Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that brings community service alive through instruction and reflection. Throughout service-learning one will discover various goals, definitions, and different types of service-learning activities. One aspect that does not vary is the seven elements of high quality service-learning.
Seven Elements:
Integrated Learning
- The project incorporates goals and skills that pertain to the curriculum and mission of the classroom and school. The service informs the students about the academics, just as the academic content gives more information about the service. Life skills that are learned outside of the classroom can be connected with the learning done inside of the classroom.
- Students are able to actively participate by choosing and planning the issue to address, implementing reflection sessions, and taking on roles and tasks pertaining to the service-learning project created.
- The service responds to a community need. The service is grade appropriate and well organized. The service is designed to achieve benefits for students and the community.
- The service-learning project encourages students to take responsibility to care for others in the community around them. Students understand through active participation the importance of having a positive affect in the community.
- The project is only successful if students, teachers, community organizations, administrators, and faculty work together. All of the partners must benefit from the project and contribute to the planning.
- This is a key component that connects the students’ service experiences and the academic curriculum. Reflection occurs before, during, and after the service-learning project.
- All the people involved, especially students, are involved in evaluating the service-learning project. The evaluation is the portion of the project where progress can be measured between learning and service goals of the project.