Improving Service-Learning Practice

1. Improving Service-Learning Practice Shelley H. Billig, Ph.D. RMC Research Corporation, Denver (800) 922-3636 billig@rmcdenver.com

2. Agenda • Why Participate in Service-Learning? • Quick Play: Top 10 • Taking on the Critics • Service-Learning Impacts Nationally • Quality Counts • Designing Service-Learning: Toolkit • Ideas for Project Identification • Linking to Best Practice in Instruction • Ideas for Reflection • Wrapping Up Q and A

3. Quick Play:Getting to Know You Mixer • Top 10 Reasons to Engage in Service-Learning

4. Taking on the Critics • So why doesn’t everyone do service-learning? • Complete the “taking on the critics” handouts as a group.

5. Impacts of Service-Learning on Youth • Learning • Increased engagement in learning activities • Increased academic performance • Improved thinking skills • Social-emotional • Better personal and social skills • Fewer risky behaviors • Civic • Greater civic engagement • Stronger ties to the community and society leading to more responsible behaviors • Increased or sustained ethic of service • Careers • Increased knowledge of careers • Higher educational aspirations

6. Impacts on Others • Community • Community needs are met • Adults view young people as resources instead of problems • Communities have more “social capital” – connections of youth to society • Fewer incidences of risky behaviors • Greater likelihood of having more volunteers when needed in emergencies • Democracy • Increased participation in democracy through voting and issue understanding

7. Quality Counts • Duration and Intensity • Link to curriculum • Cognitively challenging reflection • Youth voice • Respect for diversity • Meaningful service • Progress Monitoring • Reciprocal partnerships

8. Designing Service-Learning: Toolkit • Assess community needs and resources. • Form community partnerships. • Set specific educational goals and link to curriculum. • Select a project. • Plan project in detail. • Acquire funding and resources. • Implement and manage the project. • Organize reflection activities. • Assess and evaluate. • Celebrate achievements.

9. Ideas for Project Identification • Needs to have youth voice; • Needs to be meaningful to those involved; • Needs to be actionable and make a difference in a relatively short period of time.

10. One Idea: Increasing Youth Voice in Planning: Quick Play • If I had a million dollars…. • Draw a circle. • Brainstorm… • If I had a million dollars to spend to solve community problems, what would I do? • Divide your paper plate like a pie chart and show how much you would spend on what.

11. Linking to Best Practice in Instruction • Marzano Activity • Cut up the Marzano best practice elements • Match where you could address the SL components.

12. SL Arc • Investigation • Planning • Action • Reflection • Demonstration • Celebration

13. Improving Cognitive Challenge: Quick Play • Taxonomy dice

14. Ideas for Reflection • Storyboards • Metaphors • Empathy v. sympathy • Sharing Ideas>>>>> • Resource: Connecting Thinking and Action – www.servicelearning.org or www.rmcdenver.com

15. Wrapping Up • Q and A. • Thanks so much!! • More resources at www.servicelearning.org; www.nylc.org; www.gotoservicelearning.org