High Quality Service Learning

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High Quality Service Learning
STEM Service Learning Summer Institute

• August 5, 2009Sacramento State
• Region 3 Service Learning Network
• Deb Bruns John Durand

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What Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes do we hope
students will have when they graduate from our
K-12 system?
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What is Service Learning?
Service learning is a powerful teaching and
learning strategy that engages students in
youth-led community service projects integrated
with academic learning
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Knowing the Terms

• Volunteerism
• Community Service
• Service Learning

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The Difference betweenService-Learning and
Community Service
Community ServiceExample Students remove
trash from a streambed, providing a service to
the community.
Service-Learning Example
Students in a science class identify trash in
their community streambed as a problem, decide to
remove the trash, analyze what they found and how
pollution impacts the environment, share results
and recommendations for the community to reduce
pollution, and then reflect on their experience.
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Service Learning Statues

• Create a dramatic picture using yourselves as
  statues to communicate one of the K-12
  Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice
• HINT pictures dont move.
• Think like a statue. Be the statue.
• Interpret your element creatively!

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K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality
Practice (plus one)
Meaningful Service Service-learning actively
engages participants in meaningful and personally
relevant service activities.   Link to Curriculum
Service-learning is intentionally used as an
instructional strategy to meet learning goals
and/or content standards.   Reflection
Service-learning incorporates multiple
challenging reflection activities that are
ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and
analysis about oneself and ones relationship to
society.   Diversity Service-learning promotes
understanding of diversity and mutual respect
among all participants.   Youth
Voice Service-learning provides youth with a
strong voice in planning, implementing, and
evaluating service-learning experiences with
guidance from adults.  

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K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality
Practice (plus one)
  Partnerships Service-learning partnerships are
collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address
community needs.   Progress Monitoring Service-lea
rning engages participants in an ongoing process
to assess the quality of implementation and
progress toward meeting specified goals, and uses
results for improvement and sustainability.   Dura
tion and Intensity Service-learning has
sufficient duration and intensity to address
community needs and meet specified
outcomes.   Civic Responsibility
Service-learning fosters civic responsibility
and improves the quality of life in the community.

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K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality
Practice (plus one)

• Hey, Im already doing those!
• In your small groups, each person shares one
  standard that you feel you have done well in your
  classroom or program. Please give specific
  examples.
• Record these current practices on a flip chart

EXAMPLE Youth voicestudents do a community
photo-mapping project to identify environmental
issues to study
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A Reason to Learn
Learn and Serve America www.learnandserve.org
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Calvine High School
Elk Grove Unified School District http//www.sdc
oe.net/edoptions/service_learning.asp

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Service-Learning Quadrant
High Service
Unrelated Learning
Related Learning
Low Service
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Read the case studiesIdentify service and
link to curriculumDetermine into which
quadrant the project fallsYour group will be
assigned a case study to report on

• Service-Learning
• Quadrant Activity

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Service-LearningQuadrant Activity
High Quality Service-learning
High Service
I
II
Unrelated Learning
Related Learning
IV
III
Low Service
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Youth Voice Meter
Chavez American Government S L Project Review
the project description and answer the questions
on page 3 A Place For Us
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Community Based Projects

• Classroom or School community
• Local neighborhood or city
• National or global community

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Points of Entry

• Existing program or service
• Curriculum content or skill
• Theme or unit of study
• Student-identified need (photo mapping,
  schoolyard review, student interests/talents)
• Community-identified need (newspaper articles,
  partner agency)

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Getting Started Preparation

• Identify an issue
• see Points of Entry
• Investigate and analyze
• field trips, guest speakers, interviews,
  survey, research
• Identify partners
• Develop an action plan
•  

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Getting Started Small Group Discussion and
Planning

• Points of entry Each group member should come up
  with a potential point of entry to share
• Choose one of the ideas for the group to begin
  exploring and developing
• Address key elements
• Link to curriculum
• Meaningful service
• Youth voice
• Partnerships
• Create a poster to share that includes the key
  elements above and shows how you would get
  started.

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Service Learning Resources
Youth Service California www.yscal.org Californi
a Department of Education www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/sl
Governors Office/California Volunteers www.cal
iforniavolunteers.org Learn and Serve
America www.learnandserve.org National Dropout
Prevention Center www.dropoutprevention.org
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Questions?

• John Durand, Cosumnes River Preserve Galt
  Service Learning, jdurand_at_galt.k12.ca.us
• Deb Bruns, Service Learning Network CREEC
  Network, bruns_at_ycoe.org