SERVICE LEARNING Engaging Millenials in Civic Virtue Dr. Laura Lea Bourland

1. SERVICE LEARNING Engaging Millenials in Civic Virtue Dr. Laura Lea Bourland Assistant Professor, Political Science Center for Teaching Excellence Fall 2012

2. What is service learning? • Acredit-bearing educational experience that combines organized service projects with in-class academic study.

3. What is service learning? • Acredit-bearing educational experience that combines organized service projects with in-class academic study. • It enhances learning of the course content and fosters a sense of civic responsibility.

4. What is service learning? • Acredit-bearing educational experience that combines organized service projects with in-class academic study. • It enhances learning of the course content and fosters a sense of civic responsibility. • It is based on a reciprocal relationship in which the service reinforces and strengthens the learning, and the learning reinforces and strengthens the service.

5. How does it work? • Service learning can be integrated into formal courses in a variety of ways, but the service projects selected should always be deeply connected to the particular curricular concepts being taught.

6. How does it work? • Service learning can be integrated into formal courses in a variety of ways, but the service projects selected should always be deeply connected to the particular curricular concepts being taught. • Critical to the success of the pedagogy is that • service learning activities are not one-time volunteer projects, but rather thoughtfully organized relationships that meet a community need,

7. How does it work? • Service learning can be integrated into formal courses in a variety of ways, but the service projects selected should always be deeply connected to the particular curricular concepts being taught. • Critical to the success of the pedagogy is that • service learning activities are not one-time volunteer projects, but rather thoughtfully organized relationships that meet a community need, • and that students have a structured opportunity to critically reflect on their experiences in the community.

8. Is it community service?

9. Is it community service? • No – community service projects rarely involve a learning agenda.

10. Is it community service? • No – community service projects rarely involve a learning agenda. • Community service and one-time volunteer activities—outside of the context of a class—tend to emphasize the service provided and the benefits of the service activities to recipients, and thus the focus is on charity and temporary solutions rather than systemic issues and social change.

11. Class + community service? • Service learning is NOT simply the addition of a community service project to a traditional course.

12. Class + community service? • Service learning is NOT simply the addition of a community service project to a traditional course. • Community experiences must be considered in the context of and integrated with other planned learning strategies and resources.

13. Three Criteria Necessary for Service Learning Relevant & Meaningful Service with the Community Enhanced Academic Learning Academic Service Learning Purposeful Civic Learning

14. Distinguishing Characteristics of Some Common Student Community –Based Experiences

15. Three Criteria Necessary for Service Learning • Relevant and Meaningful Service with the Community. The service provided within the community agency must be relevant and meaningful to all stakeholder parties.

16. Three Criteria Necessary for Service Learning • Relevant and Meaningful Service with the Community. The service provided within the community agency must be relevant and meaningful to all stakeholder parties. • Relevant = community must see how student work will contribute to amelioration of social issues and/or improve quality of life. Instructor and students must see how community work is relevant to course learning.

17. Three Criteria Necessary for Service Learning • Relevant and Meaningful Service with the Community. The service provided within the community agency must be relevant and meaningful to all stakeholder parties. • Meaningful= community must deem activities worthwhile and necessary, activities should not be menial or inconsequential to students

18. Three Criteria Necessary for Service Learning • Relevant and Meaningful Service with the Community. The service provided within the community agency must be relevant and meaningful to all stakeholder parties. • To All = Service should be formulated and developed with the community – as opposed to “service to” or “service for.” Community members and faculty co-develop.

19. Enhanced Academic Learning The addition of relevant and meaningful service with the community must not only serve the community, but also enhance student academic learning in the course.

20. Enhanced Academic Learning The addition of relevant and meaningful service with the community must not only serve the community, but also enhance student academic learning in the course. • Learning from community is not automatic – one cannot assume that student involvement in community automatically yields learning

21. Enhanced Academic Learning The addition of relevant and meaningful service with the community must not only serve the community, but also enhance student academic learning in the course. • Learning from community is not automatic – one cannot assume that student involvement in community automatically yields learning • Service learning must include classroom activities (discussion, reflection) and student assignments (papers, tests, etc)

22. Purposeful Civic Learning Service learning must directly and intentionally prepare students for active civic participation in a diverse democratic society.

23. Purposeful Civic Learning Service learning must directly and intentionally prepare students for active civic participation in a diverse democratic society. • Civic learning = any learning that contributes to student preparation for community or public involvement in a diverse democratic society – including knowledge, skills, and values that make an explicitly direct and purposeful contribution to the preparation of students for active civic participation

24. Purposeful Civic Learning Service learning must directly and intentionally prepare students for active civic participation in a diverse democratic society. • Civic learning = any learning that contributes to student preparation for community or public involvement in a diverse democratic society – including knowledge, skills, and values that make an explicitly direct and purposeful contribution to the preparation of students for active civic participation

25. The Importance of Reflection • Reflection allows students to reflect on the service experience and its relation to course content

26. The Importance of Reflection • Allows students to reflect on the service experience and its relation to course content • Should be continuous (throughout the course rather than intermittent), challenging, and contextualized

27. Facilitating Student Reflection • In-class discussions allows an exchange of ideas between students and faculty • Field journals in which students respond to thoughtful questions throughout the experience • Student discussion forums through D2L, etc. • Analytical papers asking students to integrate examples from their service experience with course materials • Portfolios that compile an array of materials related to the service work • Reading responses in which students write about their service experience in relation to assigned course readings.

28. Service Learning on the Internet • Campus Compact, http://www.compact.org/. The comprehensive site that includes resources for service learning practitioners, including faculty, presidents, administrators, and students. Includes model programs and sample syllabi, a calendar of events, extensive links to web resources, job listings, news, information on grants and fellowships, legislation, and a special section for community colleges.  • National Service Learning Clearinghouse, http://www.servicelearning.org/This outstanding site contains a searchable database of K-12 and higher education service-learning literature; information about events, listservs, and Learn & Serve America efforts; and links to a variety of service-learning information resources. • Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, http://www.umich.edu/%7Emjcsl/ The MJCSL is a national, peer-reviewed journal consisting of articles written by faculty and service-learning educators on research, theory, pedagogy, and issues pertinent to the service-learning community. The website contains abstracts of all past issues of the journal. 

29. Continued… • National Service Learning Exchange, http://www.nslexchange.org/ Supports high-quality service-learning in kindergarten through high school, higher education, and community-based organizations, by providing free technical support and mentoring, and consulting and training on a fee-for-service basis. Offers some free resources • National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), http://www.nylc.org/ For more than two decades, NYLC has led a movement linking youths, educators, and communities to redefine the roles of young people in society through service learning. NYLC’s Service Learning Resource Center also houses an extensive, searchable library of articles, project examples, and downloadable tools related to service-learning.

30. I also have an extensive bibliography, sample syllabi, and journal articles if anyone would like more information. Thank you for listening!

31. Selected References • Campus Compact’s Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit: Readings and Resources for Faculty, 2nd Edition. Providence: Brown University, 2003. 7-10. • Howard, Jeffrey, ed. “Service-Learning Course Design Workbook. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. Summer 2001. 12-13. • Black, Stephen and Allison Stagg, eds. Assorted service-learning materials from the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility, the University of Alabama, 2008.