Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2866
Like community service, but so much more they do something themselves, rather than just hearing about it from above. They are taking what they have learned in the class- room and applying it to the outside world. They are learning that they are needed and can make a difference now. They don’t have to wait until they graduate or until they can vote to improve the world.” “They are really into it,” says Colleen Bush, a sophomore, of the youngsters she is teaching at the creek. “Now they will know what pollution means, and they have learned to care about it, just like I have.” Fourth-graders are preserving the envi- ronment at Lake Shasta with their teacher, Niki Manning, a member of the Bella Vista Teachers Association. They have been in a partnership for 15 years with the U.S. For- est Service, which educates the students about the endangered bald eagles and their role in the food chain. During October, students worked to restore the habitat by spreading seed, fertilizer and straw. When the rains fill the lake, the grass will eventu- ally become cover for small fish, who will then be eaten by larger fish, who will in turn be eaten by bald eagles. “We can’t directly feed the bald eagles, but by doing habitat work we can help them,” says Manning. “And students see examples of the food chain and food web, which is also on the fourth-grade state sci- ence standards. It’s wonderful.” Seeing the global view Los Altos High School started a chari- table nonprofit foundation with the help of history teacher Robert Freeman, science teacher Lisa Bolton, and other members of the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School Teachers Association. One Dollar for Life (ODFL), founded two years ago, is based on the premise that if every high school student in America donated just $1, it would have a great impact on poverty worldwide. The idea began in Freeman’s economics class for English learners, who make up 30 percent of the school’s population in this mostly affluent community. They were asked to contribute some change out of Picking up trash around a lake is community service. Studying the ecosystem and water purity is learning. And when students combine the two by analyzing samples, documenting their results and creating a public awareness campaign to increase habitat protection, it’s service learning. Laverne Potter UTLA “In community service, you go out and do something like picking up garbage for a few hours, and you feel great about it,” explains Laverne Potter, who has served as the service learning regional lead for the Los Angeles Unifi ed School District (LAUSD) for four years and teaches at Cleveland High School. “Service learning is even more rewarding because students are learning and creating real changes in their communities through their service.” In 2001, for example, students at San Fernando Mission High School picked up trash at Hanson Dam, felt great and congratulated themselves, says Potter, a member of United Teachers Los Angeles. But the following week after a soccer game they returned to the site, only to fi nd more garbage. So students took it a step further and changed their focus. They studied how trash can adversely affect the environment and created a community awareness campaign to educate people on ways trash hurts birds, fi sh and other animals. They decorated trash cans with informative posters. And when they learned that the Army Corps of Engineers planned to fi ll in the lake, their research showed there were animals and plants that were on the endangered species list. Their fi ndings, combined with community informational meetings, helped pass legislation to protect the habitat. “Through service learning, kids can see the application of what they are learning and apply it to real-world situations,” relates Potter. “They learn to collaborate with people from different backgrounds, express themselves orally and in writing, and present what they have learned to an audience of stakeholders.” The California Department of Education (CDE) supports school-community partnerships that annually involve more than 120,000 students and 15,000 community volunteers in urban, rural and suburban communities. With funding provided by Learn and Serve America, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (a federal agency), CalServe grants are distributed to districts. The state’s “vision” is that 50 percent of all districts will include service learning as part of regular instructional practice, engaging in at least one experience at each grade span: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Presently, LAUSD is the only district that requires service learning as a requirement for graduation. This fall, the San Francisco Unifi ed School District launched the Environmental Service Learning Initiative, which encourages students to become engaged in environmental justice issues. Research shows that service learning is highly successful as a teaching tool. In a 2005-06 statewide study, teachers reported that 83 percent of their students achieved the academic content standards being delivered through service learning. “Research also indicates that attendance consistently improved during the times that service learning activities occurred, and youth and adults report feeling more connected to the school and community,” notes a CDE report. “Kids often feel they have no voice and no power,” says Potter. “But through service learning, they learn they may have a bigger voice — or even more power — than adults.” december 2008 • january 2009 | www.cta.org 9