What is Service Learning
What it is
Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
One of the most powerful and meaningful ways to convey a project's eco-friendly message is with ongoing education about the practices that are being utilized in the project and the impact that the project is making on the environment. Educational features provide a structured learning experience that will continue to engage the community well past the intended completion date of a project. Educational features can include environmental signage, community gardens, rain barrels with information on collecting rainwater, and using site preparation as a learning tool. These features are intended to question an individual’s role as citizens in a sustainable world, and to apply knowledge, employ skills and develop attitudes to increase our capacity towards a sustainable future. There are many ways in which a community can engage its citizens in environmental education. It can be done through Service Learning, Environmental Signage, or a Classroom Curriculum.
- Service learning can be achieved through participation with local schools or groups such as the Boy and Girl Scouts. Service Learning can be part of the site preparation (i.e., children take to research a sites history), site development (i.e. painting murals or bins) or site maintenance after the project is complete.
- Environmental signage can be used at all phases of a projects development. During the beginning stages to educate volunteers and the general public about the project is being sustainable or after the project is complete to help educate people using the site about eco-friendly.
- Educational Features can be implemented through including the project or project site into a Classroom Curriculum. This can be done through year-long outdoor classrooms which includes children in sustainable projects such as Water Gardens or through short-term field trips to project sites.
- Online or web-based components can be used to enhance your community service project. You may incorporate this feature through blogs or websites that document the eco-friendly practices of the project, or use existing online training or materials to supplement the project during or after a project is complete.
Ultimately environmental education impacts the way people think about the environment and should inspire them to take action with their own lives. Educational features answer the questions:
- What are we already doing?
- What might we want to change?
- What do we need to stop doing?
- What do we need to start doing?
- How can we celebrate the accomplishments we have made?
Why it is important
Educational features can allow the community to become interested in learning more about eco-friendly and this community project. Through these features, Project Volunteers can be taught how to be sustainable as workers by using hand tools, reusing water bottles and having a shared lunch instead of individual boxed lunches. They can also learn about the sustainable materials they are using to complete the project and how they can be used in other areas within their own home. Also, signage can be placed around the project site describing what processes are currently taking place; this allows the community as a whole to feel involved in the project. Educational features can be part of the community engagement process during the day(s) of a service project and later in the process. Educational features continue to provide eco-friendly information and educate the public on what it means to be sustainable.
Who is involved
Educational features teach community members to be better citizens in an increasingly interdependent and changing world. Through these features community members learn the importance of civic and environmental responsibility and how their actions today affect future generations. This can involve school classes, youth groups, service learning initiatives and any members of the community that would use the project and utilize any educational signage.
Educational features positively influence the community and the volunteers of a community service project, and so should be integrated in your project planning. Educational features can be introduced into any phase of a project and should be well-thought out and organized to make the biggest impact.
A teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.A common measure of petroleum. One barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons and has enough energy to power an average car for 700 miles at 18 miles per gallon. A barrel of oil contains approximately 6 million British thermal Units (BTUs).
