<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span>Hi all,</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>I love the idea of service-learning, combining traditional classroom learning with practical application that can help the community.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>A few years ago I got to help a college class with one of their service-learning projects. They were primarily architecture and ecology students, and they were taking what they learned in the classroom to a local inner city school and building a sustainable outdoor area with a garden. The multiple levels of service-learning were what I found particularly cool about this situation. The college students were taking their classroom learning and applying it practically in an effort that would benefit the kids, the school, and the community, but they were also teaching the kids
about sustainability, ecology, and architecture through both classroom learning and practical activities in the garden. Then the kids would go back to the classroom and research different types of plants and outdoor areas with the ultimate goal to help the college students and their professor draft plans for a sustainable and completely accessible learning environment that would be built in the community at a later date and that would engage all the senses so that kids of all abilities could enjoy it.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>I think service-learning is a great way to get people excited about both service and learning, to give a practical purpose and tangible results to things that are being learned in the classroom, but also to take traditional service projects, which are great in their own right, and combine them with opportunities to further the knowledge of both those who serve and those in the wider
community.</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Chris</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="hr" style="margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); height: 0px; line-height: 0; font-size: 0px;" contenteditable="false" readonly="true"></div> <font face="Arial" size="2"> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Darian Smith <dsmithnfb@gmail.com><br> <var id="yui-ie-cursor"></var><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Mary Ann Mendez <maryann@jmendez.us>; Christine Parsons <christine-parsons@sbcglobal.net>; Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104@gmail.com>; Catherine Michele Mitchell <michmitch66@gmail.com>; Corina Salinas
<Corina.d.salinas@gmail.com> <br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> Community Service Discussion List <COMMUNITY-SERVICE@NFBNET.ORG> <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, November 12, 2013 12:32 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> What is Service-Learning? | National Service-Learning Clearinghouse<br> </font> </div> <div class="y_msg_container"><br>
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<h1>What is Service-Learning?</h1>
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<div id="yiv1498169003maincontentdiv"><div style="padding: 0pt 5px 0pt 15px;"> <blockquote><b>Service-Learning is</b> a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.</blockquote> <div>Through service-learning, young people—from kindergarteners to college students—use what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems. They not only learn the practical applications of their studies, they become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they perform.</div> <div>Service-learning can be applied in a wide variety of settings, including schools, universities, and community-based and faith-based organizations. It can involve a group of students, a classroom or an entire school. Students build character and become active participants as they work
with others in their school and community to create service projects in areas such as education, public safety, and the environment.</div> <div>Community members, students, and educators everywhere are discovering that service-learning offers all its participants a chance to take part in the active education of youth while simultaneously addressing the concerns, needs, and hopes of communities.</div> <div><b>What Service-Learning Looks Like</b><br> If school students collect trash out of an urban streambed, they are providing a valued service to the community as volunteers. If school students collect trash from an urban streambed, analyze their findings to determine the possible sources of pollution, and share the results with residents of the neighborhood, they are engaging in service-learning.</div> <div>In the service-learning example, in addition to providing an important service to the community, students are learning about
water quality and laboratory analysis, developing an understanding of pollution issues, and practicing communications skills. They may also reflect on their personal and career interests in science, the environment, public policy or other related areas. Both the students and the community have been involved in a transformative experience.</div> <div><b>Examples of Service-Learning</b></div> <ul> <li><b>Elementary school students in Florida</b> studied the consequences of natural disasters. The class designed a kit for families to use to collect their important papers in case of evacuation, which students distributed to community members.</li> <li><b>Middle school students in Pennsylvania</b> learned about the health consequences of poor nutrition and lack of exercise, and then brought their learning to life by conducting health fairs, creating a healthy cookbook, and opening a fruit and vegetable stand for the school and
community.</li> <li><b>Girl Scouts in West Virginia</b> investigated the biological complexity and diversity of wetlands. Learning of the need to eliminate invasive species, the scouts decided to monitor streams and then presented their findings to their Town Council.</li> <li><b>University students in Michigan</b> looked for ways to support struggling local non-profit organizations during difficult economic times. Graduate communication students honed their skills while providing a wide variety of public relations services with community partners, including developing press kits and managing event coordination.</li> </ul> <div>Each of the examples above shows how service-learning is integrating meaningful community service with instruction and reflection in order to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen our communities.</div> <div>See more service-learning <a href="" rel="nofollow">success
stories</a>.</div> <div><b>More Information:</b></div> <ul type="disc"> <li><a href="" rel="nofollow">Characteristics of Service-Learning</a></li> <li><a href="" rel="nofollow">Frequently Asked Questions</a></li> <li><a href="" rel="nofollow">Historical Timeline</a></li> </ul> <div><b>About Us: </b></div> <ul> <li><a href="" rel="nofollow">About the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse</a></li> </ul></div></div> </div>
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