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As educators and communities have expanded their efforts to teach young
people to be responsible and caring, community service learning programs
have gained momentum. Service learning programs provide carefully designed
work opportunities that help students expand their social perspectives, skills,
and knowledge while making positive contributions to their schools and communities.
This approach, as its name implies, gives equal weight to service and learning. More
structured than volunteerism, service learning incorporates a broad range of learning
activities.
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At Putnam High School in Springfield, MA, violence and loss permeated the lives
of many students. In their search for ways to counter violence and gangs, staff and
administrators turned to community service learning. Today, service learning is an
integral part of the program at Putnam.
Through the service learning program, students now work on diverse projects ranging
from historic renovations to mentoring second graders. They use their energies to contribute
to their community and their school, applying learning from their academic and vocational classes
to their experiences in the real world. Students are more committed to school than ever before. They
have developed skills in planning, cooperation, and problem-solving that they never dreamed they would
have, and their self-esteem has soared. Through service learning, students truly gain by giving.
James and Pamela Toole, of the Compass Institute, define service learning as "a form of
experiential education where students use knowledge, skills, critical thinking, and wise judgment
to address genuine community needs." The Alliance for Service Learning in Educational Reform (ASLER)
characterizes service learning experiences as those that:
- meet community needs
- involve collaboration with school and community
- are integrated into the student's academic curriculum
- provide structured time for students to think, talk, and write about
what they did and observed during the service activity
- provide young people with opportunities to use academic skills and
knowledge in real-life situations
- extend students' learning beyond the classroom
- foster the development of a sense of caring for others
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There are several key elements of successful service learning programs:
Participation
Students should be involved in choosing and designing their
service experiences.
Planning
To ensure success, service projects must be carefully structured.
Preparation
Students must obtain the information and develop the skills they need to perform a
service.
Support
During the project, it is vital that students receive adequate assistance.
Reflection
Students need to think about a project after it's done.
Evaluation and analysis are essential.
Learning
Community service offers a wide range of valuable learning opportunities. When designing a
service learning project, take the opportunity to build in experiences and activities that
promote learning in a variety of disciplines and subjects.
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Research and report on the programs and clubs currently active in your school that do
service projects. Students can then discuss which of these might work in conjunction
with a service learning program.
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Conduct a brainstorming session to generate ideas, creating as long a list as
possible and then choosing several ideas to pursue futher. Local newspapers can be a
good source of ideas.
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Meet with leaders of community and civic groups, charitable organizations, and
elementary schools to discuss ways in which students might become involved in
service projects.
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Working with younger students. Partnerships can be formed with elementary or middle
school classes in which high school students tutor, read to, or act as "buddies" for younger
students.
Working with peers. Peer helping and counseling projects provide opportunities for people
to learn and practice valuable "people" skills while supporting and aiding their fellow students.
Working with senior citizens. Teenagers and the elderly can overcome mutual negative
stereotypes and build warm and supportive relationships through service learning projects.
Health-related projects. There are natural tie-ins to science and health curricula inherent in
projects such as helping AIDS patients, working on health fairs for both school and the community,
and producing pamphlets about health-related issues such as drug education.
Social action projects. Promoting voter registration, raising awareness about environmental
issues, addressing poverty and homelessness -- such projects connect to young people's interest in and
desire for social justice.
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