Service Learning

Introduction

Service Learning and Kentucky State Standards

Experts agree that students learn best when their learning experience is hands-on, immediate, and relevant and what they are learning is directly tied to an experience with another human being.  Therefore to promote more effective learning opportunities the Kentucky Department of Education established and adopted education standards to cover curricula areas in K-12 public education.  In the 1990's the Kentucky Department of Education began promoting and providing support for service learning projects.

Service Learning is a teaching strategy that connects a service experience in the community to classroom curriculum.  In service learning students practice the skills they themselves know through hands on activities that meet real needs. Service learning supports the belief that students learn best in the context of practice. Providing students with opportunities for full immersion in the learning community weaves together learning, service and accountability. In the past several years, service learning has spread rapidly throughout communities, K-12 institutions, and colleges and universities.

The skills, knowledge, abilities and responsibilities that students grow through service learning correlate directly with the Kentucky State Standards.  Every service-learning project provides thoughtful organized service experiences, which are exclusive and address a different set of standards and grade level.  C ombining service objectives with learning objectives with structured opportunities links the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.

Service Learning must provide rich learning experiences

The Kentucky Department of Education strongly encourages the use of school and curricula based learning a method, which support students learning, and participation in a thoughtfully organized service that....

• Meet community needs
• Aligned to the Kentucky Combined Document, meeting academic expectation, program of studies and core content assessment
• Coordinated in collaboration with the school and community
• Integrated into each young person's academic curriculum
• Enhance learning by extending learning beyond classroom walls
• Provides structured time for a young person to talk, think, and write actual activity
• Fosters a sense of caring for others