Service-Learning
Service-learning has become an increasingly popular pedagogical strategy for teaching children and youth, but also can be a powerful tool in adult education by connecting concepts to action.
What is Service-Learning?
Service-learning is a form of experiential learning designed to meet the learning goals of the learner while also addressing a community need. Many definitions of service-learning include increased civic engagements as one of the desired outcomes of the learning process (Pelco, Ball, & Lockeman, 2014; Dienhart et al., 2016). Additionally, many college campuses are shying away from the term service-learning and moving toward the term civically engaged learning (Davis & Arend, 2013).
Integral to well-executed service-learning plans is the IPARDE process. Learners should be active participants and planners in each step. The steps are explained below:
INVESTIGATION: Discuss and research community problems
PREPARATION: Acquire content knowledge, plan activities, address administrative and logistical issues
ACTION: Implement the service experience
REFLECTION: Debrief. Make connections and meaning from the experience
DEMONSTRATION: Share and celebrate the service and learning
EVALUATION: Assess each step of the process and the entire learning event and consider the sustainability of the endeavor
Integral to well-executed service-learning plans is the IPARDE process. Learners should be active participants and planners in each step. The steps are explained below:
INVESTIGATION: Discuss and research community problems
PREPARATION: Acquire content knowledge, plan activities, address administrative and logistical issues
ACTION: Implement the service experience
REFLECTION: Debrief. Make connections and meaning from the experience
DEMONSTRATION: Share and celebrate the service and learning
EVALUATION: Assess each step of the process and the entire learning event and consider the sustainability of the endeavor
Relevance to Civic Enagement
Service-learning is a teaching method that marries theory and action. As a form of experiential learning, it involves real-world experience supplemented by guided preparation and ample reflection. This allows for both active engagement in the community to address a community need and the opportunity to explore why the need exists, if the service was sufficient, what sort of action or policy changes could alleviate the need, etc.
Application
There are four different types of service that can be use in service-learning project.
DIRECT SERVICE: Direct Service involves interaction with the parties being served. Examples include: helping out at a homeless shelter, volunteering at a non-profit, etc.
INDIRECT SERVICE: Indirect service involves providing support without direct contact. Examples include: food drives, fundraisers, etc.
ADVOCACY: Advocacy involves increasing awareness of a community issue. Examples include: hosting town meetings, writing letters to elected officials, etc.
RESEARCH: Research involves learning more about an issue and sharing the results to support solutions. Examples include: surveying community members about an important topic, conducting environmental tests, etc.
Interaction with other facilitation methods: Service-learning incorporates many other techniques. Discussion is vital for groups working together on a service-learning project and dialogical thinking can be helpful in allowing learners to understand the vantage point of the groups with which they will be working.
DIRECT SERVICE: Direct Service involves interaction with the parties being served. Examples include: helping out at a homeless shelter, volunteering at a non-profit, etc.
INDIRECT SERVICE: Indirect service involves providing support without direct contact. Examples include: food drives, fundraisers, etc.
ADVOCACY: Advocacy involves increasing awareness of a community issue. Examples include: hosting town meetings, writing letters to elected officials, etc.
RESEARCH: Research involves learning more about an issue and sharing the results to support solutions. Examples include: surveying community members about an important topic, conducting environmental tests, etc.
Interaction with other facilitation methods: Service-learning incorporates many other techniques. Discussion is vital for groups working together on a service-learning project and dialogical thinking can be helpful in allowing learners to understand the vantage point of the groups with which they will be working.
Service-Learning & Motivation
Service-learning as a facilitation method relies on active engagement and allows learners to work together toward developing a meaningful project. However, initially undertaking a service-learning project from investigation to evaluation can be intimidating to learners. One solution to this is to break up each individual step into an experiential activity. Schenck and Cruishank's (2015) Co-Constructed Developmental Teaching theory provides a model (see below) for teaching and building bridges between each step in the IPARDE process. Compartmentalizing each portion of the process can help learners to "engender competence" (Wlodkowski, 2008) as they move on to later parts of the project.
Resources
The following websites provide research on methods and ideas for projects:
All For Good-- http://www.allforgood.org/
Points of Light-- http://www.pointsoflight.org/
Volunteer Match-- https://www.volunteermatch.org/
Volunteering in America-- https://www.nationalservice.gov/vcla
The following websites provide information on conducting service-learning projects with families:
generationOn-- http://generationon.org/parents
National Center for Families Learning-- http://familieslearning.org/our_solutions/resources_about/research_and_policy/23
All For Good-- http://www.allforgood.org/
Points of Light-- http://www.pointsoflight.org/
Volunteer Match-- https://www.volunteermatch.org/
Volunteering in America-- https://www.nationalservice.gov/vcla
The following websites provide information on conducting service-learning projects with families:
generationOn-- http://generationon.org/parents
National Center for Families Learning-- http://familieslearning.org/our_solutions/resources_about/research_and_policy/23
References
Davis, J. R. & Arend, B. D. (2013). Facilitating seven ways of learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Dienhart, C., Maruyama, G., Snyder, M., Furco, A., Mckay, M. S., Hirt, L., Huesman, R. (2016). The impact of mandatory service on students in service-learning classes. The Journal of Social Psychology 156(3), 305-309. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2015.1111856
Pelco, L. E., Ball, C. T., & Lockeman, K. S. (2014). Student growth from service-learning: A comparison of first-generation and non-first-generation college students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 18(2), 49-66.
Schenck, J., & Cruickshank, J. (2015). Evolving Kolb: Experiential education in the age of neuroscience. Journal of Experiential Education, 38(1), 73-95. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1053825914547153
Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing adult motivation to learn (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dienhart, C., Maruyama, G., Snyder, M., Furco, A., Mckay, M. S., Hirt, L., Huesman, R. (2016). The impact of mandatory service on students in service-learning classes. The Journal of Social Psychology 156(3), 305-309. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2015.1111856
Pelco, L. E., Ball, C. T., & Lockeman, K. S. (2014). Student growth from service-learning: A comparison of first-generation and non-first-generation college students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 18(2), 49-66.
Schenck, J., & Cruickshank, J. (2015). Evolving Kolb: Experiential education in the age of neuroscience. Journal of Experiential Education, 38(1), 73-95. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1053825914547153
Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing adult motivation to learn (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.