trevordayschool

Delivering food to the hungry or infirm…working to clean local parks… lending time and resources to animal shelters. ese are some of the ways many of us can offer meaningful help where help is needed. And help is always needed. is fact makes it essential for us to involve our children in acts of service, either at home or through school. Or both. For many of us, our school experience was somewhat insular. Lessons were typically limited to experiences at school. Getting out of the building, and out of the bubble of the school environment wasn't the norm, so it could naturally seem that school was disconnected and separate from the rest of the world. It's this perception that makes service learning so vitally necessary within the realm of education. e term "service learning" equates, in large part, with community service, but with the addition of a learning component that allows us to connect students' education with the greater world. By adding elements of learning into this work, we provide a meaningful and tangible context for the content and skills students are learning at school—while simultaneously developing empathy, critical thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of their roles as global citizens. Cathryn Berger Kaye, author of e Complete Guide to Service Learning, defines the difference between community service and service learning—the former is a stand-alone experience; the latter functions as a cyclical process that can be started by a teacher or by a student, or by both. e process begins with the noticing—or engaging with—a problem, big or small. Let's say a 3rd-grade class is taking a walk as part of their neighborhood study; as they walk past the park, they notice a person who appears to be homeless. Back in class, the students begin a discussion about homelessness—which the teacher facilitates—by having the students share what they know and ask what questions they have. Aware of their interest, the teacher might reach out to a local shelter and arrange a Q&A with its supervisor. In turn, students gather information about homelessness in NYC, gleaning information from books, media, even family members. is is the second phase of the cycle, in which a large portion of the students' learning occurs. rough classwork that involves researching, organizing data, constructing thoughtful questions, interviewing, summarizing, and presenting findings, students practice various skills across disciplines, all of them integrated and fueled through context and genuine interest. Moving into the next phase, the students begin to make a plan based on what they've learned—sharing perspectives, strengths, and ideas—to address the problem in some way. In this example, the students focus on a comment made by the supervisor of the shelter they visited: She stressed the continuing need for business attire for those shelter residents who are looking for work. After brainstorming the idea, the class moves into the next phase, where they put their plan into action. Having created signs, flyers, and public service videos for a "work clothing" drive, the students present to their classmates and parents—and local neighborhood businesses. In this manner, donations and involvement come from the community as well as the school. Finally, after students have calculated their total donations, written thank-you letters, and delivered the clothing to the shelter, they enter the last phase of the cycle, in which they present their service process to their by Andy Wilson lower school service learning T R E V O R T R A N S L AT E S : 1 4 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 – 2 0 1 9

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