WE: The Service Learning Student Toolkit

 Service learning is hands on approach to learning. It allows you to get real life experience to go along with your lecture. It is so important for students to do hands on learning and the WE Schools Service Learning Toolkit is perfect for that. "Service-learning goes beyond volunteering or doing community service. It allows you to apply what you are learning in your classroom in a real world setting to help solve problems in your community and the world around you" (pg. 3). This essential explains how putting your students in a real world setting for the lesson you are teaching is just as valuable as giving a lecture. There are 4 essential steps of a service learning project. 

Step one:  Research and Integration. This is where you as the teacher research different real world activities that are related to your lesson that would be engaging to your students. 

Step two: Action Plan. Create an achievable goal to execute for your service learning project. 

Step three: Execute your service learning idea: Implement your action plan with hands on service such as a beach clean up, volunteering, fundraising or spreading awareness. 

        My example for step three would be when our class for Women Gender and Sexuality last fall spread awareness by advocating for a women's shelter in Atlantic City. We set up booths and brought attention to students and staff by having "games" and a wheel and posters with information. This was a fun and helpful way we came together in order to spread awareness for a much needed establishment.  

I think service learning is so so so important when it comes to truly learning because hands on learning is an extension of lecture based learning. It is a great way to get the younger kids to be engaged in a lesson.