Summary
of the reading
The reading this week, The
Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven,
Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum
& Social Action, chapter one provides an overview of the instructional
method that is impacting educators approaches to best facilitate student
learning by allowing students to actively participate and contribute to making
a positive impact on their communities on a local level as well as impacting
other communities that may be more distant.
The impacts that students can potentially have in service learning can
take place in a variety of ways. The reading from chapter one provides
and overall summary and description of what service learning is and all that it
entails. “Service learning connects school based curriculum with the inherent
caring and concern young people have for their world” (Kaye, 2010). The reading
provides a few examples of service learning based lessons to show what service
learning could look like when applied to different classroom settings. Service learning can be incorporated at all levels
of education in grades K-12 as well as post-secondary educational pathways. The
reading provides an FAQ section with the intention of addressing points of
interest that are commonly questioned about service learning. The FAQ section is provided to offer clarity
and expectantly increase the comfort level of educators in order for them to
implement this approach into their classrooms with more ease. A section in the reading provides the
criteria that will ensure the success of both students and educators in service
learning activities. In order to ensure
the success of service learning, the K-12 Service Learning Standards for
Quality Practice provides a wealth of knowledge on this approach to
enlightening the minds of students through social action. There are eight
elements of the K-12 Service Learning Standards for Quality Practices. These elements include meaningful service, a
link to curriculum, reflection, diversity, youth voice, partnerships, progress
monitoring, and duration and intensity. Service learning has 5 stages that will
always being with an investigation
stage, leading into the second stage that is preparation and planning.
Next students are expected to engage in their action and following their action, there should enter into the reflection stage. Finally students enter the fifth stage of
service learning in the demonstration
stage, also known as “The Big Wow!” in which students explain what they have
learned through their service learning as well as how their accomplishments
have impacted their targeted community.
Ideas
for possible proposals
A
possible proposal that could use the methods surround around service learning
could be in the category of Earth science and environmental issues which are currently
significant topics of around the world. The students would develop solutions
and approaches associated with organisms and environments in reporting category
4 in the state standards. This proposal would be aligned to the Texas
Essential Knowledge Standards (TEKS) for 5th grade
science. Specifically, TEKS 5.9(A) observe the way organisms live and
survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and non-living
elements, and TEKS 5.9(C) predict the effects of changes in ecosystems caused
by living organisms, including humans, such as the overpopulation of grazers or
the building of highways. Students would
research the effects of changes in ecosystems and develop their own ideas on
approaches to being more proactive in contributing to the preservation of the
earth. Students would begin to carry out their ideological approaches in order
to increase the sustainability of various ecosystems for different niches
within the communities that students live in. Some possible approaches that
students might carry out could be a community clean up, increasing awareness of
the benefits of recycling, or building a community garden.
Concerns
and questions for the readings or proposals
Brookhart
& Nitko (2007), promote the importance of assessing students in order to
ensure that they are understanding content objectives through the use of both
formative and summative assessments. How
would a teacher go about properly assessing student’s progress and
understanding while taking part in any service learning acidity?
References
Brookhart, S. M. & Nitko, A. J. (2007). Educational
Assessment of Students (6th ed.)
Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall/Merrill Education.
Kaye,
C. B. (2004). The complete guide to service learning: Proven, practical ways
to engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, & social
action. Free Spirit Publishing.
