News from the CEPA e-mail list

Building community through service-learning (17/09/04)

Good morning CEPA list members:

Recently I sent out a message that touched on some aspects of the importance of out-of-classroom learning in the formal education of young people. I’ve just come across a report and Web site that presents information on “service-learning”, a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.

The report Building Community Through Service-Learning: The Role of the Community Partner provides “best-practice” examples that highlight the benefits to students as well as the local community.

As an example, the author Susan A. Abravanel summarises as follows the benefits in one service-learning project where middle school students worked to improve the health of a nearby forest owned and managed by the local authority:

Students identify a real community need. The local authority helps Nestucca Valley Middle School students see that their forest lacks the space in plantings and the diversity of natural species to be considered a “healthy” forest. Students, excited by the opportunity to transform a real plot of land, can feel empowered when given the responsibility to develop, design and implement their own restoration plans.

The service activity is tied to academic goals. Plot and tree measurements become lessons in mathematics. Research in native and invasive species connects to science benchmarks. The development of management plans and a field journal tie into language arts goals. As students investigate why the pines and scotch broom had been planted in the first place, they research the history and geography of the region.

Students reflect on, and evaluate, their service experience. Structured reflection activities help students make the connection between their classroom lessons and their role as young community members working with a government agency to plan for the future.

Adults join in student recognition and celebration. Students prepare video and photographic presentations of their work to share with the community.

The full report can be downloaded here as a PDF file here: www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/44/03/4403.pdf and a more detailed search of the web site will reveal more papers on the topic. Unfortunately the design of the Web site makes it impossible to give you the URLs to take you directly to the relevant pages.

Best weekend wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0176; Fax: +41 22 999 0169
E-mail: hails@ramsar.org
Web Site: http://ramsar.org
CEPA mini-Web site: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm

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