Service Learning: Academics in Action

1. Service Learning: Academics in Action Cate Hart camhart@indiana.edu Diane Monroe dlmonroe@indiana.edu Sponsored by Indiana Department of Education, Learn & Serve Indiana ~A Partnership Fostering the Integration of Service and Education~ Summer, 2004

2. Guiding Questions • What is Service Learning? • How can Service Learning help our students become more engaged in civic responsibilities in our changing world? • How do we align and incorporate Service Learning with academic standards and other educational initiatives?

3. Service Learning Service learning involves students in community activities that compliment their classroom studies. Programs aim to help students increase their academic skills through understanding how what they learn can be applied to the real world. Service learning helps students become interested in their communities and learn how they can affect the quality of life in them. Corporation for National Service, Learn and Serve Grants

4. Traditional view Utilize resource Passive Consumer Needs help Recipient Victim Service Learning Act as resource Active Producer Offers help Giver Leader Youth Service: A paradigm Shift

5. Service Learning… an instructional strategy that • Enhances students’ civic and academic engagement. • Engages students in meaningful service to strengthen their schools or communities through careful integration with established curricula. • Enables students to become active and informed citizens who carry forward our democratic traditions and become committed to an ethic of service.

6. Service-learning is NOT: • An episodic volunteer program • An add-on to an existing curriculum • Logging a set number of community service hours • Compensatory service assigned as a form of punishment by the courts or schools • Only for high school or college students • One-sided: benefiting only students or only the community

7. Service Learning is… School-Wide Infusion • Pedagogy-instructional strategy • Philosophy-caring and collaboration • Process-quality of life improvements for school/community

8. Service Learning aligns with educational initiatives • P.L. # 221-writing & reading • Scans Basic Skills and Competencies • Character Education • Safe and Secure Schools • Character Counts • Problem Based Learning

9. Service Learning Aligns with Curricula • Language Arts/ English –reading & writing across curriculum/content • Math/Science • Social Studies/Civic Engagement • Technology • Visual & Performing Arts • FACS/Physical Education/Vocational and Technical Arts • SCANS- ‘soft skills’ • Leadership Development • Problem Based Learning, Socratic Seminars, authentic engagement, bullying prevention

10. Service Learningaligns with educator standards • INTASC & IPLA Standards • Best Practices • What Principal’s Should Know and Be Able to Do • National Staff Development Council Standards for Professional Development • Ruby Payne Poverty Framework

11. Essential Elements of SL • Youth Voice • How is youth voice incorporated in decision making? • Genuine Community Needs/Issues • What are the needs/issues and how are they documented? Multiple measures of evidence? • Meaningful Service • What planned activities will provide meaningful service? What positive social changes will occur as a result? • Community Collaborations • How will partners be identified, engaged, assigned roles, evaluated? • Alignment to Indiana Academic Standards • How will academic alignment be documented? • Reflection • How will reflection activities be integrated throughout the project? • Evaluation • What tools will be used to evaluate community impact, program effectiveness, and student academic performance? • Are they SMART goals?- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic. Tangible/Timely • Recognition/Celebration • How will student achievement, program goals and participant engagement be recognized and celebrated?

12. Service Learning is effective when… • Outcomes are clear and linked to curricular objectives. • Activities apply course concepts and skills. • High levels of thinking and construction of knowledge are promoted. • Students communicate diverse information and ideas. • Learning is connected to state /local standards. • Students are engaged in tasks that challenge and stretch them cognitively and developmentally. • Assessment enhances student learning and documents and evaluates how well students have met content and skills standards.

13. Service Learning Continuum • Community service credit - Individual student or service club • Service Learning Class • Integrated into one subject/one grade • Co-curricular- partners • Integrated into a multidisciplinary curriculum School wide focus or theme – poetry, CARE SKILLS, C.L.A.S.S., Peace Village • Service learning infused into curriculum and supported through the culture and structure of the school

14. Preparation - Go slow to go fast • Introduce concept of service, learning, and good citizenship. • Teach leadership, interpersonal, communication skills. • Examine community for needs. • Explore specific skills needed to carry out the project. • Use problem solving and organizational strategies.

15. Needs/IssuesAdapted by Learn & Serve, Indiana, from Corporationfor National Service 2004-2005 • Human Issues • Educational Issues • Changing Communities • Environmental Stewardship • Homeland Security & Conflict Resolution

16. Human Needs • Concerns relating to persons/ groups with special needs (i.e. health, poverty, addiction, housing, learning abilities, intergenerational dimensions, employment, abuse, life span transitions, transportation, etc)

17. Educational Concerns • Issues such as literacy, inclusion, differentiation, knowledge of history, civic participation, retention, life-long learning, technology, character education, etc

18. Changing Communities • Issues relating to diversity, tolerance, urbanization, economic self-sufficiency, active participation in government, population growth, English language learning, gentrification, etc

19. Environmental Stewardship • Issues relating to Sustainability-reducing, reusing, recycling, renewing of products, community gardens, resource depletion, environmental degradation, pollution, production and consumption of energy resources, genetic/biotic/species research, rivers, streams, wetlands, agriculture, etc

20. Homeland Security & Conflict Resolution • Issues relating to national security, safe schools, public safety, tolerance, bullying, violence, cross-cultural conflicts, equity, Student Emergency Response Teams, Community Emergency Response Teams, Project Ophelia- creating safe schools program

21. White River Valley Homeland Security • Professional Development • PBL, inquiry based learning, Socratic seminars, writing across the curriculum, authentic student engagement • Student Leadership • Retreats, camps, at-risk students • Mini-grants • Service learning projects

22. Direct Service Learning(person-to-person, face-to-face service) • Benefits: Personal responsibility, caring for others, dependability, interpersonal skills, problem-solving. • 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 • Creating life reviews for Hospice patients

23. Indirect Service Learning(addressing broad issues, advocacy, environmental/ community development) • Benefits: cooperation, teamwork skills, playing different roles, organizing, prioritizing, project-specific skills. • Compiling a town history • Volunteering at local clinics to conduct health screenings • Restoring historic structures or building low-income housing • Removing exotic plants and restoring ecosystems, preparing preserve areas for public use

24. Research-Based Service Learning(gathering, presenting information on areas of interest/need) • Benefits: Learn to find answers/info, make discriminating judgments, assess, evaluate, test hypotheses. • 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 • Writing a guide on available community services and translating it into Spanish and other languages of new residents

25. Advocacy Service Learning(educating others about topics of public interest) • Benefits: Perseverance; understanding rules, systems, processes; engaged citizenship, work with adults. • Planning, hosting public forums on topics of interest in the community • Conducting public information campaigns • Working with elected officials to draft legislation to improve communities • Training the school/community in fire safety, homeland security measures/disaster preparation, bullying, conflict resolution, etc

26. Reflection – ~BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER~ • Continuous reflection allows students to • explore the impact and importance of citizen service to the community. • understand how to learn from experience. • develop a language of caring and commitment. • instill habits of participation as an expectation of citizenship.

28. Servant Leadership’s Best Test – Do those served grow as persons; do they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect of the least privileged in society, will they benefit? Robert Greenleaf

29. “You cannot buy heart, mind and spirit. In the competitive reality of today...only those organizations whose people willingly volunteer their tremendous creative talent, commitment and loyalty-whose organizations align with structures, systems and management style to support the empowerment of their people, will survive and thrive” Stephen R. Covey, Insights on Leadership

30. Great leaders are responsible for creating work environments in which people care about each other, share pride in a common goal, and celebrate the successes for all. For this atmosphere to flourish, we have to realize that, though we can’t change everyone around us, we can change ourselves, and make a difference. Jim Blanchard, CEO, Synovus #5, Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for in America

31. Win – Win for Students • Increases attendance, self-esteem, commitment to learning. • Challenges and stretches students cognitively/developmentally. • Documents and evaluates how well students have met content and skills standards. • Allows practice, fosters social and political change, encouraging young people to become responsible engaged citizens. • Gives experiential learning for real world application and problem solving. • Increases tolerance, compassion, sensitivity to others, character judgment, insight, understanding. • Provides career exploration opportunities. • Helps students discover greater purpose for their lives. • Promotes collaboration among students and all stakeholders.

32. Win – Win for Schools! • Curricular objectives link to clear outcomes. • Enriched curriculum links to life applications. • School links with community in positive ways. • Reluctant learners are motivated/engaged. • Problem solving, teamwork, conflict management, other SCANS ‘soft skills’ are fostered. • Students develop responsibility for their own learning. • Students, families and communities come together. • A new meaning of democracy is encouraged.

33. Win – Win for Communities! • A new generation is introduced to leadership and to important work of community. • Career options are explored/expanded. • Community capacity building and creative problem solving for community needs is increased. • Resources match relevant needs/issues. • Creative approaches tackle ingrained ways of doing business. • Public images are enhanced.

34. Indiana Learn and Serve Michele L. Sullivan Director, Learn & Serve Indiana Indiana Department of EducationOffice of Program DevelopmentRoom 229, State House Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798 Phone: (317) 233-3163 msulliva@doe.state.in.us www.doe.in.us/opd/svln/

35. Cate Hart Indiana University Bloomington2853 East 10th StreetBloomington IN 47408-2601w. 812-855-7780 c. 812 322-4344 camhart@indiana.edu Sheila Hamilton-Taylor10925 Stoneoak Ct.Fort Wayne IN 46845Phone: 219-482-9279 garden4@infionline.net Marti Reece 12092 North Paddock Road Camby, IN 46113 Phone:(317) 831-9781 repelly@earthlink.com Diane Monroe 1301 Bucklew Rd. Spencer, IN 47460 w.812- 829-2712 c.812-360-9133 dmonroe@ccrtc.com Pat Swanson Valparaiso Community Schools6 City View DriveValparaiso IN 46383Phone: 219-531-3070 ext. 319 pswanson@imail.valpo.k12.in.us Corporation for National and Community Service www.cns.gov