How to encourage service learning in the classroom
In 2002, George W. Bush designated September as a month of service to honor victims of September 11. Carrying on that tradition, President Obama recently issued a national Call to Service inviting Americans of all ages to contribute to their communities. What does this renewed emphasis on service mean for young people — and how can teachers encourage it in the classroom?
The idea of service learning is nothing new for educators. As a methodology, it combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful service. It’s a way of teaching, learning and reflecting that aims to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and encourage lifelong civic engagement. Service learning builds on students’ abilities and interest in the world around them while imparting critical skills.
And the good news is that Millennials already have a rich relationship with the concept and practice of service. Their understanding of the world has been shaped by 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the economic collapse. Recent surveys show people born between 1982 and 2000 are the most civic-minded since the 1930’s and 1940’s and that 61% of them say they feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world.
While service learning benefits the greater community, it may do as much good for the students themselves. A national study of service learning programs suggests that effective service learning programs improve grades, boost attendance, and develop students' personal and social responsibility.
So what can teachers do to promote service learning? The educators at RaceBridgesforSchools, a nonprofit online initiative that offers free lesson plans on diversity and community-building, have developed a new resource called “Giving It Back . . . Passing It On: Service Learning in your Classroom,” to bridge the gap between teaching the value of service and meeting curriculum standards.
One example: A local fire department has determined that many senior citizens in the community, especially those without much money, don’t have working smoke detectors in their homes. As part of a service learning program, students could work with a retired senior volunteer program to obtain names and addresses of low-income seniors in their community. Students can also work with members of the fire department to improve circumstances for affected seniors.
Educators could incorporate this example of service learning into a variety of classrooms. In a math class, students could design a survey to determine how many senior households have functional smoke detectors. For science, they could investigate the effects of smoke on the human body and create flyers to spread the word. And in an English class, students could write articles about this important issue for the local paper or community blogs.
Whatever the approach, service learning is likely to benefit not only the community as a whole but the individuals taking part. Speaking recently about service, President Obama noted, “It puts you in a set of conversations with people that you otherwise wouldn't talk to…It forces us out of our comfort zones and into one another's lives in a series of conversations that remind us who we are and why we're all here.”
For your free copy of the “Giving It Back . . . Passing It On: Service Learning in your Classroom, A Teacher’s Tool” — or for more ideas about how to incorporate diversity lessons in your classroom — visit RaceBridgesforSchools.com.
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