2000
Ever since Service-Learning was identified as a viable prevention tool, Alida has been talking about it. I am glad she did because I am now thinking like she is: we could do this!
Though the school environment right now is not ideal for it (due to standardized testing and the time needed to prepare for the tests), community service agencies can get in on the act, too. I think that might be a possible route to doing this in our county.
I produced this abstract using time paid for by the Quay County Maternal Child and Community Health Council with funds from the New Mexico Department of Health.Service-learning differs from community service or volunteerism in two distinct ways:
Service-Learning as described by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993:
Enduring Understandings:
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The principles that follow are a statement of what Wingspread believes are essential components of good practice. You are invited to use them in the context of your particular needs and purposes.
Visit (http://servicelearning.org/res/mono/wingspread.htm) to view the entire Wingspread Conference document.
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Strong Impact | Good Impact | Some Impact | Minimal Impact | |
1. Meet actual community needs | Determined by current research conducted or discovered by students with teacher assistance where appropriate | Determined by past research discovered by students with teacher assistance where appropriate | Determined by making a guess at what community needs may be | Community needs secondary to what a project teacher wants to do; project considers only student needs |
2. Are coordinated in collaboration with community | Active, direct collaboration with community by the teacher and/or student | Community members act as consultants in the project development | Community members are informed of the project directly | Community members are coincidentally informed or not knowledgeable at all |
3. Are integrated into academic curriculum | Service-learning as instructional strategy with content/service components integrated | Service-learning as a teaching technique with content/service components concurrent | Service-learning part of curriculum but sketchy connections, with emphasis on service | Service-learning supplemental to curriculum, in essence just a service project or good deed |
4. Facilitate active student reflection | Students think, share, produce reflective products individually and as group members | Students think, share, produce group reflection only | Students share with no individual reflective projects | Ran out of time for a true reflection; just provided a summary of events |
5. Use new academic skill/knowledge in real world settings | All students have direct application of new skill or knowledge in community service | All students have some active application of new skill or knowledge | Some students more involved than others or little community service involvement | Skill knowledge used mostly in the classroom; no active community service experience |
6. Help develop sense of caring for and about others | Reflections show affective growth regarding self in community and the importance of service | Reflections show generic growth regarding the importance of community service | Reflections restricted to pros and cons of particular service project regarding the community | Reflections limited to self-centered pros and cons of the service project |
7. Improve quality of life for person(s) served | Facilitate change or insight; help alleviate a suffering; solve a problem; meet a need or address an issue | Changes enhance an already good community situation | Changes mainly decorative, but new and unique benefits realized in community | Changes mainly decorative, but limited community benefit, or are not new and unique |