1. What is Service-Learning?
Learn and Serve America’s
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

2. National Commission on Service-Learning
“…a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”
One of many service-learning definitions

3. Corporation for National and Community Service
Promotes learning through active participation
Provides structured time for students to reflect
Provides an opportunities to use skills and knowledge in real-life situations
Extends learning beyond the classroom
Fosters a sense of caring for others
CNCS definition of service-learning
Adapted from the National and Community Service Act of 1990

4. What’s in a name? Volunteerism Service-Learning Youth Service
Community Service
Peer Helping
Experiential Education
Community-Based Learning
Volunteerism: refers to people who choose, on their own, to perform service to others without pay
Service-Learning: particular emphasis is placed on the learning that occurs through service; often connected to classroom objectives; may be eligible for academic credit
Youth Service: umbrella term for involving youth as community resources
Community service: general term for work without pay in the community; also used as form of punishment, which can create misunderstandings
Peer Helping: youth help other youth through tutoring, conflict mediation and peer counseling; some SL projects engage students in peer helping
Experiential Education: broad term for various teaching methods that emphasize hands-on learning; includes service-learning, but not all experiential ed is SL
Community-Based Learning: any learning experience that occurs in the community (as opposed to in the classroom), can include service-learning, field trips, internships
Citation:
A Practical Guide for Developing Agency/School Partnerships for Service-Learning p.6
Eugen Roehlkepartain, Points of Light Foundation and the National Youth Leadership Council

5. Community service example
If students remove trash from a streambed:
they are providing a service to the community as volunteers
a service that is highly valued and important

6. Service-learning example
When students remove trash from a streambed,
analyze what they found,
share the results and offer suggestions for the neighborhood to reduce pollution,
and then reflect on their experience
THAT is service-learning!
the students are providing an important service to the community AND,
learning about water quality and laboratory analysis,
developing an understanding of pollution issues,
learning to interpret science issues to the public, and
practicing communications skills by speaking to residents.
They may also reflect on their personal and career interests in the process.

7. Not just academic
Service-learning can also be organized and offered by community organizations with learning objectives or structured reflection activities for their participants
Service-learning is already being implemented by many AmeriCorps programs and a growing number of Senior Corps programs
Could easily be incorporated into character or skills development goals for:
4-H, Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs, campus orgs, fraternities/sororities, church youth groups

8. Many roads to service-learning
Different
Interpretations
Objectives
Contexts
All seek
Combination of service objectives with intentional learning objectives
Changes in both the recipient and the provider of the service
there are many different interpretations of service-learning as well as different objectives and contexts
Ultimately, all service-learning seeks to accomplish the same core concepts

9. Service-learning is not:
An episodic volunteer program
An add-on to an existing school or college curriculum
Completing minimum service hours in order to graduate
Service assigned as a form of punishment
Only for high school or college students
One-sided: benefiting only students or only the community
These may be elements of a successful comprehensive service-learning project, but they do not qualify as service-learning on their own

10. Common characteristics of authentic service-learning
positive, meaningful and real to the participants
cooperative rather than competitive experiences; promotes teamwork and citizenship
addresses complex problems in complex settings rather than simplified problems in isolation
engages problem-solving in the specific context of service activities and community challenges, rather than generalized or abstract concepts from a textbook

11. Common characteristics of authentic service-learning
students are able to identify the most important issues within a real-world situation through critical thinking
promotes deeper learning; there are no "right answers" in the back of the book
generates emotional consequences, which challenge values and ideas
supports social, emotional and cognitive learning and development

12. Added benefits of service-learning
National studies suggest that students in effective
service-learning programs:
improve academic grades
increase attendance in school
develop personal and social responsibility

13. Learn more about service-learning www.servicelearning.org
K-12
Higher Ed
Community-based
Tribal nations

14. NSLC resources www.servicelearning.org
Website
Site-wide search to find resources on your topic
Hot Topics, Fact Sheets & Quick Guides
Service-Learning Lesson Plans, Syllabi & Curricula
1600+ service-learning examples from LSA grantees
Service-learning links to related Web sites
Publications offered for purchase
NSLC: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

15. NSLC resources www.servicelearning.org
Library
Books, journals, videos for LSA grantees
Online library catalog available to anyone for identifying service-learning publications
Research & reference service
Downloadable documents & bibliographies
NSLC: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

16. Feedback Share your ideas with us! E-mail: info@servicelearning.org
Phone: SERV (7378)