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Your students have identified their talents and treasures and the talents and treasures of the community they will be serving. They have consulted with that community had have collaboratively developed a service activity that will be meaningful both to the students and to the recipients of the service. In order to be able to measure progress towards achieving their service goals, they have identified a “baseline,” and they are clear about the broad range of learning goals they hope to achieve. They have considered, and will continue to consider, ways in which they can incorporate direct service, indirect service, research and advocacy into their service-leaning activity. The students are prepared for their activity, and you have attended to the administrative aspects of the project. Now it’s time for action!
In Stage 3:
- Students apply leadership in conducting the project.
- Activities evolve as the project progresses.
- Students collaborate with those being served and with their community partners.
- Students are given the opportunity to see that the service they are providing is genuinely meeting a community need.
- Throughout this stage, students are encouraged to link their service goals to their learning goals and to reflect on their experience.
- Multiple learning styles are utilized, including individual work, teamwork, using technology, tactile/manual work, oral presentations, data collection and processing etc.
- Many unexpected “teaching” opportunities occur.
- Obstacles arise, are discussed and, hopefully overcome.
- Students engage in reflection and intellectual enquiry throughout.
- You and the students monitor progress and the process.
Action is the focal point of service-learning. During this phase, you want to be sure that students are:
- Engaged, actively exploring, using inquiry and hands-on approaches.
- Given the opportunity to see that the service is genuinely meeting community needs.
- Linking the service being performed to the full range of learning goals.
- Reflecting on: the service itself, other contexts of the service and on related philosophical issues.
- If possible, given opportunities to work with an adult other than a family member or teacher.
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During the Action Element, reflection gives students the opportunity to assess the complex issues arising from their service activities and to link these activities to learning. They share observations and highlights, ask questions, solve problems, get feedback and receive encouragement. Questions students might consider are:
- How do our service activities match our service goals and our learning goals?
- Do our service activities match our expectations? If not, should we revise our expectations – or the project?
- What skills and/or knowledge do we need to make this project a success?
- Did we miss anything in our planning? What? How can it now be included?
- What do I find is the most difficult part? The most rewarding aspect?
- What is my main contribution?
- What am I learning?
- How are we helping solve the problem that is the basis of the project?
- Are there any other needs that might be a good follow-up project?
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Throughout the Stage 3 (Action), you, your students and your community partners should have methods in place for monitoring progress towards achieving objectives, and the processes used to do this. Students might consider self-assessing on how well they collaborated, worked as a team, accomplished their service goals etc. The TTT templates could assist in developing methods for progress and process monitoring. |
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Moving community
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Students at an Intensive