June 27 – June 29

Join us Tuesday, June 27, Wednesday, June 28, & Thursday, June 29 from 12 PM – 3 PM CST on Zoom!

The Educator Institute is a hands-on, collaborative experience. You will engage in information processing activities, exploratory learning of connected resources, group work to brainstorm, and individual reflection and planning, as we explore ways to pump up the youth engagement in your classroom!

Join service-learning expert Julie Rogers Bascom to explore how service-learning can pump up youth engagement in relevant, rigorous, and meaningful ways; connect with social emotional learning; and reignite your passion with meaningful instruction!

Participants learn how to integrate service into their content areas in a way that aligns with subject area standards and leads to a high-quality service-learning experience for their students. The Educator Institute provides participants a professional development experience rooted in a constructivist approach to teaching and learning in order for students to apply their knowledge, skills, and experiences to what they are learning. 

Educator Institute participants will leave with:

• Deeper understanding of high-quality service-learning and the impact of service-learning on students’ academic, social and emotional growth;
• A standards-aligned service-learning unit plan that you can use to build your own lesson plans and learn from others;
• Increased knowledge and skill;
• Activities, tools, and templates for service-learning implementation;
• An understanding of how to use service-learning to promote educational initiatives such as social-emotional development and youth voice.

WHAT WE’LL COVER OVER THE 3-DAY INSTITUTE

FAQ’s – Is the Educator Institute right for me?

Do I have to know a lot about service-learning?

No – this 3 day course will bring you up to speed with the what, the why and the how of service-learning. 

Will you offer a list of projects that my students can do?

This course will take you from the “project” to the “process.” Quality service-learning starts with identifying what kind of outcomes you want for youth – academic, civic engagement, and/or applicable life skills – and using intentional strategies to engage youth in leading their learning.

What if I’ve already engaged in a service-learning project – will this course give me ways to deepen the experience for my students?

Absolutely – many of us have engaged in a service-learning project and we invite you to consider how to extend and expand the experience for your students so you can connect to curricular standards as well as other school or district initiates. At each step of the IPARD process, you’ll hear new ideas of how to connect the process to what you’re trying to achieve in your classroom

What if I’m not in the classroom – will this Educator Institute help me engage students in out of school spaces?

Service-learning is a strategy that works both in the classroom and out of the classroom.  The process is the same – it’s how you integrate it in your teaching and learning spaces.  

How do I make sure I do something with what I would be learning?

Throughout the 3-day institute, there will be time to plan, ponder and apply what you are learning to the change you want to make in your classroom or teaching.  You will leave with next steps – and an invitation to join the Community of Practice to continue growing your practice.  

The post Educator Institute: Pumpin’ Up Youth Engagement first appeared on National Youth Leadership Council.

July 11 – July 12

Join us Tuesday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 12 from 9 AM – 12 PM CST on Zoom!

This course is being offered at no cost by the National Youth Leadership Council in collaboration with Innovageous. Teams of 2-3 of higher education faculty for institutions is highly recommended.

Effective service-learning implementation and design is the foundation of student engagement, learning, and success. Learn from experienced educators and service-learning leaders as you work to refine and improve your courses, and develop courses that meet service-learning requirements for Teacher Education.

Planning and Designing Service-Learning Courses for Teacher Education Programs will be facilitated by service-learning experts who introduce the pedagogy, process, research, and planning of service-learning as an instructional strategy through hands-on experiences. The course will focus on using service-learning as an instructional strategy to improve student outcomes and meet genuine community needs in K-12 classrooms.

At the conclusion of this course, participants will leave with an understanding of how to:

• Tap into service-learning as a high quality instructional practice 
• Design K-12 service-learning experiences to meet academic standards
• Differentiate service-learning experiences by grade levels
• Incorporate the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice into curriculum planning 
• Develop a Teacher Education course plan to promotes service-learning as an instructional strategy, and includes topics, content, objectives, and assessments that support quality service-learning in k-12 classrooms
• Integrate service-learning into higher education coursework to model effective implementation

Facilitator Bios:

Shira Woolf Cohen is an educator, community organizer and leader who has been recognized locally and nationally for her work. Shira spent 19 years at a charter school in Philadelphia where she co-lead the growth of the school from a K-8 with 500 students to a K-12 school with 1500 students in her role as Teacher, Dean, Vice Principal and Principal. She served as an Adjunct Instructor at multiple universities and a board member and chair for several local and national nonprofit organizations. She currently supervises aspiring leaders during their principal practicum and teaches pre-service teachers in their graduate program at Holy Family University and University of Phoenix, and is the facilitator for the National Youth Leadership Council’s Instructional Leadership in Service-Learning Certificate Program. She was a recipient of the G. Bernard Gill Award in Service-Learning Urban Leadership and is a Cohort 3 Senior Neubauer Fellow in Educational Leadership. Shira holds a Bachelors of Science in Middle School Education and Mathematics from Lesley University, and a Masters of Education in Urban Education and Principal Certification from Temple University. She also completed the National Institute for School Leaders preparation program. 

Amy Meuers is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Leadership Council, the leading service-learning organization in the country for more than 40 years. Amy has spent 20 years with NYLC leading both national and international service-learning initiatives that expand the capacity of educators to utilize service-learning as an instructional strategy with students of all age-levels. Under her leadership, NYLC launched Youth as Solutions, a national service-learning program that supports teams of youth across the country in addressing issues impacting their communities.  She co-founded the Coalition for Service-Learning to support advocacy efforts for service-learning at the federal level, and published Equity in Service-Learning: Self Assessment Tools for Quality Engagement, Engage: Service-Learning for Afterschool, and the revised Getting Starting in Service-Learning: Integrating the Process into K-12 Teaching. Amy co-designed and facilitates NYLC’s Certificate in Service-Learning Instructional Leadership which has graduated more than 50 leaders in K-12 and higher education over the past two years. She is a graduate of the Hubert H. Humphrey Policy Fellows (21-22) and is a  city commissioner in her hometown of Brooklyn Park, Mn. Amy holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Administration from Globe University, and a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership from Regis University. She also completed Northwestern University Certificate of Executive Leadership and ASU Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. 

The post Planning & Designing Service-Learning Courses for Teacher Education Programs first appeared on National Youth Leadership Council.

August 2 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Join educators from around the country as they open their lesson planners and find space for youth voice, meaningful service, and connection to curriculum through service-learning.

School will be starting before we know it – now is the time to build out a plan for infusing service-learning into your curriculum! Join educators from around the country as they open their lesson planners and find space for youth voice, meaningful service, and connection to curriculum through service-learning.

Start with your learning goals and weave service-learning into your curriculum.

The JUMPSTART! will cover the 4 ways YOU can get started in service-learning in your classroom!

1. Moving from community service to service-learning.
2. Walking through the IPARD (Investigation, Planning and Preparing, Action, Reflection and Demonstration) process and applying it to your lesson or unit plans.
3. Creating a classroom or out of school service-learning plan using the stages of service-learning.
4. Using NYLC resources to launch and support your plan.

Recommended for K-12 Educators who want to create an impactful experience for their students this year.

FAQ’s

Do I have to know a lot about service-learning?

No – this 4 hour webinar will offer 4 ways to get started.  There will be some basic information – but the goal is to leave this session with some ideas to take the next step!

Will you offer a list of projects that my students can do?

This webinar will take you from the “project” to the “process.” While we like to start with what kind of outcomes you want for youth – academic, civic engagement, and/or applicable life skills – we will look at how to take a project that you are already doing and weave pathways to deeper learning for your students.  

Why is the IPARD process important?

Investigation – Planning and Preparation – Action – Reflection – Demonstration.  Service-learning is centered in this student learning cycle.   At each step of the IPARD process, there are opportunities for you to lead students to a deeper understanding of content standards and/or practice life skills that lead to living and learning.  Service-learning is not a one and done project.  Equally as important, service-learning engages young people in the classroom, in out of school time spaces, and in their communities.  We build engaged citizens by leading students through the IPARD process.  

What if I’m not in the classroom – will this Educator Institute help me engage students in out of school spaces?

Service-learning is a strategy that works both in the classroom and out of the classroom!  The process is the same – it’s how you integrate it in your teaching and learning spaces.  

How do I make sure I do something with what I would be learning?

Throughout the webinar, there will be time to apply what you are learning to the change you want to make in your classroom or teaching.  You will leave with next steps – and an invitation to join the Community of Practice to continue growing your practice. 

The post JUMPSTART! 4 Ways to Get Started in Service-Learning first appeared on National Youth Leadership Council.