Required Service-Learning Hours – What’s in it for Young People?
By: Julie Rogers Bascom, Director, Learning and Leadership High school students might be asking themselves the following: What’s an impressive amount of service hours? How many service hours do I need to be competitive in applying to college? What counts as service hours? These are the questions that came up when I googled “required service-learning hours.” This is what I’m wondering about: what are the outcomes we want for our young people as they engage in meaningful service-learning? I think service-learning can be transformational for a young person. When a student finds an issue or community problem they care about and [...]
2020: A Year Unlike Any Other
A myriad of disasters and challenges have plagued us this year including the toll the pandemic has taken on our youngest citizens. Globally, more than 1.6 million students in over 190 countries were forced out of school at the peak of the crisis (UNESCO, n.d.) This global pandemic has brought to light what many of us have seen for some time: the alarming inequities in our education systems. In the United States, students are sitting in class alone with only the names of their classmates on a computer screen to keep them company because nobody turns on their cameras. This [...]
Acceptable Evidence: What Does What Look Like?
By Julie Rogers Bascom, NYLC Director of Learning & Leadership Stage two in the service-learning process, determining acceptable evidence, is an often-overlooked stage in quality service-learning. In the classroom, it can be an “automatic” part of the practice. We connect acceptable evidence to formative (ongoing and more informal quizzes, observations and exit tickets) and summative formal and structured assessments. In out-of-school programs, we also can and must look at what we hope young people will know and be able to do as a result of the service-learning experience. If your desired outcome is a specific content standard, tests and other assessments can [...]
Best Practices for Online Service-Learning
In just two short months, schools will be back in session. The continued worries from the coronavirus pandemic have administrators across the world scrambling to figure out what learning will look like for students. What we do know is that whether students are in classrooms, online, or a hybrid of both, service-learning can enhance student engagement, increase academic knowledge and skills, and inspire students to engage as active citizens in their communities. Service-learning allows for meaningful learning opportunities for youth through contribution to community. It empowers young people to address issues they see in their school, in their community, or around [...]