social Action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. 2004. | |
| Stephens, Lillian. The Complete Guide to Learning through Community Service. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 1995. | |
| Wade, R. Community Service-Learning: A Guide to Including Service in the Public School Curriculum. Albany: SUNY Press. 1997. | |
| Quick Guides are expert guides that provide a brief discussion and a short list of the best resources on a service-learning topic. | |
