Service learning is a methodology that promotes the participation of citizens in their community. This article presents a brief conceptualization of citizen participation, characteristics of service learning methodology, and validation of a programme that promotes service-learning projects. This validation highlights the suitability of this…

Assessment of student learning in experience-based education is recognised as being a complex but important task. Practitioners are faced with a myriad of practical and pedagogical issues that influence what and how they assess, and can severely impact the effectiveness of assessment strategies. This paper presents a synthesised overview of the…

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) defines service learning as the combination of classroom instruction with community service, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as personal and civic responsibility. Service learning programs involve students in activities that address local, community-identified needs while…

The National Student Service-Learning and Community Service Survey was conducted in spring 1999 to determine the percentage of public K-12 schools that incorporate service learning into their course curriculum. Some of the findings of the study are the following: (1) 64 percent of public schools, including 83 percent of high schools, had students…

This Digest defines service-learning as both a philosophy of education and an instructional method. As a philosophy, service-learning reflects the belief that education should develop social responsibility and prepare students to be involved citizens in democratic life. As an instructional method, service-learning involves a blending of service…

The aim of the report is to inform and ignite interest in moving beyond a reflection on the dual purpose of public education to an action plan that seeks to strike the balance between academics and civic engagement for our students. In the winter of 2004, working under a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, leaders in education reform,…

Some educators contend that students who engage in activities related to school subjects learn more efficiently and more effectively, and remember what they have learned much longer than students who do not. Service-Learning (S-L) can provide a central focus around which educational change can occur. Moreover, S-L enhances the ideas promoted by…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs service learning and the academic disciplines. This collection of essays focuses on the use of service learning as an approach to teaching and learning in political science. Following an Introduction by Richard M. Battistoni and William E. Hudson, the four essays in Part 1, "Service-Learning as…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. These essays demonstrate some "best practices" for service-learning, providing rigorous learning experiences for students and high-quality service to the community. A Preface by James L. Applegate and Sherwyn P. Morreale, "Service-Learning in…

This booklet contains suggestions to assist educators in using the "Linking Learning With Life" books relevant to all levels of service learning and, particularly, to use in teacher education programs. The guidebooks are grouped into five sections. Each section represents a different subject area relating to teacher education. For each…

This publication contains descriptions of "outstanding practices" in high schools that had the most success in improving student performance by doing the best job of implementing one particular High Schools That Work key practice. The 33 efforts are organized according to which of these 10 key practices they reflect: high expectations…

This book provides information from experienced teachers on constructivist teaching, offering examples of preservice teachers' projects, lesson plans, and real-life advice. The 11 chapters are: (1) "Writing Case Studies: Constructing an Understanding of Student and Classroom" (Bettejim Cates); (2) "Educating Children Who are Racial…

This document reports on the conduct and findings of a 3-year evaluation of the 1995-96 school year of the Learn and Serve America School and Community-Based Programs, which were initiated to support school and community-based efforts to involve school-aged youth in community service. Well-designed, school-based service-learning programs have a…

The following are among the 47 papers included: "Academic Performance and Retention of College of Agriculture Students" (Garton, Dyer, King); "Perceptions of Recent Graduates and Employers about Undergraduate Programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University" (Heyboer, Suvedi);…