This document provides an overview of service learning and outlines ways that educators can incorporate it into their teaching. Service learning involves students learning through hands-on community service activities. It benefits students by allowing them to develop real-world skills and better understand the relevance of their education. The document discusses how teachers can create service learning opportunities aligned with curriculum, and the importance of student reflection. Effective programs require collaboration between schools and community partners, as well as support from administrators.

1. 99 Ways to Give & Receive
A Service Learning Primer
Global Education Conference 2011
By Sean Thomas Moroney, M.Ed.
All Rights licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

2. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
What is Service Learning?
Broad Definition:
•Learning through “doing” with and for others
•Responding through personal action to existing
needs on a local, national or global scale
•Contributing to and/or building (a) community by
volunteering time, work, money or resources
•Planning, applying, reflecting and recording
experience and results

3. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Some common examples:
•Students learn as a class about a need or cause then raise
funds for support or relief
•Students study and identify an existing need -(usually
locally) and then develop a plan together to respond with
action
Students subscribe to teacher/school organized plan or
project and respond with service action, performance e.g,
school trip to work in an area of need
•Students create individualized plans to perform service
work volunteering their time and talent e.g., IB CAS or
similar

4. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Some outcomes, benefits to Learning Communities
•Students can participatein experiential learning
•Develop and apply new skills in real time in the “real world”
•May grow critical thinking and problem solving ability
•Understand the relevance of learning, education
•Be able to meet and work with people from different
backgrounds
•Can make a difference in the community by sharing their skills
and talents
•Consider options for career

5. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Roles -Teachers:
Create service course or project rationale, learning
objectives, from or aligned with school curriculum framework or
documents
Identify, Articulate learning objectives, outcomes
Develop and provide learning assessment tools portfolios
materials, rubrics etc.
Promote resources which record reflection and coherency from
service experiences e.g. photo/videography, blogs.
Network and share opportunities to join service with others in
their learning and greater community

6. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Things that work:
•Consistent, communication, discourse
•Assigning coordinators to manage service projects
•Relationships with community and/or other
organizations must be characterized by clear
communication, openness and trust.
•Shared risk and benefits between
communities, organization
•Planning and problem solving decision making
•Assessment, evaluation needs to be created for all
stakeholders: feedback, teachers, students and
related organizations
•Project, course, tracking, assessment, and follow-up.

7. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Symbiosis:
Workingcommunity service
-learning programs are built on relationships
which offer reciprocal benefits to all community
stakeholders students, teachers, parents, recipients/
partner organizations
•Effective service learning programs are a model of
symbiotic relationships between the learning and the
service taking place

8. 99 Ways+ to Give & Receive
An Educators’ Guide to Service Learning
Is Your School Ready& Able to support a Learning Service program?
How much are students currently engaged in school based service project,
including extra curricular programs?
How much does the school integrate service, give credit for documented
service experiences, or require that students perform service?
How available is an assigned teacher or coordinator to organize the program,
meet with students and agency representatives?
How supportive of service and experiential learning are the principal and
other administrators?
How flexible is the schedule to allow students to be in the community as part
of their education experience?
How much are learning outcomes that include citizenship, community
involvement, respect for diversity, and social responsibility seen as part of the
school’s mission?

9. Sources & Resources
International Society for Technology Education
http://www.iste.org/
World IB Organization
http://www.ibo.org/
Shifting to 21st Century Thinking in Schools
http://www.shiftingthinking.org/
Educational Collaborators 1:1 Readiness Survey
http://is.gd/19RC21
21st Century Skills
http://www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com/

10. Contact info
Sean Thomas Moroney, M.Ed.
edtechnique.org
seantm@edtechnique.org
twitter: @seantm
skype: seantmchina
facebook: seantm
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/seantm1
http://about.me/seantm
Creative Commons License
99 Ways to Give & Receive by Sean Thomas Moroney M.Ed. is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.