Service Learning in Alternative Education Settings

Elements of High School Service Learning Programs

“…The need for adequate planning and preparation prior to engaging in service learning was repeatedly mentioned in the literature (i.e., 68% of all articles). Adults and students need to allot sufficient time to collaboratively assess community needs, identify a variety of activities that coincide with students' interests and needs for learning, and select open-ended questions for investigation (Clark et al, 1997;Keister et al, 1994;Kinsley, 1997;MacNeil & Krensky, 1996;Meyers, 1999;Wade, 1997). Preparation for engaging in the service project may consist of instruction in content-area skills, reviewing ground rules for participation, practicing skills needed to perform the service, and coordinating logistical arrangements (Finney, 1997;Keister et al, 1994;Leming, 2001;MacNeil & Krensky, 1996;Meyers, 1999).…”

Narrating neoliberalism: alternative education teachers’ conceptions of their changing roles

“…Within earlier conceptions, it was taken as a premise that learner success is predicated upon generative relationships between students and educators (Comber & Nixon, 2009). The sense of relationships being at the center of strong pedagogical practice was particularly true within one strand of the alternative education movement started in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States (e.g., Byrne, 1977;De La Rosa, 1998;Guerin & Denti, 1999;Meyers, 1999). These educational sites often valued student progress in ways not reflected in formal learning metrics, causing some scholars to term them "successful failures" (McDermott & Varenne, 1999).…”

When Service Learning meets the Project Approach: Incorporating Service Learning in an early childhood program

“…Active participation is one of the key factors that promotes student learning in successful Service Learning projects (Billig, 2000; Brandell and Hinck, 1997). Adults and students need to work collaboratively (Meyers, 1999), and students need to have decision-making power (Hamilton and Hamilton, 1997). As Shumer (1996) points out, the more responsibility given to students to do things that have real consequences, the more likely they are to take the tasks seriously and learn effectively.…”

“…Structured preparation is essential to implementing Service Learning. To be effective, teachers and children, and ideally community members, should work collaboratively to plan Service Learning activities (Meyers, 1999). By involving community members in the planning process, greater reciprocity can develop between those completing the service project and those who will benefit.…”

“…According to Brandell and Hinck (1997), celebration is often overlooked, even though it is an integral component of Service Learning. All students, teachers, and community members involved with the project need to be recognized (Meyers, 1999). By sharing their accomplishments, participants celebrate not only the completion of the project but the contributions of each person (Keister et al, 1994).…”