Common Ground High School in New Haven, Connecticut, has made student voice and leadership not only a philosophy, but a universal principle. The single-site charter school sits on 20 acres of land and houses an urban farm that produces more than 10,000 pounds of local food each year. Students are encouraged to become local changemakers by serving…

As agricultural educators continue to seek methods of instruction to make learning impactful for students, service-learning has emerged as a desirable technique for meeting these educational objectives. A gap in the agricultural education literature exists, however, in terms of describing whether these learning experiences motivate students…

Much of the literature on children's participation distinguishes sharply between "informal" and "formal" forms of participation, which although analytically convenient, may limit possibilities for theorising. This paper examines tensions and links between children's informal and formal participation, and looks at how…

This teacher's resource book for economics education in grades two to four contains lessons that are meant to be integrated across the curriculum. The purpose of the lessons is to help children learn about their ability to make choices and their responsibility for the consequences of those choices. Decision-making is a skill that, like any other…

This article presents samples of imaginative programs that meld the fundamentals of the service learning methodology with individual learning and behavioral goals at the middle school level. The paper is divided into: (1) "What Do We Mean by Service Learning?"; (2) "The Fit between Service Learning and the Developmental Needs of Young…

This booklet is a guide to establishing youth service learning councils. The booklet begins with a discussion of what youth service learning councils are and why they are a good idea. The following aspects of initiating the process of forming a youth service learning council are explained: facilitating a youth service learning council; identifying…

This curriculum consists of three modules designed to provide AmeriCorps members with a foundation for learning conflict resolution skills. A trainer's guide identifies training goals, defines terms, and describes curriculum structure and delivery, training format, trainer's role, and follow-up. Modules I and II each require about 9 hours and…

A study explored the application of reflective judgment theory to the types of problem solving faced by students in community service placements. It also tested the impact of different service-learning experiences on growth in reflective judgment over the course of a semester. Participants were 66 students in 6 colleges and universities. They were…