WHAT IS SERVICE LEARNING?

National Youth Leadership Council defines Service Learning as "a philosophy, pedagogy, and model for community development that is used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards." "Service learning is a method of instruction in which classroom learning is enriched and applied through service to others-Florida Department of Education. Picking up trash, studying water samples under a microscope, or simply when science students collect and analyze water samples, document their results and present their findings to a local pollution control agency can be called Service Learning. SERVICE-LEARNING VERSUS COMMUNITY SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM Although many people speak of service-learning and community service in the same breath, these two terms are not interchangeable. The concepts these words represent are related, but as in most family trees, there are several roots and branches distinguishing one from the other. Some of the basic differences between the two involve 3 differences: a. Personal Engagement: In service-learning, participants develop a sense of personal involvement and an ongoing interest in those they serve. The servers and the served come together on a regular basis in structured settings and this fosters meaningful interaction. Community service, on the other hand, often involves one-time projects that focus on the service work, providing meaningful but short-term participation in the lives of those being served. b. Intentionality of Learning: Service-learning emphasizes the learning that is inherently involved in service through identified learning objectives and structured reflection so "youth can be empowered to go beyond pity, fear, or misunderstanding of others and begin to understand the social problems that create such situations and how they can work toward better solutions." c.Reciprocity: Service-learning attempts to place equal emphasis on what the giver and the receiver can gain from the service. Both parties can learn a great deal from their association with each other. TYPES OF SERVICE LEARNING PLANS a. Direct Service Learning: Person-to-person, face-to-face projects in which service impacts individuals who receive direct help from students Tutoring other students and adults Conducting art/music/dance lessons for younger students Helping other students resolve conflict Giving performances on violence and drug prevention Creating lessons and presenting them to younger students

b. Indirect Service Learning: Projects with benefits to a community as opposed to specific individuals. Compiling a town history Restoring historic structures or building low-income housing Removing exotic plants and restoring ecosystems, preparing preserve areas for public c. Advocacy Service Learning: Working, acting, speaking, writing, teaching, presenting, informing, etc., on projects that encourage action or create awareness on issues of public interest. Conducting public information campaigns on topics of interest or local needs Working with elected officials to draft legislation to improve communities Training the community in fire safety or disaster preparation d. Research Service Learning: Surveys, studies, evaluations, experiments, data gathering, interviewing, etc., to find, compile, and report information on topics in the public interest. Writing a guide on available community services and translating it into local languages Conducting longitudinal studies of local bodies of water; water testing for local residents Gathering information and creating brochures or videos for non-profit or government Agencies Mapping state lands and monitoring flora and fauna Conducting surveys, studies, evaluations, experiments, interviews, etc. ESSENTIALS FOR SERVICE LEARNING Successful Service Learning is multifaceted teaching and learning process. Though each service learning project is uniquely tailored to meet specific learning goals and community needs, several elements are critical for its success viz. a. Meaningful service- Service Learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities. The projects work best when they fit the ages and the developmental activities of the participants including interesting and engaging science activities, exploring underlying societal issues the service addresses and address the needs of the community being served. b. Link to curriculum- Service learning to be effective should be an integral part of the learning process and should be aligned with the education curriculum. This is called Experiential Education which is a process that occurs between a teacher and a student that infuses direct experience with the learning environment and the content. c. Reflection- Through out the process reflection is the key to growth and understanding and reflection activities should be done before, during and after the service experience to assess where students are in the learning process and help them to internalize their learning and make opportunities to voice concerns and share feelings. d. Diversity- This promotes an understanding of all form if diversity and fosters mutual respect among participants in the form of group decision making and conflict management. e. Youth voice- Young people have active roles in identifying community needs and planning service activities. This nurtures youth ownership of their project and in turn empowers these young people to take control of the learning in a more meaningful manner.

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Duration and Intensity-The projects should have sufficient duration and intensity to meet community needs and meet the goals of the project. It should allow the youth to investigate community needs, prepare for service, take action , reflect repeatedly on the project, demonstrate their learning and celebrate their achievement. Thus the period should be conducted over several weeks or months.

SERVICE LEARNING CYCLE The Service Learning cycle does not end when one project is completed; instead it is a transformational process where young people and communities continue to grow as they discover the root causes underlying the needs. Step 1: Pre-Service Reflection- Where participants carefully examine what they know and think about issues raised by the projects. Step2: Reflection During Service- Find out where young people are in the learning process, and give them a chance to voice their concerns and share feelings Step 3: Post-Service Reflection- Young people assess the meaning of the service experience and integrate their new understanding and propose further action. FIVE PHASES OF SERVICE LEARNING

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INVESTIGATION Explore their community and identify a need. Ask questions and conduct research. Collect data that becomes basis for later evaluation and results reporting. Interview community partners. Activate prior knowledge PLANNING/PREPARATION

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Analyze the underlying problem and use teamwork along with skills and knowledge to make decisions Collaborate with community partners and identify and analyze different points of view to gain understanding of multiple perspectives Develop a plan that encourages responsibility and defines realistic parameters for implementation. ACTION Has meaningful outcomes valued by those being served Addresses issues that are personally relevant to the students Uses previously learned and newly acquired academic skills and knowledge.

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REFLECTION The teacher (or student captain) guides the reflection process using various modalities, such as role-play, discussion, art and journal writing. Participating students: Reflect before, during, and after the service experience Think deeply about issues, attitudes, and connections. Discuss thoughts and feelings and place experience in a larger context Consider project improvements Generate ideas and identify questions. Receive feedback DEMONSTRATION/CELEBRATION

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Present to a group that may include families, community partners, and other students Describe what happened and examine the difference it made Demonstrate skills used and learned during service experience Demonstrate success using research and collected data

THE BENEFITS OF SERVICE-LEARNING Become more interested in the life-long learning process Further understand civic responsibility Use skills and knowledge gained at school in practical ways Develop stronger social and communication skills Gain experience in leadership and teamwork