Service-Learning: Growing the Quality to Grow the Impact

Shelley H. Billig, Ph.D.RMC Research Corporation

August 2009

Agenda Top 10 Reasons to Engage in SL Taking on the Critics One pathway: youth engagement Common impacts of service-learning Why do we need quality? Standards and indicators for high quality practice The new “arc” of service-learning: IPARDC Ideas for implementation: investigation, planning,

link to curriculum/HOTS, partnerships, reflection Troubleshooting Q and A

Top Ten Reasons Take your top 10 sheet and get a response

from each of 10 different people in the room.

Ask why should we do SL? If the person repeats something someone else has already said, ask for another reason.

Be seated when you have 10 reasons.

Taking On the Critics If SL is so great, why doesn’t everyone do

it? Take on the critics! In pairs, follow the

directions on the handout. When finished, share your thoughts with

another pair and come up with your number 1 reason why SL isn’t in every classroom in every school and university in the country and what can be done!

One Compelling Argument Academic Engagement

Here’s one of the ways I try to persuade others….

Describe the Current Situation Turn to your neighbor and paint a written,

verbal, artistic, or other picture of a disengaged student.

Describe: how you can tell that the young person is

disengaged, using at least some of the senses, e.g., what does the person look like? what does the person sound like? how does the person feel?

What are the key cues to notice?

Root Cause: The 4 WhysTeam with another person. Describe your

disengaged student. Then ask the question:

Why is the student disengaged? No matter what the answer is, ask why

again.Repeat three more times – see if you can

determine the root cause of the disengagement.

Common Answers From the Research Lack of challenge (too easy) Lack of success (too hard) Lack of relevance (can’t see the point) Lack of relationships (don’t care about the

people) Lack of value in what is being learned

(don’t care about the information) Other factors are interfering (e.g., safety,

hunger, lack of sleep)

Some Facts About Engagement in the United States (Steinberg, 2007) Over a third of students do not take school

seriously and get through the day by fooling around with classmates;

Half said their classes were boring; Two-thirds say they cheated on a school test; 90% copied homework from someone else; 80% say it is not important to get good grades in

school; 20% say they do not try hard in school because

they are worried what their friends may think; 20% say disengagement is a result of confusion

or difficulty of subject matter, particularly in math and science.

Engagement Research Engagement goes up when…(Brewster & Fager,

2000:7):

Course materials relate to students’ lives and highlight ways learning can be applied in real-life situations (Lumsden, 1994; Skinner and Belmont, 1991);

Students feel that schoolwork is significant, valuable, and worthy of their efforts (Policy Studies Associates, 1995);

Students to have some degree of control over learning (Brooks, et. al., 1998);

Engagement Research (continued)

Students are assigned challenging but achievable tasks. Tasks that seem impossible and those that are rote and repetitive discourage learners (Dev, 1997; Policy Studies Associates, 1995);

Students’ curiosity about the topic being studied is stimulated (Strong, Silver, and Robinson, 1995);

Students share new knowledge with others. Projects are more engaging when students share what they are learning in reciprocal relationships, as in collaborative projects where each student’s knowledge is needed by others in the group to complete an assignment (Strong, Silver, and Robinson, 1995); and

Students develop caring and trust in teachers and other students (Nodding, 2000: 36).

Service-Learning as a Promising Practice Service-learning is an instructional

approach whereby students learn important learning objectives as they address a genuine community need.

.

Common Impacts of High Quality Service-Learning on Students/Youth Increase in academic engagement including

affective, behavioral, and cognitive; Increase in valuing school; Increase in academic achievement; Increase in social-emotional outcomes such as

resilience, managing conflict, respect for diversity and character development (caring, bonding, social responsibility);

Increase in civic outcomes including knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

But outcomes are provisional…

Research showed repeatedly that without high quality, there was limited student benefit.

What is Quality? Research studies within service-learning

identified key variables by testing Essential Elements and other hypotheses;

Variables were compared to those in the greater body of research on what works in education;

Expert practitioners tuned the variables into statements of standards and indicators;

Results were compared back to the literature to ensure they were supported, measurable, and actionable.

New Standards for High Quality Service-Learning Practice Duration and intensity; Link to curriculum; Mutually beneficial partnerships; Meaningful service; Youth voice; Diversity; Reflection; Progress monitoring.

The New Arc: Service-Learning Components Investigating a Community Issue Through

Research and Community Needs Assessments Planning the Ways Students Will Address the

Issue Action – Performing the Service Activity Reflection – Thinking About Impact on Others

and Self, What Worked and What Did Not, Relationship of Oneself to the World

Demonstration – Showing Impact on Others and Self

Celebration of Impact

Quality Implementation Count off tables 1-8. Read through your

assigned standard and indicators. As a group, rate each indicator on a 1-3

scale: 1= easy to implement 2= will take some work, but not too hard to

implement 3 = hard to implement

For any 3s, discuss why….and what it will take to be successful. Post your results.

Duration and IntensityStandard: Service-learning has sufficient

duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes.

Duration and Intensity Indicators Service-learning experiences include the

processes of investigation of community needs, preparation for service, action, reflection, demonstration of learning and impacts, and celebration.

Service-learning is conducted during concentrated blocks of time across a period of several weeks or months.

Service-learning provides enough time to address identified community needs and achieve learning outcomes.

Link to CurriculumStandard: Service-learning is intentionally used

as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards.

Link to Curriculum Indicators Service-learning has clearly articulated learning

goals.

Service-learning is aligned with the academic and/or programmatic curriculum.

Service-learning helps participants learn how to transfer knowledge and skills from one setting to another.

Service-learning that takes place in schools is formally recognized in school board policies and student records.

PartnershipStandard: Service-learning partnerships are

collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address community needs.

Partnership Indicators Service-learning involves a variety of partners,

including youth, educators, families, community members, community-based organizations, and/or businesses.

Service-learning partnerships are characterized by frequent and regular communication to keep all partners well-informed about activities and progress.

Service-learning partners collaborate to establish a shared vision and set common goals to address community needs.

Partnership Indicators (continued) Service-learning partners collaboratively

develop and implement action plans to meet specified goals.

Service-learning partners share knowledge and understanding of school and community assets and needs, and view each other as valued resources.

Meaningful ServiceStandard: Service-learning actively engages

participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities.

Meaningful Service Indicators Service-learning experiences are appropriate to

participant ages and developmental abilities.

Service-learning addresses issues that are personally relevant to the participants.

Service-learning provides participants with interesting and engaging service activities.

Service-learning encourages participants to understand their service experiences in the context of the underlying societal issues being addressed.

Service-learning leads to attainable and visible outcomes that are valued by those being served.

Youth VoiceStandard: Service-learning provides youth with

a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults.

Youth Voice Indicators Service-learning engages youth in generating ideas during

the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes. Service-learning involves youth in the decision-making

process throughout the service-learning experiences.

Service-learning involves youth and adults in creating an environment that supports trust and open expression of ideas.

Service-learning promotes acquisition of knowledge and skills to enhance youth leadership and decision-making.

Service-learning involves youth in evaluating the quality and effectiveness of the service-learning experience.

DiversityStandard: Service-learning promotes

understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants.

Diversity Indicators Service-learning helps participants identify and analyze

different points of view to gain understanding of multiple perspectives.

Service-learning helps participants develop interpersonal skills in conflict resolution and group decision-making.

Service-learning helps participants actively seek to understand and value the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of those offering and receiving service.

Service-learning encourages participants to recognize and overcome stereotypes.

ReflectionStandard: Service-learning incorporates

multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society.

Reflection Indicators Service-learning reflection includes a variety of

verbal, written, artistic, and nonverbal activities to demonstrate understanding and changes in participants’ knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes.

Service-learning reflection occurs before, during, and after the service experience.

Service-learning reflection prompts participants to think deeply about complex community problems and alternative solutions.

Reflection Indicators (continued) Service-learning reflection encourages

participants to examine their preconceptions and assumptions in order to explore and understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens.

Service-learning reflection encourages participants to examine a variety of social and civic issues related to their service-learning experience so that participants understand connections to public policy and civic life.

Progress MonitoringStandard: Service-learning engages participants

in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals, and uses results for improvement and sustainability.

Progress Monitoring Indicators Collect evidence of progress toward meeting

specific service goals and learning outcomes from multiple sources throughout the service-learning experience.

Collect evidence of the quality of service-learning implementation from multiple sources throughout the service-learning experience.

Use evidence to improve service-learning experiences.

Communicate evidence of progress toward goals and outcomes with the broader community, including policy-makers and education leaders, to deepen service-learning understanding and ensure that high quality practices are sustained.

The New ARC The Planning Toolkit Investigation Ideas

School walk Community walk Asset mapping Understanding the Community Through

Photography

Quick Write: which looks most promising for you and why?

Planning Toolkit ideas Linking with curriculum Linking with achievement ala Marzano Higher order skills link example What partners can do

Action/Reflection Troubleshooting scenarios Reflection ideas – sharing

A couple of mine: Reflecting on adult feedback Million dollars Casting director Storyboard faces The sole of perspective taking

A couple of yours

Demonstration/Celebration Impact on Others/Impact on Self Celebrate Progress and Process

Our Reflection Fortune cookie reflection

Follow the directions until everyone at your table has had a chance to speak.

Thank you all very much! Questions?

Contact me:

Shelley H. Billig - billig@rmcdenver.com (303) 825-3636