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Everyone
Can Be Great, Because Everyone Can Serve
by
Cheryl W Ryan, Education Management Consultant
“We want learning that can be
applied immediately!” “We need projects that make a real difference and can be
implemented without cost!” “We need methodology that translates from classroom
to community seamlessly!” “We would like our community to be more involved in
our school!”
Have any of these statements
been heard in your school district? If so, perhaps you’ve considered service
learning as a new way to motivate and empower your students. “Everyone can be
great, because everyone can serve,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, and that
observation captures the essence and power of service learning.
Service learning is an
effective framework and methodology for curriculum delivery. It engages
students, parents, volunteers and the community. The benefits are
well-documented and proven to increase students’ social and intellectual
capacities. Some advantages include:
·
positive impact
on student outcomes and achievement;
·
increased
awareness of, and concern for, others;
·
extension of the
classroom into the community;
·
increased
cross-disciplinary interaction;
·
increased
investment and interaction from community members toward schools;
·
increased opportunities for inquiry- based learning in
real-life situations.
Some districts have
implemented service learning programs involving substantial coursework as
preparation for and a follow-up to the actual service learning experience
itself. In others, the service learning
opportunity is self- contained. The service learning may consist of one
extended period of time, such as a five-day work program, or of short periods
of time over a longer period, such as four hours each week for one semester, or
even begin and end the same day. Service learning instills concepts of
character and citizenship through acts of social responsibility.
Service learning diplomas or
certificates are offered in some districts as part of high school curricula. In
Chicago, for example, students can earn a certificate after completing 40 hours
of service between the ninth and 12th grades. Additionally, they are required
to participate in planning their projects and write a reflection paper
following completion of the service. The key words used in Chicago’s service
learning program are preparation, action and completion.
Teachers, administrators and
students involved with service learning believe that long-term outcomes include
increased leadership skills, greater career awareness and meaningful character
development. Service learning could appeal to high-achieving students who are
capable multi-taskers, as well as those for whom the
traditional classroom structure is less comfortable.
Internet and library resources
abound for those wanting to learn more about the possibilities associated with
service learning. Consider www.servicelearning.cps.k12.il.us or www.learningindeed.org
to get started.
Editor’s
Note: This article was reprinted from
the Ohio School Boards Associations’ February newsletter.