What is Service Learning?
Service learning is a form of experiential education through which students learn as they address real needs in their own communities. Through Service Learning, students engage in a community service project that:
- Meets actual needs
- Is coordinated with the school and community
- Is integrated into academic curriculum
- Provides time for thinking, talking, and reflecting
- Provides opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in the community
- Enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom
- Fosters development of a sense of caring for others
- Encourages ethics of citizenship, social action and true democracy
Adapted from Alliance for Service Learning and Education Reform (ASLER) Standards
Benefits to Students
- Students make a difference in their community by meeting a real need
- Develop positive feelings of self-worth
- Develop good citizenship skills
- Develop job skills
- Gain exposure to the world of work Benefits to schools
- Enhanced school climate
- Enriched curriculum
- Allows for performance-based evaluation
- Fosters student/staff/community relationships
Benefits to the Community
- Receive a valuable service
- Address unmet needs
- Students become invested in their community
Adapted from Vermont STW Work-based Learning Manual
