Sociology Commons^™

Make Sure It's Service Learning, Not Just Community Service, Leonard T. Burns

Special Topics, General

Service learning may be made more beneficial to communities by allowing students to participate aggressively in various learning activities, while keeping them abreast with their own social responsibilities. Students must also be given adequate opportunity to reflect on their service experiences.

New England College Pre-Service Teacher Service Learning Guidebook, Debra Nitschke-Shaw

Guides

In a democratic classroom, teacher and students strive to create a participatory learning community (Wade, 1997), a community where the voices and needs of all are respected and valued by the members of that community. Democratic education involves connecting with the larger community through meaningful, hands-on involvement. According to John Dewey, "schools should be democratic laboratories of learning closely linked to community need" (National Youth Leadership Council, 1991, p. 4). Therefore, the focus of a democratic classroom should be on responsible participation from all members of the classroom community.

Elder Mentors: Elder Mentors And At-Risk Youth, Marc Freedman

Intergenerational

Many at-risk youth are growing up isolated from the range of caring and consistent adult relationships so important for navigating the treacherous course from adolescence to adulthood. An accumulation of longitudinal research suggests that adult relationships-- provided not only by parents, but by grandparents, neighbors and other interested adults--are a common factor among resilient children, who achieve success despite growing up in disadvantaged and stressful circumstances. An important, and not often addressed, question for social intervention is whether the circumstances of more at-risk youth could be improved through efforts designed to provide greater access to these relationships.

Professional Digital Portfolios And Academic Community Learning (Service Learning), P. Elizabeth Pate

Project Summaries

Academic community learning is an educational experience characterized by:

a. active participation in an extended, thoughtfully organized learning experience that meets actual community and student needs;
b. collaboration among student, school, and community;
c. integration of community learning experiences into the student's academic curriculum;
d. provision of structured time for reflection and evaluation; and
e. enhancement of what is taught by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community (College of Education Academic Community Learning Taskforce, 1998).

Service-Learning In Economics: A Detailed Application, Kimmarie Mcgoldrick

Service Learning, General

Over the past decade, a significant push has been made toward the adoption or development of alternative methods of disseminating economic concepts to students. Much of this work is grounded in the belief that we, as educators, must recognize who our students are as well as how they process information. Siegfried and colleagues ( 1991) have suggested that more needs to be done to teach students to think like economists. They outlined a number of approaches and changes that have the potential for improving undergraduate economic education by providing opportunities for students to practice thinking like economists.

Citizenship Service Learning: Becoming Citizens By Assisting Immigrants, Robert Koulish

Civic Engagement

Citizenship Service Learning (CSL) serves to reinforce the strengths inherent in the traditional principles of higher education while concurrently transcending its limitations. CSL principles are celebrated on two grounds. The first is pedagogical. Following liberal arts traditionalists, CSL adheres to the class- room as a site for developing cognitive skills through accumulating information and learning research methods. It then stretches the learning process into the civic arena, where students gain tools in problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, and team work through the experience of working with immigrants.

Is Service Learning A Good Idea? Data From The National Longitudinal Study Of 1988., June R. Chapin

Service Learning, General

Service learning is an integral part of social studies that aims to instill social responsibility among students. According to the National Longitudinal Study of 1988, a significant percentage of high school students participated in community work during the previous two years and that this involvement in community service was greatest in church or church-related groups. However, the survey showed that students favor diversity in their choice of community work and that social action is not their top priority. Furthennore, there is confusion about the difference between service and community learning.

Innovative Pedagogy: Academic Service- Learning For Business Communication, Jean L. Bush-Bacelis

Service Learning, General

Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) is an innovative business communication pedagogy. Like community service, AS-L involves students volunteering in the community; however, AS-L requires the infusion of the classroom content into the community service experience. This article describes AS-L, the assignment for a business communication class, and students’ reactions as well as benefits and challenges to its use. The greatest strength of using AS-L is students’ tying theory into actual application of principles, student passion for the work, faculty enthusiasm for the results, and community satisfaction.

Service Learning: What's A Political Scientist Doing In Yonkers?, Glenn Beamer

Service Learning, General

As an urban politics teacher, I discerned a disconnect between what I said about urban politics and what my students understood. Although I offered a variety of perspectives, I nonetheless felt that students were coming to class, and leaving class, with their opinions -- liberal, conservative, and in-between -- formed. Because of the constraints on dialogue about urban politics, I decided to develop a service learning project focusing on urban homelessness and housing. The project would combine elements of a typical undergraduate course and a participant observation project. I wanted a setting in which the students and I would learn …

The Quality Assurance Component Of The Quality Mangement System, Demonstration Project For People With Disabilities

Disabilities

This document contains a list of performance measurement areas to be used in the DPPD. This document is developing from left to right, so the content of the columns to the right are less developed than those on the left. The Performance Measures are being developed by the Quality Management Workgroup of the DPPB Stakeholder's Advisory Committee.

Integration Of Service, Education, And Research In Local Official Public Health Agencies, Larry W. Chambers, John Hoey, Jane Underwood, Namrata Bains

Special Topics, General

Chambers et al discuss improved education for future public health practitioners. continuing education of existing staff, and research and evaluations activities in local official public health agencies in Ontario Canada.

Final Report: 9-B English Service-Learning Evaluation, Moorhead High School, Moorhead, Minnesota, Mark K. Covey

Evaluation/Reflection

Mark Jensen, English faculty at MHS offered his service-learning program for an evaluation. This evaluation was initiated by Jeanie Jacobs consequent to the conditions of a grant she received; the structure of this evaluation evolved over several team meetings between Jensen, Ann Larson (District 152 Director of Community Service-learning) and myself.

Evaulation Workgroup Initial Proceedings, Learn And Serve America

Evaluation/Reflection

The following sessions are included: Learn and Serve Data Collection; Rolling Up Local Evaluation Results into a State-Wide Evaluation; Answered and Unanswered Questions About National Service; The Disappearing Handprint: A discussion about how to ascertain the impact of Learn and Serve America K-12 when integrated within a system - within an institution.; and Using Community Resources, Especially College/University programs;

Methods Of Evaluating Student Performance Through Service Learning, Kathleen Davis, M. David Miller, Wellesley T. Corbett

Evaluation/Reflection

Service learning* includes a myriad of activities that are currently being implemented at all levels within school settings. But while thousands of service-learning projects involve over one million K-12 students nationwide, measurement alternatives for assessing their impact on students and programs are sparse. The purpose of this document is to try to outline some approaches that might be used in examining the effectiveness of service-learning activities. Effectiveness can include cognitive, behavioral, or affective measures. In addition, effectiveness can be measured for students, classes, or programs. Each of these areas of measurement and units being examined could potentially be measured by …

National Evaluation Of Learn And Serve America School And Community-Based Programs: Final Report, Alan Melchior

School K-12

In 1993, the National and Community Service Trust Act established the Learn and Serve America School and Community-Based Programs to support school and community-based efforts to involve school-aged youth in community service. The program is administered by the Corporation for National Service and funded through grants to states and national organizations, and through them to individual school districts, schools, and community organizations. In 1994-95, the first year of the program, the Corporation awarded approximately $30 million in grants supporting over 2,000 local efforts involving over 750,000 school-aged youth.

A Student's Reflections On Service: What Is Service? Why Serve?, J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Evaluation/Reflection

There is an old story about an ancient Greek philosopher named Thales. According to this tale, Thales was looking to the stars as he walked about Athens, attempting to answer certain troubling philosophical questions. He became so engaged in thought that he didn't even notice the well he was approaching. Needless to say, Thales. one of the most brilliant of ancient Greek philosophers. fell into the well and became the butt of many Athenian jokes. His head was so lost in the clouds, some said, that he didn't even notice the world around him.

Community Service Learning Increases Communication Skills Across The Business Curriculum, Mary L. Tucker, Anne M. Mccarthy, John A. Hoxmeier, Margarita M. Lenk

Higher Education

Community service learning offers a unique and rewarding way for business students to reinforce communication capabilities while developing lifelong career and social skills. This article defines community service learning, discusses its importance to business as well as higher education, and describes three community service learning projects. Students in these projects taught elementary students, designed a computer system for a community nonprofit, and developed accounting systems for university divisions. In doing so, they enhanced their understanding of classroom theories and communication skills through service-learning.

Community Service Is A Way To Build Business Leadership, Rebecca Erdahl, Mary Schultz

Partnerships/Community

Minnesotans know that our famed quality of life is not a matter of serendipity. It happens here because we expect it of our businesses and community institutions. It happens here because we expect it of ourselves. It exists because we make sure that the right people come together at the right time to do the right things. Perhaps this is best illustrated by the fact that the two largest local business organizations in the state - the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of. Commerce-place the nurturing of community leadership as top priorities.

In The Service Of Citizenship: A Study Of Student Involvement In Community Service, Robert A. Rhoads

Higher Education

I learn more through my volunteer work than I ever do in any of my classes at school. Talking to people from diverse backgrounds provides so much insight that people just can't imagine. I study all these different theories in political science and sociology, but until you get a chance to see how the social world influences people's everyday lives, it just doesn't have that much meaning.

I have been involved in volunteer work ever since I was in high school, and I'll probably continue to do stuff like Habitat [for Humanity] until I'm old and gray. I get a …

The Effects Of Service Learning On Middle And High School Students With Emotional Disturbance, Arthur E. Brandt

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

A qualitative investigation into the efficacy of the integration of service-learning into the curriculum for emotionally disturbed students as a means of fostering social/emotional well-being was considered in this thesis. Two separate service-learning approaches were used to observe the effects of service-learning on (a) school related behaviors, (b) academic performance, (c) positive shifts in empathic feelings, (d) improved self-esteem, and (e) individual locus-of-control.

Two case studies, one group and one individual, were completed over an 11 month period in two different service-learning environments. Participants were 12-15 year old boys with emotional disturbance. Data were collected using formalized pre and post-test …

Students Help In The Naturalization Of Elders, Nina Gibson

Intergenerational

Many of our elderly citizenship students are struggling to get ready to take the naturalization exam. To help these learners, a collaborative effort between City College and San Francisco State University called Project SHINE began last fall and has doubled in size this semester. Credit students from the Phelan campus and from San Francisco State University are coming out to our campuses to tutor seniors studying in our citizenship classes. The tutors receive credit in an academic class for their work as part of service learning. They have agreed to attend one citizenship class per week under the supervision of …

Service Learning In Overseas Nations: U.S. Student Teachers Give, Grow, And Gain Outside The Classroom, Laura L. Stachowski, Virginia A. Visconti

International Service Learning & Community Engagement

Service learning and overseas student teaching are receiving increased attention in education literature. For example, Kielsmeier (1993) touts service learning as an emerging educational improvement strategy (p. 5) in the U.S. school reform movement. Learning activities, by combining classroom work with service/social action projects, ... can help produce dramatic improvements in student attitudes, motivation, and achievement (Nathan & Kielsmeier, 1991, p. 739).

On Civil Education: Beginning A Dialogue, Laura Martino, Erik W. Robelen

Civic Engagement

In his recent book, The End of Work, economist and political activist Jeremy Rifkin describes the dramatic shift the global economy is undergoing as we enter the next century. Rifkin documents the move from a mass worker economy to a high technology global economy that thrives on the innovations of labor-saving technology and corporate downsizing. "In the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors," he writes, "machines are quickly replacing human labor and promise an economy of near automated production by the mid-decades of the twenty-first century." Rifkin argues that government is also offering fewer employment opportunities, and that the rising high-tech …

Animal Tracks Habitat Action Pack, Rhonda Lucas Donald, Marsha A. Lakes Matyas, Sara Bradley, Cheryl Dixon, Elenor Hodges, Jennifer Kier, Margaret Tunstall, Charles Wilkinson

Curriculum

Welcome to Animal Tracks ®, a classroom education program of the National Wildlife Federation focusing on teacher training and environmental education resources. In Animal Tracks materials, the animals and their tracks lead educators and students on an exploration of conservation issues.

Thank you for using this Action Pack, our newest resource. We hope you find the Action Packs useful and because this is a "work-in-progress," we welcome any comments you might have for improvements. As you turn the page you'll see our questionnaire. Please take a minute to fill it out and put it in the mail. We'll include you …

Weaving Service-Learning Into The Fabric Of Your College, Nan Ottenritter, C. David Lisman

Higher Education

Institutionalizing service-learning can be a rich and complex process. The following ideas about sustainability are offered as points to keep in mind as we go about getting service-learning programs more solidly grounded within our institutions. We've organized our ideas into the following categories: institutional mission, faculty outcomes, student outcomes, community impact, coordination of services, and advancement of the field. Most topics are accompanied by a checklist and "thought prompts." The checklist provides a guide for improving service-learning programs from the perspective of many different constituencies across an institution. The thought prompts are key words that frequently surface in discussions about …

Cross-Cultural Field Placements: Student Teachers Learning From Schools And Communities, Laura L. Stachowski, James M. Mahan

Higher Education

The student teaching experience is typically characterized by a collaboration of school and university-cooperating teacher and university supervisor- to prepare novice educators for the instructional, managerial, and disciplinary demands of classroom teaching. Less often are individuals and groups outside of the immediate school environment perceived as active and important contributors to learning outcomes and professional development for student teachers. However, an increasing number of teacher educators are addressing the role of the community in providing student teachers with information and insights that will enhance the classroom experience in vital ways.

A Pedagogy For Citizenship: Service Learning And Democratic Education, Meta Mendel-Reyes

Higher Education

Maria clutches the papers tightly. After over two hours of waiting through reports, announcements, awards, and other agenda items that seemed much less urgent than hers, the chance to speak has nearly arrived. She looks at the determined face of the African American woman seated beside her, one of several residents living across the street from a trash incinerator that has brought pollution, disease, noise, and rats to their quiet neighborhood. At last, they would have the opportunity to tell their story to elected officials who could do something about it. Maria glances down at the statistics that took her …

De-Platonizing And Democratizing Education As The Bases Of Service Learning, Ira Harkavy, Lee Benson

Service Learning, General

The theoretical bases of academic service learning are examined, with particular attention to John Dewey’s contributions. The service learning movement is conceptualized as part of an ongoing—and still unsuccessful—effort to “de-Platonize” and democratize American higher education in particular and American schooling in general.

Why Are We Here? What Are We Doing? Interdisciplinary Social Studies For The 21st Century, Ann L. Rappaport

School K-12

It's the interdisciplinary potential that drew many of us into social studies from the start, isn't it? Because the human condition is, in fact, interdisciplinary. We're attracted by the study of real people and their challenges. We're magnetized by the processes people use to find solutions to a variety of societal problems. It's appealing to learn how people organize to accomplish certain goals. We thrive on diversity, on relationships, on cultural artifacts, on connections. We love the drama of discovery.

Service Learning On The Information Superhighway, Bonnie Bracey

Service Learning, General

The Information Superhighway is more than the Internet. It is a series of components, including the collection of...high-speed, interactive...networks that exist today and will emerge tomorrow. It is the satellite, terrestrial, and wireless technologies....It is the information and content that flow over the infrastructure....It is the computers, televisions, telephones, radios, and other products....It is the people who will provide, manage, and generate new information....And it is the individual Americans who will use and benefit from the Information Superhighway. The Information Superhighway...encompasses all these components and captures the vision of a nationwide, invisible, seamless, dynamic web of transmission mechanisms, information, appliances, …