- Service-Learning is not the same as community service.
- Service-Learning must:
- adequately prepare students to serve
- offer opportunities for students to reflect on service experiences (for example,
through journals, discussion, artwork, or multi-media presentations)
- As much as possible, Service-Learning should also:
- involve students in aspects of planning and implementing service
projects
- link learning in the community to classroom and curricula, and challenge students
to demonstrate what they have learned
- Personal relationships are the keys to success.
- Get to know faculty partners.
- Meet to discuss goals, resources, and challenges.
- Check in regularly to evaluate progresss.
- It's OK to say "No" if a student calls on Friday asking to, "Volunteer 15 hours by Monday for a class." Invite the assigning teacher to plan with you for next time.
- Ask education partners for what you really need. Everyone may gain.
- Ask for service commitments of 30+ hours, and students learn more also.
- Insist upon proper training, and students will gain life long skills.
- Seek volunteers during the day, and they may be able to arrange credit for service.
- Develop a regular commitment year after year, and help teachers integrate service into their curriculum.
- For students to be effective, especially on long-term projects, CBOs must see them as integral to the organization.
- All partners must get something they value out of Service-Learning.
- Support goals both for student learning and for service to be accomplished.
- Start by asking, "What would my organization like to do that we can't do now?" Then explore specific ways students could contribute.
- What do you have to offer? What can students learn from your organization and clients?
- Find out what faculty want students to get out of service experiences.
- All partners - students, faculty, and site supervisors - must understand their roles and responsibilities.
- Put expectations in writing. Even so, relationships evolve, so stay
flexible.
- Set clear criteria to match students with projects.
- Service-Learning demands that classroom teacher and the community agency work together to support student learning.
- CBOs must know how this works and what part they will play.
- No one needs to do it alone.
- Tap the many local, state, and national resources behind Service-Learning.
- Start small. Then build on success. Keep it fun.
- Service-Learning requires new ways of thinking, learning and teaching. Everyone learns, not just students.
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