service learning

Service LearningService LearningK-12 Service-Learning &K-12 Service-Learning &

Effective Instructional Effective Instructional StrategiesStrategies

s-l is an instructional s-l is an instructional method that:method that:

1.1. develops 21develops 21stst century skills, including century skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork, creativity, communication, teamwork, creativity, information literacy, and action information literacy, and action planning that prepares students to planning that prepares students to compete in a global economy;compete in a global economy;

2.2. is integrated intentionally into is integrated intentionally into students’ academic curriculum;students’ academic curriculum;

s-l is an instructional s-l is an instructional method that:method that:

3.3. lets students learn and develop lets students learn and develop by actively participating in by actively participating in meeting community needs via meeting community needs via school-community collaborations;school-community collaborations;

4.4. uses regular assessment to uses regular assessment to engage in data-based decision engage in data-based decision making and continuous growth making and continuous growth and development.and development.

Service-Learning is . . .Service-Learning is . . .

a teaching and learning strategya teaching and learning strategy integrating integrating meaningfulmeaningful community community

service service with academic study with academic study and reflective practiceand reflective practice

to enrich learning, build civic to enrich learning, build civic engagement, and strengthen engagement, and strengthen

communitiescommunitiesAdapted from Learning in Deed: The Power of Service-Learning for American

Schools, A Report from the National Commission on Service-Learning, 2002

Service-learning is Service-learning is notnot::

An episodic volunteer programAn episodic volunteer program Completing minimum service Completing minimum service

hours in order to satisfy a class or hours in order to satisfy a class or graduation requirementgraduation requirement

Service assigned as a form of Service assigned as a form of punishmentpunishment

One-sided: benefiting only One-sided: benefiting only students or only the communitystudents or only the community

Brief Before LaunchBrief Before Launch

Service-Learning is a teaching strategy, not a program.

High quality service-High quality service-learning does not happen learning does not happen by accident or in by accident or in isolation.isolation.

Service-learning must Service-learning must incorporate lessons incorporate lessons learned from educational learned from educational research.research.

Education is Changing Education is Changing

(Wellman & Lipton, 2003, p. 2)

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies

WeedWeed the the Garden: Garden:

Students are able Students are able to perform at a to perform at a higher level higher level academically academically when curriculum is when curriculum is deeper in contentdeeper in content

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Through service-learning, students delve deeper into fewer topics, allowing them to

learn and integrate knowledge more fully.

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies Inquiry Teaching &Inquiry Teaching &Higher-Level ThinkingHigher-Level Thinking Involving students in Involving students in

posing questions, posing questions, analyzing data, analyzing data,

and developing and developing conclusions or conclusions or generalizations generalizations

moves their moves their learning to a learning to a higher level. higher level.

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Students identify a Students identify a community need and community need and carry out a project carry out a project designed to address designed to address that need; to do so, that need; to do so, they integrate critical they integrate critical thinking skills and thinking skills and meaningfully interact meaningfully interact with knowledge and with knowledge and concepts.concepts.

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies Active EngagementActive Engagement When students are When students are

active in (1) learning active in (1) learning and (2) assessment, and (2) assessment, mastery of academic mastery of academic skills increasesskills increases

along with along with motivation & motivation & self-self- responsibility.responsibility.

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Students are Students are actively engaged in actively engaged in (1) what they need (1) what they need to learn, (2) how to to learn, (2) how to learn & apply learn & apply concepts byconcepts by

connecting the connecting the learning to a learning to a project they project they care about. care about.

Service-Learning = Active LearningService-Learning = Active Learning

What About Dropouts?What About Dropouts? S-L is a strategy for dropout preventionS-L is a strategy for dropout prevention11. . S-L is important to S-L is important to

– Academic Engagement & AchievementAcademic Engagement & Achievement – School & Work ConnectionsSchool & Work Connections, , – Adult & Student relationshipsAdult & Student relationships, , – Communication, Career & Essential Communication, Career & Essential

Skills, Skills, – Community & Civic EngagementCommunity & Civic Engagement

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies

Student Student Ownership: Ownership:

Students learn Students learn more when they more when they feel personally feel personally invested in the invested in the process.process.

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Youth Voice:S-L provides a

strong Youth Voice in planning,

implementing, and evaluating

service - learningexperiences with

guidance from adults.

In their own wordsIn their own words ““I was always taught that you went to I was always taught that you went to

elementary school to prepare for junior elementary school to prepare for junior high to prepare for high school which high to prepare for high school which prepared you for college which prepared prepared you for college which prepared you for life. you for life.

But life was happening when I was But life was happening when I was fourteen, and I was stuck in school. fourteen, and I was stuck in school.

I wasn’t being prepared, I was being held I wasn’t being prepared, I was being held back.”back.”

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies

Create a democratic Create a democratic environment:environment:

Classrooms that invest Classrooms that invest students in decision students in decision making and classroom making and classroom management management

process develop more process develop more actively engagedactively engaged

students and students and stronger citizens. stronger citizens.

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Youth Citizens: Classrooms that

embrace quality service-learning

methodology view students as an asset

to our schools & communities and seek to empower

them through active citizenship.

What about lowering What about lowering Teacher Dropout Teacher Dropout

Rates?Rates? TeacherTeacher:: Service-learning Service-learning

has made me a has made me a better teacher. better teacher.

I can finally push I can finally push my students to my students to meaningfully meaningfully apply and transfer apply and transfer skills they learn.skills they learn.

TeacherTeacher:: Service-learning Service-learning

has become an has become an essential part of essential part of my curriculum my curriculum planning.planning.

In their own wordsIn their own words StudentStudent““The first time we went to The first time we went to

city council meetings, city council meetings, everyone was afraid. But everyone was afraid. But we began to see that we began to see that they were just people they were just people too, and they thought we too, and they thought we had good ideas and we had good ideas and we started to feel like we started to feel like we were working together were working together with them”with them”

StudentStudent““Service-learning Service-learning

makes school makes school more interesting. more interesting. We learn about We learn about all of our subjects all of our subjects and we learn how and we learn how to cooperate and to cooperate and work in groups.”work in groups.”

Effective Effective Instructional StrategiesInstructional Strategies

Reflection:Reflection: Effective learning Effective learning

must involve a must involve a process of meaningful process of meaningful reflection embedded reflection embedded

throughout the throughout the learning learning experience. experience.

Service-Service-LearningLearning

Reflection: Ongoing,

meaningful reflection is a key component

in high quality service-learning.

Reflection reinforces

learning

Pete ReadyEducation Specialist Office of Educational Improvement & InnovationOregon Department of Education255 Capitol Street NESalem, OR 97310503.947-5785 pete.ready@state.or.us

program web pages:www.ode.state.or.us/go/servicelearningwww.ode.state.or.us/go/21cclc