13 Making Connections: Service Learning as an Active Instructional Method

 Introduction

Stephanie is a new Family and Consumer Science teacher in a rural school district. For the past semester, she has been taking her students in her Life Skills class to a homeless shelter in a nearby city. Although she has the support of her principal, some parents are questioning the reasoning behind her methodology. Both she and her principal have openly discussed how the students’ service learning experience directly relates to the course objectives. One parent is still not convinced and has gone to the school board to complain that she is “wasting class time on volunteerism.” Is she wasting valuable class time?

Key Terms

Assessment

Case Studies

Community Service

Cooperative Learning

Experiential Learning

Guest Speakers

Learner-Centered

Reflective Responses

Service Learning

Student Presentations

Volunteering

Helping others is a fundamental part of being human. It makes for healthy social living.  As a result, many Family and Consumer Science (FCS) programs now include service learning as a part of their curriculum (Lu, 2010) with the intended result being more student empathy toward others, improved professional skills (Simons and Cleary, 2006), and enhanced student learning (Whitaker and Berner, 2004.) But isn’t service learning just a fancy term for volunteering or community service? Some people do hold this belief. However, although volunteerism, community service, and service learning may be similar, they are not the same. Here is how they differ:

Volunteering Versus Community Service

Volunteering is an activity that you do for someone else with the intent of offering service or help. The recipient can be an individual, a group, the community, or even the environment. It is usually unpaid work or service.

There are many benefits to volunteerism. Students gain confidence and learn new skills as the participant in the betterment of their relationships within their community. It provides an important free service for the organization or community.

Volunteerism also relates to student career goals. First, it gives students important experiences to include on their resume, not just a hobby or interest. Students can learn significant information about their chosen career field by participating in the work. Finally, students can make key contacts with professionals in their field of interest. As a teacher, consider encouraging students to set a goal of volunteering for 100 hours or more. This is enough time for them to make a substantial contribution to an organization and build relationships. It is also more feasible for them to fit volunteerism into segments of a few hours at a time.

Community service is volunteer work but the aim is to specifically improve the quality of life in the community. Because the Family and Consumer Sciences discipline focuses on meeting the needs of people, abundant opportunity exists in communities for involvement in discipline-relevant community service. Volunteering in homeless shelters, food pantries, childcare centers, or second-hand stores can help the community. Working for a hospital, tutoring children, or helping with a community fundraiser can help students gain experience in their field of interest.

Like volunteerism, service learning provides a service or labor that enhances the wellbeing of others, the community, or the environment. But service learning goes further by blending academic study and community service (Barton & Reed, 2010.) Traditional academic study involves learning through texts, discussion groups, instruction and other classroom activities. Service learning, like traditional academic methods, focuses on scholarship but does it outside the classroom walls utilizing both experience and application. This is sometimes referred to as inductive learning, going from learned concepts to larger application. It provides an opportunity for the student to integrate classroom education with hands-on experience and promotes reflection upon its value. Sometimes it turns learning “upside down” by promoting experiences and then deductive learning or scholarship through problem solving. Service learning can be assessed using both quantitative and qualitative measures and is one of the most active methods of learning.

Service Learning in Family and Consumer Sciences

Service learning can be used to meet the mission of FCS. That is, to improve the quality of life for individual, families, and communities. Examples of service learning in FCS are abundant. For example, while working in a local women’s shelter, students can learn or apply knowledge about meal planning, food procurement and preparation by serving a meal. Working in a childcare center at the shelter can reinforce and apply child development principles and effective and stimulating means of childcare. Conducting a clothing drive for a local women’s shelter could teach students about clothing acquisition, care and maintenance, sizing, and appropriate business attire. Procuring and preparing gift bags with personal hygiene products for families in transitional housing teaches marketing, management, and distribution principles.

Service learning could include leading a session for grade school/middle school girls on self-esteem, beauty, and the media. These service-learning opportunities can reinforce or demonstrate stages of middle childhood or early adolescent development and apply oral reasoning skills, cultural awareness, and critical thinking about marketing and media tactics aimed at young girls.

Presenting an awareness campaign on body image and nutrition could likewise reinforce or apply developmental concepts along with sound nutritional concepts appropriate for growing bodies. Disordered eating practices including anorexia, bulimia, and obesity could be highlighted, as students learn to articulate and apply verbal communication strategies for disseminating relevant knowledge.

Designing a space for a nonprofit group could help students apply space planning, drafting, and material selection skills and knowledge. Students will learn how to meet the specific needs of a client and practice workplace appropriate behaviors.

The opportunities available for using service learning as a means of meeting course objectives are endless. Community needs are also abundant. When combined, service learning can be both an effective learning technique and a positive influence on the community.

When Service Learning Should be Used

The primary reason to use service learning as a teaching methodology is to meet course objectives (Brilhart, 2007.) In other words, service learning should be tied to specific course learning goals and objectives. Some of the goals of service learning are:

• To enhance learning and meet specific course content objectives through hands-on experience and reflection
• To give students a life-long perspective of community service
• To assist students in learning about civic responsibility
• To build students’ character
• To assist students in learning problem-solving skills
• To be of assistance to public and non-profit organizations that want to serve their communities better

Learning objectives should be specific and measurable. Each service learning activity should include one or more instructional objectives. These should be clear statements of what students will achieve as the result of an activity or experience. By starting with an objective, the teacher identifies the purpose of the service learning activity and communicates it to outside constituents. The lesson is developed to allow students to meet that objective. As such, objectives provide a focus for teaching and will steer the activities toward learning.

When formulating learning objectives for service learning, teachers should translate educational standards into specific smaller segments. Together, these goals and objectives can form the stepping-stones toward meeting the goals of a learning standard. A well-written objective includes these characteristics:

• Specifies observable behavior. The verb in the statement tells how the student will show learning in a way that can be seen. “Sort food items in the pantry into categories” is observable. “Understand similarities” is not. When objectives are observable, teachers can judge whether or not they are met by viewing student behaviors that relate to learning, not just service.
• Identifies an action or product. Students must do or produce something concrete to indicate learning. Students working in a homeless shelter might “assemble the floor mats and personal storage units in a way that allows access and privacy.” A high school student studying personal finance might “make a list of all personal expenses needed in equipping an apartment in a transitional housing complex.”
• Describes any conditions. An objective usually describes under what circumstances the student will demonstrate learning. Phrases such as “working independently,” “without a mentor,” and “within a one hour period,” are examples of such conditions.
• Indicates acceptable level of performance. The objective should specify what determines successful performance. Students might be required to “identify three signs of food scarcity,” “complete score at least 7 of 10 points” on an assessment.

Instructional Methodologies Used with Service Learning

Service learning is learner-centered and experiential. Learner-centered teaching methods are typically used. Learner centered methods are different from more traditional teacher-centered learning methodologies. Instead of directing students, service learning gives teachers the opportunity to acts as facilitators, or guides, for learning. Students are more actively involved in directing and achieving their own learning, which may impact their decision to stay in school (Perkins-Gough, 2009.) Group projects are an example of learner-centered instructional activities.

There is no one perfect instructional method or activity used in service learning. Teachers use multiple factors in deciding which to use. They also vary their methods to keep students interested and engaged in learning and to keep the activities from becoming purely service.

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers can bring outside expertise into the service learning experience and generate interest. Often these guest speakers are those who interact on a regular basis with the community served. For example, the director of a non-profit organization where students are serving will have a unique perspective to share. A volunteer coordinator will have another unique perspective. Individuals who are served by the organization can also provide a valuable voice.

When utilizing a guest speaker, it is essential to make sure the experience is a positive one for both the speaker and the audience. Prepare the speaker by being clear about the desired topic, objectives, and time frame. After agreeing on the format, identify any special arrangements, such as presentation equipment, that might be needed. Have students prepare questions for the speaker ahead of time. Make sure students understand that only if students are attentive and polite will the speaker leave with a positive impression. Be sure to follow up with a personal note or notes from students thanking the speaker for sharing his or her time and knowledge. This interaction can help build bridges between students and those who they are serving.

Case Studies

Case studies involve analyzing a situation, scenario, or problem, called a “case”, that requires a solution. Case studies allow teachers to direct learning by using a case that focuses on the exact issues that meet the learning objective. For example, students may be given a fictional challenge faced by a fictional character that could be served by the organization with which they are performing their community service activities.

Case studies allow students to apply new knowledge and skills for solving complex, real-life issues prior to working with real-life constituents. This method requires high-level thinking skills. Students can work in groups or alone. In groups, they may work in small groups to consider the case, come up with possible solutions, and agree upon one. Part of the learning experience in groups comes from listening to the different solutions proposed and the reasoning behind each proposal. Coming to a consensus requires negotiation and compromise between group members. As each individual group presents and explains their solution to the class, a larger discussion may follow.

When using case studies, the case presented must be well written. Sometimes teachers start with a current news story that relates to a community service activity such as poverty or homelessness, adding or subtracting information to make it fit the learning situation. They clearly outline what students are to accomplish in their groups, and set time limits. They can then move from group to group listening and helping students move forward. They use the large-group discussion at the end to help students identify the issues and basic principles involved and as with other learner-centered methods, the teacher starts with a clear plan.

Teachers can use case studies to actively involve students in dealing with issues prior to or during service learning. However, as the lesson plays out, the teacher decides how best to guide students toward the desired learning goal. Case studies can be used to extend learning beyond the actual community service activities.

Reflective Responses

When teachers use reflective responses during or after participating in service learning, students think more deeply about an issue or something they have experienced or observed. When using reflective responses, students are encouraged to think about thinking (metacognition). For example, a teacher may ask students to journal about what they have just observed in their own words. Reflective responses can also be used at the beginning of a service learning experience to capture a learner’s attention or used as a point of comparison after completion of the activity. Used in this way, reflective responses can give a teacher a sense of where the students are in their learning and students an account of what they have experienced. Students can then build on what is already known or what was learned. Reflective responses offer students the opportunity to be thoughtful and insightful about their experiences and how their service made an impact on others or the community. Reflective responses can be either written or verbal.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a form of small-group learning in which everyone works together to achieve a common goal. This often comes naturally in service learning as groups work together. The group’s members are responsible for making sure all members participate, contribute, and learn. That in itself is a learning experience. When used well, cooperative learning has been shown to be a highly effective learning technique for making service learning meaningful and relevant.

Cooperative learning offers many advantages, especially in service learning. The ability to work together in a group is an important life skill and offers opportunities for students to work together and increase their willingness to contribute, listen to and respect others’ opinions, help one another, and negotiate differences. Self-esteem and responsibility improve, as most students enjoy learning more when working with their peers on projects that matter to them.

Student Presentations

Student presentations are common in all grades and subjects but service learning provides unique opportunities to share their experiences with others. Student presentations give learners the opportunity to share what they have learned, in a format that may be more conducive to articulating the complexity of experiences. Depending upon the assignment, presentations may be oral, visual, or use both formats. Social media offers opportunities to share learning experiences through blogs, websites, or tweets.

Learners must think about how to best relay the information they are attempting to communicate to their audience. When presentations allow for interaction such as question and answer components, they can help students build further communication skills. This helps them achieve a higher level of understanding. If teachers use group presentations, it can add practice with cooperation and organizational skills.

Assessment of Service Learning

Goals and objectives are written to guide learning activities. Well-written objectives are measurable. In other words, they provide means for evaluating whether or not learning has taken place.

Reflective exercises are one of the most often used means of accessing learning in activities that promote attitude or behavioral changes. Reflective exercises are used to apply concepts learned during service hours to course content and objectives. For example, reflective questions might include:

• What was the community need that your service helped meet?
• What were the best things you learned and did during your service?
• What were the challenges you had to face during your service? How did you meet them?
• What did you learn about your value to the community?
• Did the service you performed help or change anything in you? What did it help or change in you? If nothing changed, why do you think it did not change?
• What have you learned from your experience that can be applied to what you have learned in class?

Summary

Is Stephanie justified in taking her students to work in a homeless shelter during school hours? It all depends on whether or not these activities are tied to specific learning objectives (service learning) or is just community service. As this chapter discussed, service learning is an effective instructional method in Family and Consumer Science.

Service learning is the blending of academic study and community service. Academic study is learning through texts, discussion groups, instruction, and other classroom activities. Service learning, on the other hand, provides an opportunity for the student to integrate classroom education with hands-on experience and promotes reflection upon its value. Some examples of service-learning are a clothing drive for a local women’s shelter, collecting back-to-school supplies for foster children, or preparing healthy snacks for an after school program for under-privileged children. Some of the goals of service learning are to enhance learning through hands-on experience and reflection, to give students a life-long view of community service, to assist students in learning problem-solving skills, or to be of assistance to public and non-profit organizations who want to serve their communities better.

Service learning is tied to specific course learning objectives. Reflective exercises are often used to apply concepts learned during service hours to course content and objectives. Guest speakers, case studies, student presentations, and cooperative learning are other methodologies that can enhance service activities.

Like any teaching strategy, service learning should be assessed or measured to determine whether or not learning occurred. Although there may be multiple learning experiences that can help teachers meet their learning objectives, some are better than others. This is what teachers must carefully consider when choosing service learning activities as an instructional method.

References

Barton, R. & Reed, B.  (February, 2010.) More than just service. Principal Leadership, 10(6): 38-41.

Brilhart, D. (July, 2007.) Serve and learn. Teaching and Teacher Education, 5: 757-760.

Lu, Y. (2010.) Looking beyond the undergraduate classroom: factors influencing service learning’s effectiveness in improving graduate students’ professional skills, College Teaching, 58:118-126.

Perkins-Gough, D. (May, 2009.) Can service learning keep kids in school? Educational Leadership, 66(8): 91-93.

Simons, L. & Cleary, B.  (2006.) The influence of service learning on students’ personal and social development, College Teaching, 54: 307-319.

Whitaker, G.P., and Berner, M. (2004.) Learning through action: how MBA students’ public service team projects help students learn research management skills. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 10:279-294.