June/July 2003

For our high school students, our community is looking for program options with links to the business and civic community. We have heard about service learning. What is Service Learning?

Service learning is direct experiences working with communities in need or with organizations that promote the public good; reflection on the experience, and planned reciprocity of learning and benefits (Zlotkowski, 1993). It has also been defined as a method of instruction in which students learn the content of the curriculum while actively participating in and reflecting on experiences that benefit both the community and themselves (Trainor et al., 1996). The National and Community Service Act of 1990 (PL 101-610) defined Service Learning as a method

•  under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully designed service experiences that meet actual community needs and that are coordinated in collaboration with the school and community;

•  that is integrated into the students' academic curriculum and provides

structured time for a student to think, talk, or write about what the student did and saw during the actual service activity;

•  that provides students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities; and

•  that enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community and helps to foster the development of a sense of caring for others. (42 U.S.C. 12572 (a) (101))

Common examples are tutoring, mentoring, providing recreational materials for people who are hospitalized, and raising money for a family in need, either in the local community or in another country. Advocacy approaches are aimed at increasing public awareness of a problem or an issue affecting individuals, the community, the nation, or the world as a whole. Examples are speaking, performing, or lobbying for equal rights for minorities, the disabled, or women; getting adequate school funding for the arts; getting out the vote among 18-21 year old young adults; participating as a surrogate for a student with a disability; and lobbying for the cessation of deforestation of the rainforest. Other projects could include participating in recycling programs and beautification projects and building houses.

*This information was gathered from "An Introduction to Service Learning for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions" by Dr. Howard Muscott, Rivier College, Manchester, New Hampshire.

References  

National and Community Service Act of 1990 (PL 101-610), 42 U.S.C. 12572.

Trainor, S. L., Muscott, H. S., & Smith, K. (1996). What, then, must we do? Service-Learning and the liberal arts academy. In P. Lizotte & N. Van Zandt (Eds.), Insight, 3 (pp. 131-149). Nashua, NH: Rivier College.

                           

Zlotkowski, E. (1993). Service learning as campus culture. In T. Y. Kupiec (Ed.), Rethinking tradition: Integrating service with academic study on college campuses. Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

Next month, we will focus on specific program examples for students with emotional and behavioral needs and explain how to get started.

Check resources on the education web page related to service learning later this month.