Service-Learning to Enhance Academic Achievement

Shelley H. Billig

Stephany Brown

RMC Research Corporation

For Title I, III, and VII Why Service-Learning Should Enhance Academic

Achievement Evidence How to Maximize Academic Achievement with

Service-Learning Making the Case

Key factors Action planning Crafting messages

Why Service-Learning Should Enhance Academic Achievement How Service-Learning Works How People Learn How the Brain Works Other Supporting Cognitive

Development Theories

How Service-Learning Works Service-learning is a form of experiential

education where learning occurs through a cycle of planning, action, and reflection. Working with others, students acquire knowledge and skills and apply what they learn in community settings as they try to meet community needs. They experience consequences, both literal and emotional.

Relationship to Learning (Eyler and Giles, 1999)

Service-learning experiences: are typically positive, meaningful, and real involve cooperative rather than competitive

processes, thus promoting skills associated with teamwork and interdependency

address complex problems in complex settings rather than simplified problems in isolation

Service-learning experiences (continued):

offer opportunities to engage in problem solving by requiring students to gain knowledge in specific contexts rather than drawing upon generalized or abstract knowledge

promote deeper learning because results are immediate and are not contrived (no “right answers” in the back of the book)

are more likely to be personally meaningful and to generate emotional consequences

How People Learn (National Research Council, 1999)

Understanding is much more than knowing facts.

People build new knowledge and understanding on what they already know and believe (scaffolding).

Learning is mediated by the social environment in which learners interact with others. Effective learning requires that students take control of their own learning. The ability to apply knowledge to novel situations, that is, transfer of learning, is affected by the degree to which

students learn with understanding.

Learning and Memory Learning is the act of making (and

strengthening) connections between thousands of neurons.

Memory is the ability to reconstruct or reactivate the previously-made connections.

Memory is a ProcessPat Wolfe. (2001).

Sensory

Memory

Working

Memory

Long-Term

Memory

Sight

Sound

Smell

Taste

Touch

Initial Processing

Elaboration & Organization

Retrieval

Forgotten Forgotten

Rehearsal

Other Supporting Theories Multiple Intelligences Constructivism Developmental Theories (youth need

relationships!) Experiential Learning Theories

(show me…involve me)

Evidence Service-learning has been found to make an impact

on state tests in: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia service-learning programs)-

reading/language arts and science; Michigan (all Learn and Serve programs) – writing,

social studies, historical perspective, earth science, inquiry and decision making;

New Hampshire (environmental programs) – language arts, math, science, and social studies; and

Vermont (environmental programs) – reading.

Evidence Students have made gains on problem solving

essays in Hawaii, Colorado, and Pennsylvania; Students have shown increases in attendance rates

and decreases in dropout rates in many states; and Students have shown increases in affective,

behavioral, and cognitive engagement in Hawaii, Colorado, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

How to Maximize Academic Achievement with Service-Learning Link to standards; Use instructional strategies with the greatest

effect sizes; and Create a nurturing learning environment.

Research-based StrategiesEffect Sizes and AchievementMarzano, et al. (2001).

Identifying similarities and differences 1.61

Summarizing and note taking 1.00

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition .80

Homework and practice .77

Nonlinguistic representations .75

Cooperative learning .73

Setting objectives and providing feedback .61

Generating and testing hypotheses .61

Questions, cues, and advance organizers .59

Creating a Climate for LearningSafe

Nurturing

High

Challenge

Low Threat

Encourages Risk-taking

Inclusive

Multi-sensoryStimulating

Collaborative

Making the Case Where are you on the developmental

continuum? Awareness Motivation to adopt Deepening practice Scaling up Sustaining

Key Factors Who will be the champions? What type of leadership support will be needed at the school,

district, and state level? What evidence of success is needed? What professional development will be provided? What will the infrastructure for support (resource allocation,

expertise, problem solving) look like? How will you get the necessary visibility for your efforts and

when should you become visible? What incentives are available? How will a macrostructure (norms and cultural values) be

developed? How will collaborative partnerships be developed and

maintained?

Dialogue Discuss your own situations. How would you

answer each of the questions about key factors at the SEA level in your state?

With the answers, develop an action plan for getting started, scaling up, or sustaining your current partnership at the SEA.

What are the key messages that you need to develop that will resonate best in your state?