Service-learning is a way of learning with the head, the heart, and hands—a learning that transforms students. It’s a kind of learning where meaningful connections between students and the world around them are made and more and more schools around the world, especially here in the U.S., are seeing the benefits of service-learning projects in their schools. Published research indicates these types of programs positively impacts students’ civic and academic achievement and this year President Barack Obama declared March 31 “A day of service for the nation.”
“I encourage Americans to make this a national day of service and education by speaking out, organizing, and participating in service projects to improve lives in their communities,” Obama said in his presidential proclamation. “Let us remember that when we lift each other up, when we speak with one voice, we have the power to build a better world.”
Community service impacts students lives by creating authentic opportunities for young people to be active and to be the solution-designers their communities need. Not only are students exposed to issues where change is needed, they are collaborating with their peers—sometimes across grade levels—in an authentic way.
“It connected the AP and General Program students; we worked together collaboratively to make a difference in our community in mid-Michigan,” said Ana Luisa, a primary teacher in Aldine ISD who experienced her high school service learning experiences as a student. “It helped some of us make career choices; or connect our careers to serving others. One mechanic still spends one day a week providing free oil changes for the elderly and low-economic populations.”
In my own experience coordinating service projects, I’ve seen my middle school French ESL students in Palo Alto gain confidence and proficiency in English through a Book Buddy project with kindergarteners in East Palo Alto. Even though the newly-arrived students from France were just beginning to learn English, they were role models and rose to the challenge to read in English to the beginning readers. But that wasn’t all, the students returned with an enthusiasm to embrace their own acculturation process and proficiency.
At Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy, students in Washington, D.C., choose their own service-learning projects. Their week-long projects include planting trees, fundraising, administering public surveys, creating and passing out pamphlets on an issue important to them, and making pet beds and toys for the Washington Humane Society. I’ve seen kids who were discouraged become empowered by seeing they can make a difference in this world.
In the spring of 2014, at Sammons Elementary, Aldine ISD, the first and fourth grade students held a “World Porridge Day” to provide meal sponsorships for African children receiving meals through Mary’s Meals (www.marysmeals.org). The children learned that through giving we do indeed receive. The children were engaged throughout the project. They continued to talk about the project and brainstorm alternative solutions to world hunger, they decorated donation containers, made informative posters, brought in spare change, calculated costs to provide meal sponsorships, and even wanted to send them soccer balls for their after-school activities.
As we prepare for a new school year, let’s prepare our students for the future through learning with the head, the heart, and the hands. Through authentic community projects we can connect and implement to our curriculum to transform our students and ourselves.
Jennifer King is a native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. She has a broad background in international education, and is currently a literacy coach in Aldine ISD in Houston, Texas.