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 KEY ELEMENTS
Civic Responsibility –
promotes student’ responsibility for the community and helps them understand how they can impact their community
Collaboration – Parents,
students, community-
based organization staff, school administrators, teachers and service recipients- all collaborate on the project and benefit from it.
Student Voice – Students
participate actively in choosing, planning, implementing and evaluating the project
High Quality Service –
provides significant benefits for students and community
Evaluation - Evaluation of
the progress toward the learning and service goals of the project is done by all the partners, especially the students.
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 Service Learning
Service Learning is an instructional strategy in which students learn through working in a community organization or
school. This page offers Service Learning Examples, and describes the benefits of involvement for Students, Educators and Employers. For more information, visit tihe LACCD Service Learning Website by clicking the link below.
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EXAMPLES
In English classes,
students write about their experiences working in homeless shelters, hospitals, etc., and discuss similar issues found in literature.
Students learn about local
community institutions, organizations and public policies as they perform service activities linked to Social Studies and History.
Students, with appropriate
adult supervision, restore creeks, watersheds and repair habitats as part of science classes.
Math students tutor
third-graders in arithmetic.
Accounting students help
senior citizens with tax returns
Nursing students provide
home health care to elderly or disabled.
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Service Learning allows students to apply academics and classroom learning to real-world experiences which address community needs.
Students actively reflect upon these connections usually in a journal before, during and after a project is complete. Another important aspect of Service Leraning is the integration of
course content with the service activities. Reflection and curriculum integration are some of Service Learning characteristics which differentiate it from mere volunteerism
and Community Service.Service learning popularity is rapidly growing in schools nationwide. Community Colleges in more than 40 states currently offer Service Learning to their students. They are ideal
locations for Service Learning programs since community service is a part of their mission.
Service Learning can work anywhere in rural as well as urban areas and in all types of curricula (See 101 Ideas
for combining Service and Learning). It may be offered as:
- Optional activity for extra credit (About 15-25 service hours) (Valley College)
- Optional activity substituting a course requirement (about 15-25 service hours)
- Official requirement of a specific departmental course (Does not necessitate a formal curriculum change).
- An additional unit to an existing course as a co-requisite (Mt. SAC).
- Designated (generic) course unrelated to specific departments. Units of credit are available but are not always
transferable. (Glendale Community College-Introduction to Community Volunteerism 145 and Community Volunteerism Laboratory 146 See attached description).
- Independent study for I unit. Facilitated by an instructor or a Service Learning counselor.
There are other models for Service Learning. Most models always involve projects of individual students, groups or a whole class.
STUDENT BENEFITS
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Benefits:
- Increased interest in school
- Improved academic performance
- Awareness of the relevance of academic work to real life experiences
- Positive self-image
- Improved interpersonal and communication skills
- Satisfaction and rewarding experiences
- Exposure to a wide variety of experiences and career pathways
- Increased responsibility, and care as participant member of community
- Developed workplace skills and competencies
- Increased networking opportunities
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Responsibilities:
- Identify agency for Service learning
- Complete service agreement that indicates their schedule of hours and service learning objectives for
the semester
- Respect for the policies and expectations of the organization, especially in regard to confidentiality
and participation in required training sessions and orientation
- Professional behavior in carrying out the tasks assigned to them, including dress code
- Advance notice if they expect to be absent
- Advanced notice if they must end their service with the organization
- Complete a Reflection journal Complete all course/project requirements
- Complete and submit all related documentation in a timely manner
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EDUCATOR BENEFITS
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Benefits:
- Enriched teaching experiences
- Enhanced curriculum
- Improved teacher and student relationship
- Increased student motivation and involvement
- Because it is the right thing to do
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Responsibilities:
- Apply for the program
- Attend training/orientation
- Create or modify syllabus to incorporate service learning
- Complete project agreement form with students
- Conduct student follow-up (reflection)
- Collect and evaluate final projects
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EMPLOYER BENEFITS
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Benefits:
- Energetic and motivated pool of volunteers
- Stronger visibility in the community
- Community partnerships: Enhanced ties with all stakeholders: Students, parents, and the educational
system
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Responsibilities:
- Provide meaningful tasks related to the students' skills, objectives and availability
- A position description identifying what is required of them
- Adequate supervision and continuous feedback
- An orientation for the site and training for the position
- An evaluation of the student’s performance and conduct at the end of the semester
- A place where they can sign in to document their hours
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