National Service-Learning Alliance |
| The Federal Government continues to direct millions of dollars into values education programs for schools.
The reasons for such an initiative are yet to be explained although the general idea is that if we teach the young values then our society
will again be set on firm foundations. It isn't working. |
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What's needed in Australia is a national service-learning
program financed, in the first instance, by a robust philanthropic organization
similar to the John Glenn Institute or W.K. Kellogg Foundation in the United
States. Managing the program could eventually fall to a federal department attached
to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), or subsequent body.
For now the National Service-Learning Alliance will continue to attract membership from a range
of stakeholders across the country who are willing to bring the program to fruition by
following the lead of the State of Maryland, for example, where every secondary
school in all 24 districts includes service-learning as a condition of graduation and the
journey to get there provides the perfect blueprint for what lies ahead. |
| The NSLA website is dedicated to the implementation
of academically rigorous service-learning in every district across every State and Territory in
Australia. The National Service-Learning Alliance (NSLA), with membership
drawn from across the country, seeks your support through membership and
action. Join today and make a difference. |
Service–Learning |
| Service-learning is a teaching pedagogy
that engages students, increases academic achievement while retaining rigor
and relevance to the curriculum. It promotes cognitive, social-emotional,
and experiential engagement in meaningful learning. Because young people
are given an opportunity to make a difference through the knowledge and
skills they are learning in school, service-learning gives them more motivation
to learn by allowing them to put their learning to good use thereby developing
an ethic of efficacy and sense of democracy. Quality service-learning experiences allow
teachers to guide students through a learning process that facilitates high
academic performance and genuine social change in their communities.
Service-learning provides a genuine 21st century standard of education
resulting in a narrowing of achievement imbalances through greater student engagement and purpose. |
| An example of a service–learning activity might be a middle school
science class studying the environment of a local waterway in order
to help preserve the natural habitat of animals. Through classroom
studies, the students learn about the environment before applying
their knowledge on site by posting signs, studying the soil and
water and investigating the impact of industrial development. They
then write about their experiences in journals and participate in
class discussions about the project and its effect on their lives
and the local community. These discussions can be strictly academic or
more critical and possibly spiritual, allowing students to explore
their inner feelings with respect to the project and the wider society.
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| Students who participate in service-learning
score higher than nonparticipating students particularly in social studies,
writing, and English/language arts. They are more cognitively engaged and
more motivated to learn. Studies show great promise for service-learning
as an avenue for increasing achievement among alternative school students
and other students considered at risk of school failure. Studies on school
engagement generally show that service-learning students are more cognitively
engaged in school. Studies of students’ problem-solving abilities
show strong increases in cognitive complexity and other related aspects
of problem solving. Service-learning has a positive impact on students by
helping them to engage cognitively in school and score higher in certain
content areas. Many of these outcomes are mediated by the quality of the
programs. |
