Sociology Commons^™

What Are Students Learning?: Assessing Service Learning And The Curriculum, Kathryn Blash Cumbo, Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur

Service Learning, General

Service learning, a method of learning and teaching, has the potential to move our educational system into the 21st century by providing a vehicle for integrating the needs of schools and communities while reflecting current reform agendas and providing meaningful learning experiences for students. In order for service learning to play a role in the transformation of our schools, however, educators must become successful at linking service to learning- making connections between service experiences and academic learning explicit. This paper explores the meaning of learning in service learning by explicating: a) how service learning links to current standards based reform …

Animal Tracks Northern Forest Action Pack, Elizabeth Soper, 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 as 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 on our mailing …

Awarding Credit For Service: A Study Conducted For The Corporation For National Service, Robert D. Shumer

Higher Education

The expansion of service-learning and service programs throughout the educational system in the United States continues at a strong rate. Bolstered by the national initiatives sponsored by the Corporation for National Service (CNS) and by state movements such as the mandated graduation requirement for service in Maryland, many people are interested in where and in how this reform movement is being implemented. Specifically, they are interested in understanding what counts for service, how service is monitored, and how service counts or is credited in school districts. A central issue focuses on the criteria school systems and school personnel use to …

Why Service-Learning Is Bad, John Eby

Service Learning, General

Service-learning has potential to transform teaching and learning in the academy and to call a generation of students to develop social responsibility and an ethic of service. Research on the learning side of the service-learning equation shows that students develop social responsibility, reduce racism, develop leadership and gain personal and social skills. There are however important questions which must be examined on the service side of the equation. The demands a learning orientation places on service limits its effectiveness and its ability to address community needs at a structural level. The service students do is often ameliorative and the explanations …

Animal Tracks Wetlands Action Pack, Maria Hagedorn, 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 as a "work-in-progress," we welcome any comments you might have for I 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 on our …

Integrating Community Into Training, Robert D. Shumer

Partnerships/Community

Community involvement and partnership are key to the success of National Service programs. The best way to show members and the community - the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community Into every aspect of your program, including your training - from pre-service training and continuing through in-service and close-of-service activities.

Academic Effects Of Service-Learning, Elizabeth B. Gardner, Corinne M. Baron

Higher Education

Service-learning is growing in popularity. Ziolkowski (1996) pointed out that if service-learning is to become a lasting component in American education, it must have a clear link to "the academy" (in addition to the development of moral and civic values and the benefit to the community). We therefore examined students' perception of their learning of specific aspects of course content. We measured perceived learning in two sections of Cognitive Psychology in which half of the students did service-learning. We asked each student to rate his or her knowledge of Attention, Memory, Language, Cognitive Development, Metacognition, Individual Differences in cognitive processes, …

Designing Collaborations Between Community Based Organizations And Schools To Produce Curriculum Models For Service-Learning Programs (Tree Trust), Tree Trust

Guides

Tree Trust's T.R.E.E.S. for TEENS program is a curriculum-based, school-to-work program, that emphasizes on the environment, and integrates classroom education with community service, service learning, and local resources.

A Proposal For The Development Of Fort Hays State University Service Learning Program, Dan Kahl

Higher Education

"Service Learning" is quickly becoming a style of education that is recognized for its' effectiveness and practical benefits. Linking class curriculum with hands-on applications is often referred to as "experiential education". Service Learning is a form of experiential education identified by an equal emphasis on academic learning and service to others. The combination of focusing on meeting community needs, identifying learning objectives, and intentionally reflecting on what is being learned makes service learning different from plain volunteerism or community service.

Service-Learning Projects In Composition And Beyond, Thomas Deans, Zan Meyer-Goncalves

Higher Education

All college teachers want their courses to be relevant and provocative, and to encourage students to be more active learners of the discipline, participants in the academy, and citizens in the wider community. As teachers of composition, we first experimented with combining community service with classroom teaching because it promised to advance teaching aims we value, especially making connections between academic courses and community needs, and between cognitive thinking and ethical social action. And we continue with service-learning projects because our experience and students' responses suggest a significant degree of success in meeting those goals. But we are certainly not …

Service Learning As A Strategy To Prepare Teacher Candidates For Contemporary Diverse Classrooms, Deborah Hamm, David Dowell, Jean Houck

Higher Education

The article describes a service-learning program jointly developed, implemented, and evaluated by a large university and a culturally and linguistically diverse urban school district. Each semester, over 200 undergraduate students preparing to be teachers learn first-hand about contemporary classrooms by assisting at-risk students. Program evaluation found changes in the undergraduates' attitudes about the importance of social and individual difference on children's learning.

Community Service-Learning In Teacher Education: A Report On Innovative Programs In New England, Beth Wohlleb, Robert Maloy

Higher Education

As the strengths of community service-learning are becoming more recognized by educators at all levels, many institutions of higher education are incorporating CSL as a dynamic pedagogy into their teacher education programs. Many schools or departments of education encourage or require certification candidates to perform CSL as part of their teacher training as ways to learn about the teaching profession through the practice of teaching and reflection. Fewer schools integrate service-learning into their teacher education program in another way: by teaching preservice teachers how to use service-learning as a pedagogy with children in their own future classrooms. This second group …

Higher Education And Civic Responsibility, Alexander W. Astin

Higher Education

It goes without saying that higher education plays a major part in shaping civic life in modern American society. Our colleges and universities not only educate each new generation of leaders in government, business, science, law, medicine, the clergy, and other advanced professions, but are also responsible for setting the standards and training the personnel who will educate the entire citizenry at the precollegiate level. Higher education institutions can also exert important societal influences through the scientific, technological, and cultural knowledge produced by their faculties. (Reprinted with permission by the author.)

Expanding And Sustaining Partnerships, Judith A. Ramaley

Higher Education

The Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) Program requires adaptations in the university environment. We must examine and reinterpret (1) the roles and responsibilities of faculty; (2) the design of the undergraduate curriculum; (3) the structures of the university that create the capacity and support to sustain different working relationships with the community; and (4) our definitions of success and quality.

Central Park East Secondary School (Cpess) At A Glance, David Smith

School K-12

Ramon, a senior at Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS), pushes his way through the doors of the school into the crisp December morning. Covering the three blocks to Mr. Sinai Hospital in minutes, Ramon greets the hospital security guard, heads through the doors marked "employees only," and makes his way to a small auditorium where the weekly CPESS/Mt. Sinai Health Careers Internship Seminar takes place.

Community Connections Kit: Practical Materials For Involving Your Community In Character-Building, Wise Skills Resources

Guides

Many recognize that there is a crisis in American schools today. School violence rates are increasing. Test scores are plummeting in many areas. High dropout rates continue to plague numerous school districts. And our prisons are bursting with men and women who have failed in school. While school districts and state governments wrestle with making our educational system effective, schools are faced with mounting social problems that cannot be solved by merely teaching academic skills.

Seniors For Schools Program Survey 1997-98 (Teachers), Seniors For Schools

Intergenerational

Please complete the following survey. Your responses are very important to us. They will be used, along with student information, to help assess the success of the Seniors for Schools (SFS) program at your school this year and to improve the program for next year. If you feel that the information requested by a particular item is not something you can respond to, based on your involvement with the SFS program, please write "NA" next to the item and continue to the next item. This survey should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Please return your completed survey to the …

Student Perceptions Of Aging And Disability As Influenced By Service Learning, David Greene

Intergenerational

This study examined the effects of two community service learning experiences on student perceptions of aging in a nursing home and on community-based living with a disability. According to content analysis of student narratives, service learning resulted in increased student awareness of issues pertinent to the students' companions in both settings. This heightened awareness was discussed in terms of the capacity for empathy. While both experiences were effective. there were differences in student responses to the two service learning settings. This suggests a uniqueness in benefit from different settings for service learning. Instructors should design community placements accordingly being cognizant …

Promoting Intergenerational Strategies: The Role Of The Corporation For National Service, Harris Wofford

Intergenerational

Provides information on the Corporation for National Service which works with thousands of nonprofit partners to promote intergenerational strategies. Examples of intergenerational programs supported by the corporation; Supporting roles of the corporation; Aspects about the involvement of older Americans in intergenerational programs that need more research.

Intergenerational Service-Learning, Illinois Intergenerational Initiative

Intergenerational

A retired secretary assists with a high-school business class. When she suffers a stroke the students visit, encourage, and help her through rehabilitation --Intergenerational Service-Learning Members of a fraternity help senior citizens relocate to their new facility. The following semester senior citizens mentor freshman students who are overwhelmed by the university experience --Intergenerational Service-Learning.

An older couple visits a preschool to read and tell stories to the children. Three years later when one of them loses sight, the students take turns reading to them--proudly demonstrating their new skills --Intergenerational Service-Learning.

Retirees visit a Youth Center to …

Connecting School To Work & Service Learning: Building A Competent, Caring Workforce For The 21st Century, Quest International

School K-12

With the year 2000 virtually upon us, the clarion call from both America's businesses and educational institutions is for education reform initiatives to implement creative ways to equip our young people with the skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to be successful in the world of work and as contributing members of a democracy. What responsibility do we as educators have to provide young people with opportunities to discover and apply their special talents and fulfill their personal commitments within the crucible of real work and service experiences? How can our schools help young people develop the skills and attitudes required …

Transforming Service Learning: An Argument For The Radical Inclusion Of Young People, Dana R. Fusco

School K-12

While much has been written delineating the reasons for supporting service learning, rarely have students' views been included. As a result of creating collective dialogues with young people, this article presents service learning from their perspective. Further, the methodology by which young people could be heard is put forth as a tool for bringing service learning to a new level.

Community Service & Service Learning Initiatives In Independent Schools, Deborah Genzer

School K-12

During the 1996-97 academic year, the National Association of lndependent Schools (NAIS) researched independent school community service and service learning initiatives, thanks to a generous grant from the Surdna Foundation. NAIS conducted a survey of its 963 member schools in the United States, followed by site visits to eight of the respondents. Deborah Genzer, an independent school community service learning coordinator, worked as a consultant throughout the project. The following are the issues addressed by this study, with italicized highlights of findings.

Ollye B. Conley, The Academy For Science And Foreign Language, Education's Unsung Heroes

Project Summaries

The Alabama African American Historic Project has as its objective to research and document the history and culture of Huntsville, Alabama's 19th Century African Americans. This project originated from a question asked by students during a field study to Huntsville's historic Maple Hill Cemetery. While at the cemetery, students located graves of Civil War veterans and former governors of Alabama. Magnificent stories about their lives and outstanding contributions to the city were told. "Where were the African Americans?" was the question asked. This question evolved into Field Studies, Pictorial and Artifacts Exhibits, and Interdisciplinary Units.

Learning Adventures Middle School: Guidebook For Our Expedition Of December 1998, Learning Adventures Middle School

Project Summaries

This guide follows our expedition of December 1998, as we all worked together to make our floor reflect the values and beliefs of our program. Students created individual reports and research to help document this expedition. Portions of their writing appear here to describe our trees.

North Carolina K-12 School-Based Learn And Serve America Program, North Carolina State Board Of Education

Project Summaries

General Goal: To engage school-age youth in service-learning activities to help address the educational, public safety, human and environmental needs of North Carolina

Community Service And Political Identity Development In Adolescence, Miranda Yates, James Youniss

Civic Engagement

This article addresses the interconnection of political socialization and identity development. We begin with Erikson 's work, which identified the development of political commitment in adolescence as a key aspect of identity formation. We then seek to shed light on the social processes through which youth become engaged in political activities and issues. We discuss the influences of family and peers as well as participation in community service and other civic activities. The development of social responsibility and agency, and an understanding of the complexity of social issues are considered as important facets of political commitment. Data from a case …

We The People... Project Citizen, Civic Center For Education

Curriculum

We the People... Project Citizen is a civic education program for middle school students that promotes competent and responsible participation in state and local government. It actively engages students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy and encourages civic participation among students, their parents, and members of the community.

Measuring Progress; Evaluating The Strengthening Of Communities, Phil Bartle

Evaluation/Reflection

Our goal is stated; we want to strengthen communities. We feel that we have a methodology to do so, but how can we know when we have succeeded, or to what extent?

What we may mean by the above question, is, "How do we measure the strengthening of communities that we claim we are doing?" Put in other ways, "What do we mean by strengthening communities, by increasing their capacities, by empowering them?" We can use these three (1 empowering, 2 strengthening, 3 capacity building) interchangeably, although one or another may be more acceptable to different people. …

Evaluation Methods That Build Quality Into K-16 Service-Learning Programs, L. Richard Bradley

Evaluation/Reflection

This document covers: What Service-Learning is; Steps in the Evaluation Process; Initial Conditions for Successful Service-Learning Program Implementation; Service-Learning Evaluation 101; Service-Learning Evaluation 201; Service-Learning Evaluation 301; Comparison of Evaluation Strategies in Relation to Service-Learning; and List of Surveys and Instruments used by the Four-District Consortium.