Service Learning Commons^™

Citizen Participation: A Brief Review Of Resources And Readings, Madeleine S. Hengel, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The following document is organized for a quick review of Citizen Participation, and is not intended as an endorsement of the programs or organizations listed here. Resources and readings are intended to be a starting point for researchers, practitioners and others who are interested in beginning to look for information on Citizen Participation.

To get more information, look in the resources sections and to read about civic and citizen participation, look in the readings section.

In general, the easiest and least expensive way to have access to the readings and documents is through your local library. Even if you are …

Service-Learning And Evaluation: A Brief Review Of Issues And The Literature, Madeleine S. Hengel, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

One of the most frequently requested topics for information at the National Service-Learning Cooperative Clearinghouse is evaluation. Practitioners want to know what to do and how to do it. Graduate students want to know what has been done and how they can do evaluation. Program administrators want to know how evaluation can assist them in making the case for and expanding service programs.

The good news is there is more than enough information available to answer all these requests. There are literally volumes of work on almost every conceivable aspect of evaluation. The bad news: There is too much information …

Individuals With Disabilities Performing Service Topic Bibliography, Madeleine S. Hengel, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The following document is organized for a quick review of Citizen Participation, and not intended as an endorsement of the programs or organizations listed here. Resources and readings are intended as a starting point for researchers, practitioners and others who are interested in beginning to look for information on Citizen Participation.

To get more information, look in the resources sections and to read about civic and citizen participation, look in the readings section.

In general, the easiest and least expensive way to have access to the readings and documents is through your local library. Even if you are not near …

School-Sponsored Service Programs And The Educational Development Of High School Students, Andrew Furco

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

Currently, a growing number of our nation's school districts are encouraging students to perform community service. Vermont, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, for example, all include community service activities as part of their K-12 education plans. Maryland requires all high school students to complete 60 hours of community service prior to graduation. And as part of California's Challenge Initiative, it is expected that by the Year 2004, every student in California will engage in at least one community service or service-learning experience prior to graduation (1996, California Department of Education).

Experiential Education - Ex 196, Eileen M. Lewandowski

Syllabi

A planned and evaluated work experience for which the student receives academic credit (and may receive financial remuneration). The work experience may be related to the student's major or be exploratory in nature. One credit may be awarded for each 40 hours of work experience. The course may be repeated for a maximum of six (6) credits and is available on a Pass/Fail basis only.

International Service Learning, Harry C. Silcox, Torun E. Leek

International Service Learning & Community Engagement

It is clear that a network of international service learning is in its formative stage, the authors point out. We must not allow the politics of service programs in the U.S. to blind us to the opportunities in other parts of the world that will enable us to advance the theory and ideology of service learning.

Student Participation In Community Service Activity, National Center For Education

School K-12

Increasing community service participation has long been a goal in the United States. Some examples of how this goal has played out in national policy are President Kennedy’s creation of the Peace Corps, President Bush’s creation of the Points of Light Foundation, President Clinton’s creation of AmeriCorps, and Congress’ adoption of the National Education Goals, which include the objective that all students will be involved in activities that promote and demonstrate good citizenship and community service. In part, the push for volunteer service reflects the idea that the act of volunteering would be beneficial to those who participate and might …

The Use Of Grand Assessments In K-12 Service-Learning Research, Andrew Furco

Evaluation/Reflection

Findings from most studies on the impacts of service-learning on K-12 students tend to be based on one assessment too/focusing on one construct (e.g., self-esteem, civic participation, etc.). While conventional research wisdom tells us that this approach is more statistically stable, it does not seem to be adequate for studying service-learning programs. Both service-learning and experiential education researchers face several dilemmas in determining the effects of service-learning activities on students' educational development. The idiosyncratic nature of the program activities, the lack of well-tested assessment instruments, the confounding influences on students learning, etc., make service-learning research a challenging and difficult endeavor. …

Service Learning And Teacher Education: Mapping The Territory, Carole Cook Freeman

Service Learning, General

Since the mid-1980's there has been a renewed interest in progressive approaches to the education of intending teachers¹. In the context of this progressive teacher education activity, several distinct, but related, ideas converge and become the theoretical base for teacher education practices involving (community) service learning.² Among these ideas are renewed interest in authentic field experiences, multicultural education, child advocacy, democratic education, social justice, school reform efforts, autobiography and teacher thinking, and an emphasis on community service in K-12 education. In addition, teacher educators increasingly recognize the gap between the backgrounds of those who intend to teach …

Research Paper Youth Service, Douglas H. Stubbe

Special Topics, General

An assumption that most people would probably agree on is that service to community, on a voluntary basis, builds character, self esteem, pride toward one's self and his/her community, develops personal growth and respect or compassion for others. I don't think many people look beyond that. Does the service need to be voluntary? Is service a responsibility that goes with being a part of a community? Why is service a positive aspect of community life? What are the characteristics of service that make it a fulfilling experience? Should youth be required to serve their community? If so, are there other …

Learning Science Beyond The Classroom, Linda Ramey-Gassert

Special Topics, General

Science education reform documents call for science to be taught in the manner that students learn best, by conducting hands-on, engaging investigations using simple everyday materials. Often overlooked in the redesign of science education, informal science learning environments such as science centers, museums, and zoos provide students with captivating science experiences that can be related closely to curricular objectives. In this article I examine a cross-section of craft knowledge and research-based literature on science learning beyond the classroom, describe informal science education programs, and discuss implications for enhanced science teaching. The article focuses on the importance of informal science learning …

What We Know About Engendering Civic Identity, James Youniss, Jeffrey A. Mclellan, Miranda Yates

Civic Engagement

Taking the position that there is a developmental process in the formation of citizenship, the authors reviewed studies that reported a link between youth's participation in organized activities and civic behaviors 15 or more years later in adulthood. Data uniformly showed that students who participated in high school government or community service projects, meant in the broad sense, are more likely to vote and to join community organizations than are adults who were nonparticipants during high school. Results support the authors' view that participation during the youth era can be seminal in the construction of civic identity that includes a …

National Service: Expectation Versus Reality, Robert D. Shumer, Jane Maland Cady

Service Learning, General

National service has a long history in America. From the early colonies with their citizen soldiers, to religious organizations and social service, to modern day members of conservation corps and AmeriCorps, individuals have contributed important work for the benefit of their community and country. A more recent focus in the 20th century, initiated by William James' "Moral Equivalent of War" and carried out in the 1993 National Service Trust Act, has accelerated an interest in the concepts and practice of national service.

Teaching General Biology For Nonmajors Through Community Service Projects, Mary Wells Phillips

Higher Education

For many students, especially for the biology nonmajors, science is often one of the last courses they take before completing their degree. Often, these students enter my course with a previous "bad" experience from courses in high school or have developed anxieties regarding what science is all about. They are reluctant learners who frequently shy from questions and classroom discussions. Their own insecurities and presumed lack of knowledge frequently !eaves them floundering and confused. The message is, "I am here because I need 'x' number of science units before completing my degree."

Animal Tracks Urban Communities Action Pack, Sara Bradley, Cathy Mcfarlane Nolan, Cheryl Dixon, Elenor Hodges, Charles Wilkinson

Curriculum

This guide includes Discovery, Awareness, Action and Appendices.

An Assessment Of Elementary School Service-Learning Teaching Methods: Using Service-Learning Goals, Clifford Akujobi, Robert Simmons

Special Topics, General

The purpose of this study is to examine the progress and the difficulties teachers encounter in implementing service-learning programs in an urban elementary school. The study characterizes each service-learning project using the Kahne and Westheimer (1996) service-learning goals matrix. Based on our investigation, most of the service-learning projects at the upper elementary level emphasize emotional intelligence such as character building, social reconstruction, and additive experience. In contrast, service-learning projects at the lower elementary level focused more on social reconstruction and academic knowledge. While most service-learning projects at the upper levels create learning opportunities for students, teachers rarely challenged students' thinking …

Summer Of Service Leadership Academy & University Service Advocacy Fellowship Program: A Model Of Student Leadership In Service Learning At California State University, Monterey Bay, Service Learning Institute

Project Summaries

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) opened its doors to students in August 1995 with a commitment to service learning. In keeping with its vision statement which pledges to "enable students ... to cross institutional boundaries for innovative instruction ... and coordinated community service" (see Attachment !), this new public university requires all students to take service learning courses before graduating (see Attachment 2).

Teacher-Leader Cadre Institute Training Program, Teacher-Leader Cadre Institute

Curriculum

Phase I: Basic Training; Phase II: Educational Training Program Service Learning; Phase III: Integration & Follow-up; and Phase IV: Peer Coaching.

The Benefits Of Service: Evidence From Undergraduates, Linda Sax

Higher Education

Currently, higher education is confronting urgent calls to return to its original mission of developing a well-informed, critically thinking, and civically engaged citizenry. Indeed, recent findings from the annual survey of entering college freshmen by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) several record low levels of student interest in keeping up to date with political affairs, discussing politics, or working on political campaigns.

Demonstrating Social Accountability In Medical Education, Brian Hennen

Higher Education

The author considers the University of Toronto's Health, Illness and the Community course for undergraduate medical students, described in this issue by Wasylenki and associates (see pages 379 to 383). Social accountability in medical education demands a community orientation and hence an emphasis on outreach. Medical schools should expand their clinical service to the community, provide community-based residency placements and offer continuing medical education in rural and regional centres. Accountability also requires community involvement in planning and implementing research projects. Placing students in a community setting as part of the curriculum is praiseworthy, but it is not sufficient to ensure …

Enhancing The Learning Environment: Learning The Language Of Experiential Education, M. Clark

Higher Education

A list of terms, charts, and models are included.

Imagining A Functional Partnership Between Leadership Development And Service-Learning Programs, Lisa Mcgettigan Chambers

Higher Education

"If educators are to play a critical role in the development of ethical, responsible citizens, we cannot discuss the concept of leadership unless we discuss the concept of service" (Delve & Rice, 1990).

Student activities professionals are wearing more hats each day. One of the most recent chapeaux they have donned is that of the community service coordinator. Community service-learning has become one of the newest areas that falls within the student activities realm on campuses across the country. If student activities offices are not directly responsible for coordinating service programs and advising student service organizations, they are being asked …

Shared Consequences: Recent Experiences With Outreach And Community-Based Learning, Judith A. Ramaley

Higher Education

Recently, William M. Sullivan asked "whether [higher education] has the ability and the will to respond through leadership, institutional design, teaching, and research, in creating a new form of intellectual life for the public good" (Sullivan 1996). A call has been issued for our nation's research universities to embrace public engagement (Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities 1996), and to acknowledge that "higher education should be about values - the values of informed citizenship, the values expressed in a sense of responsibility ... "(Atwell 1996).

Educating A Committe Citizenry, Faith Gabelnick

Higher Education

If we want our students to acquire the democratic virtues of honesty, tolerance. empathy. generosity. teamwork, and social responsibility, we have to demonstrate those qualities not only in our individual professional conduct but also in our institutional policies," writes Alexander Astin in "What Higher Education Can Do in the Cause of Citizenship"' (Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6, 1995).

From Aahe's Series On Service-Learning In The Disciplines, Teacher Education Volume, Joseph A. Erickson, Jeffrey B. Anderson

Higher Education

Progressive teacher educators face a pair of daunting yet crucial tasks. New teachers must be prepared to function successfully in schools as they exist today and also be educated to take a leadership role in the improvement and reculturing of K-12 education to more fully meet the needs of individual students and resolve societal problems. One approach that can address both these tasks is the integration of service-learning experiences into teacher preparation programs.

Service-Learning In South Carolina, Kathy Gibson Carter

Service Learning, General

Thousands of students across South Carolina have helped improve their communities by participating in service-learning programs while strengthening their classroom learning experiences. Service-learning is one of the work-site components of the SC School-to-Work Transition Act of 1994. This Act provides all students with opportunities to connect what they learn in school with the real world through learning experiences at a work-site. Through service-learning, students combine classroom instruction with work-based activities in a non-profit organization or community agency. Students learn valuable interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic by participating as a member of a work team with specific goals.

Service Learning Handbook, Prestonsburg Community College

Guides

Prestonsburg Community College (PCC) and Big Sandy Area Development District (BSADD) have joined forces to offer service learning and volunteer opportunities in order to address unmet community needs of the Big Sandy region. Our program, "CONNECTIONS: Empowering Communities in Appalachia," facilitates community service opportunities in Senior Citizen Centers, Family Resource Centers, Youth Service Centers, Elementary and Secondary Schools, and many other community organizations. PCC and BSADD embrace service learning and volunteerism as powerful and meaningful approaches to education and community development. Both institutions are dedicated to linking student learners and volunteers throughout the five county service area.

Multidimentional Citizenship: Educational Policy For The Twenty-First Century, John J. Cogan, Patricia Kristine Kubow

International Service Learning & Community Engagement

As we approach the end of this turbulent century and prepare to meet the challenges of the next, the question of what constitutes education for citizenship in various nations appropriate to the demands and needs of a rapidly changing global community is critical in both national and international contexts. The planet and the human family are facing an unprecedented set of challenges, issues and problems including the globalization of the economy, a significant level of deterioration in the quality of the global environment, rapidly changing technologies and the uses of same, and ethical and social issues. How does one respond …

An Ethnographic Study Of The Qualities And Characteristics Of Democratic Elementary Classrooms Which Motivate Students To Civically Participate, Kathryn M. Obenchain

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This study described two self-contained, upper elementary, democratic classrooms in order to determine if there were specific qualities and characteristics in these classrooms which would motivate students to be more participatory citizens. The two classrooms were ethnically and geographically diverse, one in Southern California and the other in the Midwest. The participating teachers expressed a commitment to citizenship education and it had been determined that democratic elements were present in their classrooms. The study was based in the theoretical frameworks of constructivism and interpretivism, and an ethnographic methodology was utilized to describe the classroom environment. Analyses of the data were …

Teaching Character Education Through Service-Learning, Mike Brugh

Special Topics, General

My tenth grade science class was starting a unit on the "Ever Changing Earth." To get things going, I opened with a discussion about earthquakes and asked the class, "What would you do if an earthquake hit right now?" Students provided the expected answers ranging from hide under a desk, to stand in the doorway, to run outside. However, one student replied, "I would head to the mall." "The mall?", I asked. David replied, "Yeah, I would break into the jewelry store and make off with a load of gold." The statement caught me flat on my feet, I would …