Integrating Community into Training

Community involvement and partnership are key to the success of National Service programs. The best way to show members and the community - the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community Into every aspect of your program, including your training - from pre-service training and continuing through in-service and close-of-service activities

Curriculum Workshop

This is an introductory workshop on developing curriculum using a student-centered, community-based approach. It is founded largely on the philosophy of John Dewey and represents an approach produced at the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. It has been implemented in many school districts across the country in the 1970s and 1980s, and is still a very viable approach to curriculum development in the 1990s. It is not specifically limited to service-learning programs; it is applicable to any program where students expect to earn academic credit for learning which occurs outside the classroom. It is intended for use by educators who expect their students to spend a significant time in the community learning subjects which are normally taught in the traditional school system. The original audience for this model was intended for secondary education programs. However, it is easily modified for any level of learning

Vocational Education 5100 - Experiential Learning and Youth Development

Course objectives: analyze the processes by which we learn analyze the relationship between experience and learning understand the differences between traditional and progressive education understand the barriers/problems with experiential learning analyze how youth apply experience in the learning process understand role community-based organizations play in youth development . learn how to create a portfolio to demonstrate learning learn how to use journals to reflect on life experiences develop observation skills explain the relationship between experience and motivation understand essential elements of the experiential learning process evaluate the role of experience in the learning proces

Community ServiceLearning and the Vocational Teacher

While many have tried to understand the notion of service-learning, no one seems to agree on one definition or description. A Wingspread conference in 1990 defined service-learning as both a philosophy and a program (Giles, Honnet, & Migliore, 1991). The National and Community I Service Act (1990) contained a four part definition which described characteristics and processes of service-learning, including reflective components which tie service experiences to a curriculum

Community-Based Learning: A Study of a Model Dropout Prevention Program

Dropout prevention is a major concern of school districts throughout the country. In Los Angeles it is estimated that 39% of students fail to graduate from high school. Nationwide, the rate is not too much different, especially in inner city communities where large numbers of Hispanic and African-American youth attend school. While dropout rates have been traditionally high for decades, people continue to ask, why? Many billions of dollars have been spent trying to answer this question and many programs have been developed which attempt to address some of these problems. No one has come up with a comprehensive answer nor has anyone developed the all encompassing program

Describing Service-Learning: A Delphi Study

Service-learning is spreading. Congress passed the National and Community Service Act (1990) and states have been implementing service-learning programs in record numbers. With the rapid expansion, people have been asking Am I doing it right? or What is service-learning, anyway? These are good questions ... ones many have asked for some time

Teacher Education and Service-Learning

Suggestions for needed educational reform have been made for some time. Reports from the 1970s condemned the isolation of schools from their communities and the lack of student participation in the educational process (Brown, 1973; Coleman, 1974; Martin, 1974; Gibbons, 1976). Similar claims were made in the 1980s, where lack of active learning led to student passivity and inability to relate classroom learning to life beyond the school (Goodlad, 1984; Boyer, 1983; Carnegie Council, 1989; W.T. Grant Foundation, 1988). In the 1990s there is a continued call for an end to this isolation, primarily through inclusion of experiential and service-learning opportunities for students in their local communities (The Action for Children Commission, 1992; Hamilton, 1990; Sarason, 1991)

Reflection: At the Heart of Experiential Learning

Life is nothing but a series bf experiences. Many experiences pass us by, quickly forgotten. Others make an impact, for some reason, and we remember them well. How we deal with our experiences measures how much we can learn from them: whether we think or reflect on what has happened determines if an experience will be lasting and rewarding or simply slip into oblivion

Awarding Credit for Service: A Study Conducted for the Corporation for National Service

The expansion of service-learning and service programs throughout the educational system in the United States continues at a strong rate. Bolstered by the national initiatives sponsored by the Corporation for National Service (CNS) and by state movements such as the mandated graduation requirement for service in Maryland, many people are interested in where and in how this reform movement is being implemented. Specifically, they are interested in understanding what counts for service, how service is monitored, and how service counts or is credited in school districts. A central issue focuses on the criteria school systems and school personnel use to determine that service-learning is worthy of credit in an educational enterprise