Service Learning
Service to the needs of others is a personal act of caring indicating sensitivity
to the interdependency we share as human beings. It requires acquisition of
skills and application of knowledge by informed, positive and productive participants.
While the goal of service is to effect positive change in the lives of persons
served, important by-products for the server are the affirmation of self, and
growth of character. The National and Community Service Act of 1990 defines
service learning as a method
...under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully
organized service experiences that meet actual community needs and that coordinate
in collaboration with the school and the community;
...that is integrated into the student’s academic curriculum or provides
structured time for a student to reflect, think, discuss and write about what
the student experienced during the actual service activity;
...that provides students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and
knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities; and
...that enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond
the classroom and into the community and helps to develop of a sense of caring
for others.
Service learning is experiential education that fosters civic responsibility
in student participants.
Department of Education website on Service-learning
http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/cfcs/sl/index.html
Additional resources for service-learning:
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Access Guide (pdf)