FLASHFACTS

Service Learning

Service Learning is a learning experience through active participation in your community; basing its practice on solving a problem through community service and reflecting on what can be done to prevent the problem from occurring in the future.

This method uses group participation; so there should be a set time for reflection to share ideas for developing progress. Working with others is essential in Service Learning, making learning experiential and applied, deepening students' understanding of the problem, and why it's important.

Example

• Students remove trash from a streambed
• Analyze what they found
• Share the results and offer suggestions on how to curb pollution in the area
• Reflect on what they learned

Service Learning has been used in

public service for over a century. This method was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped restore national parks, as well as John F. Kennedy's Peace Corp. In 1990, legislation was passed to grant money to service learning programs in schools and non-profit organizations, and in 2003 President Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to honor people who exemplified volunteer service in their community.

• Promotes learning through active participation in service experiences

• Provides structured time for students to reflect by thinking, discussing and/or writing about their service experience

• Provides an opportunity for students to use skills and knowledge in real-life situations

• Extends learning beyond the classroom and into the community

• Fosters a sense of caring for others

(adapted from the National and Community Service Act of 1990) www.servicelearning.org

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