Why is Project-based Service Learning Important for 21st Century Learners?
December 2016
Rebecca McGrath-Hinkle
I have always been an advocate for project based learning, quadrant d work, relevant and real-life assignments for students; regardless of the title, students need to use higher level thinking skills to become problem solvers and effective employees in our society. Teaching in a project based way has helped me learn the importance of building relationships with my students and other teachers.
Teaching in the urban setting and dealing with learned helplessness and depression has really taken it’s toll. As an alumnus of an urban public school setting, I want to offer students these “Aha” moments like I had, when I had teachers who took the learning beyond the pages in a chapter.
Therefore, I am a little biased but I truly believe that project based service-learning is the way to go. The bottom line is that most jobs require a service component.
It does take you out of a comfort zone and you end up assigning and/or reassigning parts as you go. Sometimes to points of exhaustion, but in the end it is a powerful thing to be a part of.
I am not perfect at it and feel like an alone outsider within my school teaching culture; however, I really feel that a collaborative approach where all teachers in the school are involved would be ideal. Thus, I come to this question; How can I convince buy in?
In 2010 the “National Youth Leadership Council,” reported the following;
- “81 percent of dropouts felt that they would have been more apt to stay in school if their school had offered real-world learning opportunities…”
- “Low socio-economic status who participate in service scored higher in achievement, motivation, grades, bonding to school and attendance than similar students who did not participate in service.”
- “In a national evaluation of high quality middle and high school federally funded Learn and Serve programs, Melchior (1998) found that at the end of one year, service-learning students significantly outperformed comparison students in overall grades…”
I know that my transition from High School to college happened successfully because of the college credits I earned from my career center class. Today, twenty years later, as a career center teacher I see how my student’s GPA’s and attendance increase within the first semester of taking a career center class that is internship and project based. Service learning is connected to the school but in a voluntary way through a teacher on special assignment who assists counselors on helping students earn service hours to meet graduation requirements. Therefore, I agree with the evidence that academic achievement increases when students have these real world internship and/or service learning experiences
The National Service-Learning Clearninghouse, “Fact Sheets Why Districts, Schools and Classrooms Should Practice Service-Learning,” states that,”Studies show that service-learning has a strong effects on several areas related to character, reduction of risk behaviors and promoting an ethic service...Character development occurs because students are often given responsibility for outcomes in service-learning settings and are more likely to engage in interdependent tasks and joint productive activity (2007).” Also, they mention the improvement of higher level thinking skills that matches other research mentioned above. The one thing I want to point out is that students are given roles of responsibility if the adults, teachers and employees of the service business, facilitate the student through the process by asking the right questions.
The teacher needs to guide the students through the work and work alongside them but the teacher should not be taking over or completing the work. The teacher needs to schedule meeting times and facilitate to help guide the students through the process; however, the process needs to follow an organized method, such as;
-The Five Stages of Service Learning (Kaye & Connolly 2013)
-The FCCLA Planning Process (FCCLAInc.org 2016)
- A Planning Model for Learning with Purpose... Serving with Passion (Growing Together Service Learning Network, Partnerships Make A Difference 2016
Kaye and Connolly, from CBK Associates, explain how “The Five Stages of Service Learning” is aligned to the CCSS, Common Core State Standards. Ohio has adopted the common core state standards, so this aligns to teaching expectations for students in my district. Specifically, the CCSS expect students to be able to, “1. Demonstrate independence; 2. Build strong content knowledge; 3. Respond to varying demands of audience, task, purpose and discipline; 4. Comprehend as well as critique; 5. Value evidence; 6. Use technology and digital media strategically and capably; 7. Come to understand other perspectives and cultures.” (2013)
The teacher needs to introduce the planning process, provide examples during meeting times that students can reflect upon while creating their plan. There are similarities to each of the plans but a major difference is that the FCCLA Planning Process doesn’t include planning of entry events or celebration which extends upon the follow-up evaluation into a more extensive reflection process, as explained in the other 2 plans listed above. I feel that the entry events helped me facilitate the students from the start while creating more reflection for students who were also excited about planning a celebration, this motivated my students in a new way.
I still have some students who participate minimally, but the ownership and connection with entry events that connected us with real business people, like social workers from Franklin County Children Services, was very relevant and eye opening. I tend to be a doer so I like helping create products with the students, but I try really hard to keep to their plan. I only share my expertise if I know money is an issue to carry out their plan and I know of something that is more cost effective. It is important that I do not try to control or push my ideas on them, I need to facilitate and allow them to problem solve as much as possible. I would love to collaborate with other teachers and share this amazing transforming process that happens as a result of project based service learning experiences.
Works Cited
CBK Associates, C.B. Kaye and M. Connolly. “With Common Core State Standards, Why Service Learning Matters Even More.” 2013, 6 pages.
FCCLA Planning Process. Family Career and Community Leaders of America, 2016
fcclainc.org/pdf/planprocsamplefilledinworksheet.pdf. Accessed 26 December 2016.
National Youth Leadership Council. “Generator School Network Service-Learning and Academic Achievement Research Summary.” 2010, 3 pages.
RMC Research Corporation. “Fact Sheets Why Districts, Schools, and Classrooms Should Practice Service Learning.” June 2007, 4 pages.
