Service Learning Commons^™

Critical Reflection, Richard Battistoni, Beverly Roberts

Evaluation/Reflection

In this workshop, we wanted to convey the importance of tying critical reflection activities to the learning objectives of the service experience and/or course. We started by asking participants to define critical reflection and then to list some common learning objectives associated with service-learning courses and co-curricular service. Finally, participants described many of the activities they use with their participants and students. The result is a thorough list of activities that service-learning practitioners find effective in achieving their course objectives.

Community Service In Arizona Schools: "A State-Of-The-State" Report, Linda Sadler, Judith A. Vandegrift

School K-12

Volunteerism is not new, but the idea of volunteerism as part of one's formal education is receiving increased attention as a result of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. Under the auspices of these acts, a number of community service and service learning projects are being implemented in Arizona communities. To date, the Serve-America program has provided limited funding for community service/service learning programs intended for students in grades K-12. Administered by the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona's Serve-America projects capture only a small portion of what students are …

Demanding Good Deeds Breeds Performance Anxiety: Students And Families Who Are Challenging Requirements To Perform Voluntary Community Services, Eric Felton

Special Topics, General

Students are beginning to challenge in court school districts that force children to work in community projects as part of the requirements for graduation. They object on grounds of involuntary servitude stipulated in the 13th amendment and on moral principles of mandatory giving.

Community Service And The Hospitality Curriculum, Florence Berger, Marc Ackerman

Higher Education

Voluntary community service and human-relations courses should be an integral part of hotel administration courses. Such courses allow students to see how their actions can affect other people, appreciate service, dismantle stereotypes, become aware of social issues and develop other skills which they can apply as members the hospitality industry. To become effective, however, these courses should first instill in students the value of initiative, self-motivation and commitment.

Samaritan Leadership, Terrance M.I. Egan

Service Learning, General

Whatever one's code of ethical or religious belief, the notion of service to others is an ideal common to all cultures and civilizations. For this reason, the story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most poignant, and universally-appealing parables of the New Testament.

Asked, "Who is my neighbor?", Jesus replied with the parable of a Samaritan who took pity on the half-dead victim of brigands. A priest and a Levite passed by, but it was the socially inferior Samaritan who proved to 'be the epitome of neighborly service. The Good Samaritan displayed qualities of leadership that the designated …

Community Service-Learning At Augsburg College: A Handbook For Instructors (Version 1.0), Victoria Littlefield

Guides

In August of 1994, the Office of Community Service-Learning at Augsburg College offered a weeklong institute on service-learning for faculty members from Augsburg College. The institute was funded by a grant from the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board under the Youth Works Higher Education Program of the Minnesota Youth Works Act of 1993. During the first part of the week, faculty members who had previously used service-learning in their classes met to discuss the philosophical and practical aspects of service-learning and to design the remainder of the workshop for others who were developing course-related service components. The institute participants spent …

Service Learning: The Promise And The Risk, Alice L. Halsted, Joan C. Schine

New England Journal of Public Policy

Service learning, the pairing of meaningful work in the community and structured reflection, has the potential to transform schools. It provides opportunities for young people to test new roles, develop skills, apply academic learning in a "real world" setting, and move toward responsible citizenship. Service learning can reinvigorate traditional classrooms and turn passive students into dynamic and engaged learners. However, unless it is implemented with care, with a solid rationale and clearly articulated learning and service goals, service learning will fail to realize this potential. The power and the promise of service learning are too great to allow this imaginative …

A Marriage Made In Heaven: Community Colleges And Service Learning, Judith S. Berson

Higher Education

Today's college student is changing. As America's social problems continue to grow exponentially, more and more students are seeking solutions to those problems through community service. A graduate journalism class examining the rise of student community service referred to it as "a quiet phenomenon taking place on campuses across the country--a surge in volunteerism among a generation of Americans dismissed for their self-interest, apathy, and nihilism" (Shapiro, 1994, p. 85). President Bill Clinton's inaugural address called upon Americans to demonstrate concern for one another when he said, "By fate, the fortunate and the unfortunate could have been each other." With …

Psychosocial Development Through Service-Learning Enhanced Spiritual Consciousness In Workcamp Experience, Timothy W. Kidd

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

The problem examined in this research was the identification and description of the distinctive components associated with the Christian youth workcamp experience found to promote the psychosocial development of church youth participants and the linkages to enhanced spiritual consciousness.

The unit of analysis for this multi-case study was the Christian youth workcamp. The criteria used for selection of the three cases examined were: (1) location within the Appalachian region; (2) philosophy and practice consistent with service-learning principles; (3) emphasis upon facilitating spiritual development; and (4) logistical concerns. Thirty-four subjects were selected from three church youth groups, each attending one of …

Minnesota Plan For National And Community Service (1994-1997), Minnesota Commission On National And Community Services

Service Learning, General

Minnesota has a legacy of national leadership in fostering volunteerism and community service. The oldest surviving volunteer center in the United States was established in Minnesota in 1919. The state has generated service organizations such as the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) and the National Retiree Volunteer Coalition (NRVC), now providing leadership as part of the national service movement. Minnesota's bipartisan ethic of civic commitment has stimulated governors and legislators to break new ground in state community service legislation .from the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s to the first commitment …

Youth Program Targets Crime, Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now, Inc.

Partnerships/Community

A NEON proposal will become reality this summer for 100 youth ages 10 to 15. A demonstration program called Summer of Safety will guide youth to use crime prevention strategies and to undertake projects to increase safety in their neighborhoods. NEON's innovative proposal won highly competitive funding by the Corporation for National Service, an initiative of the Clinton Administration. The activities will take place at South Norwalk community Center, Roodner Court Neighborhood Center, and G. W. Carver Foundation from June 21 through August 20, 1994.

Seventh Annual Governor's Youth Service Recognition Day, Governor Arne Carlson, The National Youth Leadership Council, Lutheran Brotherhood

Conference Proceedings

Materials for the 7th Annual Governor's Youth Service Recognition/National Youth Service Day.

The Transformative Power Of Education, Johnetta B. Cole

Higher Education

It's a joy to be here today as your partner in learning and your partner in change. Continuing education has been, and will always be, a vital element in the life of our citizens, communities, and society. The National University continuing Education Association has demonstrated once again its foresight and leadership in choosing the theme of powerful partnerships for change. Education is the key to seeing, understanding, and confronting the major challenges we face today, and we need to enlist each and every one of us, from all sectors of society, in the essential work strengthening our communities.

Report Of The Evaluation Task Force, Corporation For National And Community Service

Evaluation/Reflection

The mission of the Corporation for National Service is:

To engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. This service will address the nation's educational, public safety, human and environmental needs in order to achieve direct and demonstrable results. In fulfilling its mission, the Corporation will foster civic responsibility, strengthen the ties that bind us together as a people and provide educational opportunity for those who make a substantial commitment to service.

Creating The New American College, Ernest L. Boyer

Higher Education

How can American higher education successfully contribute to national renewal? ls it possible for the work of the academy to relate more effectively to our most pressing social, economic, and civic problems? These questions, while always appropriate, seem especially relevant today because, for the first time in years, our colleges and universities are not collectively caught up in some urgent national endeavor.

Topic Bibliography On Resiliency And "At Risk" Youth, Robin Vue Benson, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The sources listed on the following pages are in response to requests for information on service-learning connections to issues of resiliency and "at-risk" youth. They were obtained primarily by conducting searches of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Broad topics were chosen for a comprehensive selection of references. These included: At-Risk, Citizenship, Service, Resiliency, Community Involvement, Drop Outs, etc. With several hundred records identified, only those with the closest relevance to the topic are included here. Where a source is available through EDRS, an ERIC number is included. In addition, references from several service-learning bibliographies are included. The search for more …

Topic Bibliography Of Sources Related To Servicelearning By Esl/Bilingual Students, Robin Vue Benson, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The sources listed on the following pages are in response to requests for information on using service-learning in an ESL/bilingual education context. They were obtained by conducting searches of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Broad topics were chosen for a comprehensive selection of references. With several hundred records identified, only those with relevance to service-learning are included here. The search for more sources of information on this topic is ongoing and this compilation will be updated periodically.

Service-Learning Reflections: Update Of Service-Learning In Pennsylvania, Carl I. Fertman, Irving H. Buchen, Joanne Long, Louis J. White

Evaluation/Reflection

The Pennsylvania Service-Learning Resource and Evaluation Network based at the University of Pittsburgh supports service-learning programs.The network provides information, support, resources,and guidance. Its philosophy is to work with people by offering systematic data of a wide variety of types that help inform them about what they care about. The primary goal of the network is to help schools and community-based organizations to evaluate their service-learning programs.

Topic Bibliography On Sources Related To Service And Environment, Robin Vue Benson, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The sources listed on the following pages are in response to requests for information on service-learning and the environment. They were obtained primarily by conducting searches of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Broad topics were chosen for a comprehensive selection of references. With several hundred records identified, only those with the closest relevance to the topic are included here. Where a source is available through EDRS, an ERIC number is included. In addition, references from several service-learning bibliographies and other references are included. The search for more sources of information on this topic is ongoing and this compilation will be …

Service Learning Requirements In The High School, Elizabeth Anne Skelton

School K-12

Thousands of high school students across the nation perform some form of community service everyday. They tutor younger students, care for elderly people, assist physically challenged peers and aid in local government offices. Students involved in these projects openly testify to the many benefits possible from service learning activities. Recent qualitative studies also indicate that students gain a greater sense of self, increase their concern for fellow human beings, demonstrate better problem solving abilities, and integrate classroom learning more readily with real-world needs (Conrad and Hedin, 1982). Former Maryland State Superintendent David Hornbeck so firmly believed in the power and …

Beyond Prevention Curricula: A Guide To Developing Alternative Activities Programs, U.S. Department Of Education

Curriculum

This guide is designed to help educators and youth workers better understand how programs of alternative activities can effectively be used to supplement school-based efforts to prevent alcohol and other drug use among youth, and to encourage schools to become more involved in program development and implementation. It seeks to clear up some of the confusion over what constitutes a program of alternative activities and what its goals should be, to improve understanding of the potential value of this approach, and to recommend promising strategies for improving the effectiveness of these activities in preventing and reducing use of alcohol and …

Community, Neighborhood And Family In Ancient Athens And Modern Philadelphia, Ralph M. Rosen

Higher Education

I am delighted to submit to you my report on the freshman seminar which I offered this past semester, Community, Neighborhood, and Family in Ancient Athens and Modern Philadelphia (Classical Studies 125). It was, indeed, an extremely rewarding experience for me, and I am quite certain that the students in the class found it so as well.

As you know, although I had a number of related objectives in running this course, overall I was concerned to see whether I could make students feel that the study of antiquity is as relevant to our contemporary world as I have always …

Roles For Higher Education: A Resource Guide, National And Community Service

Higher Education

Thank you for your interest in the Corporation for National and Community Service's grant programs. Together with the AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America: Higher Education grant applications, the Corporation's "Principles for High Quality National Service Programs," and the tape of the Corporation's video conference called "National and Community Service: Roles for Higher Education," this resource guide should provide you with a clear understanding of the Corporation's purpose and programs. In this guide you will find the following: National and Community Service: Opportunities for Higher Education; Questions & Answers; Campus-Based Programs: Tips for Proposal Development; Service-Learning: An Overview; Resource List; …

The Effect Of Community Service Work On The Moral Development Of College Ethics Students., Judith A. Boss

Higher Education

A study designed to test the effect of community service work on college ethics students found that community service work along with discussion of relevant moral issues is an effective means of moving students into the post-conventional stage of principled moral reasoning, as measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test. Other benefits of community service work are also discussed in the paper.

Making A Difference? Student Volunteerism, Service Learning And Higher Education In The Usa, John Mohan

Higher Education

This paper reviews evidence concerning the recent growth of volunteerism among college students in the USA. It describes the various pressures to expand such activities and outlines steps being taken to promote them. Reforms of student financial aid can be used to facilitate service among students who would otherwise have to engage in substantial paid work to afford education, while educational institutions are taking numerous steps, most notably through integrating community service and academic study, to promote such involvement. The more general issues raised by all this are: the likely impacts on servers and served of this activity; whether education-based …

Agency And Community College Leadership Development: Social Science Internships, John Stuart Erwin

Higher Education

When Tracie Huls, a 21-year-old sophomore at Illinois Valley Community College, learned about dysfunctional families the example did not come from a sociology textbook. Huls observed a children's support group at a shelter for battered women operated by Alternatives to Domestic Violence. She volunteered there for a short time through Illinois Valley Community College's internship program.

"One of the children in the group told me her father had died in a fire. I told a staff member at the shelter. The staff member explained that the father was not dead, but that the child was coping with the parents' divorce …

Review Of Research And Evaluation On Service Learning In Public And Higher Education, Richard J. Kraft, James Krug

Higher Education

While service-learning, community service and volunteer programs have been a part of schools and colleges in the United States for decades and there have been a range of research and evaluation studies, there is a general lack of solid evidence on its effects. One of the major difficulties in evaluating or researching service learning programs is the lack of agreement on what is meant by the term and exactly what it is meant to accomplish. While some programs emphasize social growth, character development or civic responsibility, others attempt to study psychological development and effects of program.s on self-concept. Moral judgment …

Undecided/Undeclared: Working With "Deciding" Students, Robert M. Mcdaniels, Jennifer K. Carter, Cynthia K. Carter, Karin I. Candrl, Anna M. Wieberg

Higher Education

Nationally, it is estimated that 77 percent of all freshmen and sophomores are in the process of deciding on an academic major (Rayman, 1993). The student body at University of Missouri - Columbia (MU) is no exception. In addition, a number of students have chosen majors, but for the wrong reasons: "My parents want me to be a . . .", "I must have a major in order to get good academic advising . . .", "I have to choose a major or I can't register . . .", "Everyone else has a major . . .", etc. These negative …

The Impact Of A College Community Service Laboratory On Students' Personal, Social, And Cognitive Outcomes, Dwight Giles Jr., Janet Eyler

Higher Education

This exploratory study attempts to· answer the question: can a required service-learning experience of limited intensity and duration have an impact on the development of college students as participating citizens of their community? Students who provided community service as part of a one credit "community service laboratory" showed a significant increase in their belief that people can make a difference, that they should be involved in community service and particularly in leadership and political influence, and in their commitment to perform volunteer service the following semester. They also became less likely to blame social service clients for their misfortunes and …

Colorado Campus Compact, Brooke Beaird

Higher Education

The Campus Compact is a national coalition of college and university presidents who believe that higher education has a responsibility to foster in students a sense of civic responsibility. At year-end 1993, the Compact consisted of a widespread and highly diverse network of over 400 member institutions, thirteen state-level Campus Compacts, a Campus Compact Center for Community Colleges, and a Historically Black Colleges and Universities Network.