-2 Aunts on both moms and dads side.-Sister goes to River ridge
Good morning and welcome to Building Bridges Between learning and community.
Get our brains started …. Let’s talk about a global community problem –click on index card; What can we do about it? (elicit answers from the audience) then click on “The need” How can we provide a need/service? Click on ideas But I have a curriculum to teach….. Click on Student learning postit --- think of how to incorporate the core subjects into the ideas to provide a need to sovle a global community.
My Name is Angela Lange, I hope you all enjoyed the picture show; all the pictures are from the Satellite Center, where I teach. Our
vision and mission is to connect our students to their future careers through project-based, real-world learning. This is done mostly through service learning projects, some of which are funded through grants.
I am a FEA advisor from St. Charles Parish in South Louisiana. I am also a STAR facilitator. STAR is a state designed course for junior and senior high school students who are interested in an education career. It is similar to and is articulated with college level Introduction to Education.
14 years teaching experienceEverything from Middle school spelling and Louisiana History to high school English and creative writing classThroughout all my years of teaching, I have always asked myself How am I providing my students with a lasting connection to their learning? How can I help my students gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts? Am I preparing my students for success beyond my class? And what answer will I provided my students when the ask me, “Why do I need to learn this? Why do I know to know this? Why do I have to do this? (Who here has asked the same questions?)
14 years teaching experienceEverything from Middle school spelling and Louisiana History to high school English and creative writing classThroughout all my years of teaching, I have always asked myself How am I providing my students with a lasting connection to their learning? How can I help my students gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts? Am I preparing my students for success beyond my class? And what answer will I provided my students when the ask me, “Why do I need to learn this? Why do I know to know this? Why do I have to do this? (Who here has asked the same questions?)
14 years teaching experienceEverything from Middle school spelling and Louisiana History to high school English and creative writing classThroughout all my years of teaching, I have always asked myself How am I providing my students with a lasting connection to their learning? How can I help my students gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts? Am I preparing my students for success beyond my class? And what answer will I provided my students when the ask me, “Why do I need to learn this? Why do I know to know this? Why do I have to do this? (Who here has asked the same questions?)
14 years teaching experienceEverything from Middle school spelling and Louisiana History to high school English and creative writing classThroughout all my years of teaching, I have always asked myself How am I providing my students with a lasting connection to their learning? How can I help my students gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts? Am I preparing my students for success beyond my class? And what answer will I provided my students when the ask me, “Why do I need to learn this? Why do I know to know this? Why do I have to do this? (Who here has asked the same questions?)
Howatwith emphasis on the importance of service learning
What is it not: -- Picking up trashFundraisingVolunteering at sheltersOr helping nursing home
What it is: Service Learning (according to NYLC) is a method of teaching that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and community (global, national, local) and integrates service with established curricula or learning objectives. Service: providing help; not community service such as volunteering which does not have the intentional tie to learning but strictly servicing Learning: students learn, service partner learns, community learns; you learn – beyond academic
TURN AND TALK WITH SOMEONE IN THE ROOM – SHARE YOUR AREA OF NEED/SERVICE IDEASAs I share with you how my STAR course includes service learning, I would like for you to think about how you could fit service learning into your curriculum or program and where you and your students could be of service in the global, national, or local community. Feel free to use the notes page in your packet to jot down ideas and thoughts as we go on this journey.
Would anyone like to share? (2 minutes worth of sharing) Notes page – use to jot down thoughts, ideas, or notes
What I did: Realized that STAR students needed real hands-on experiences doing the work of real teachers. As we all know, the best way to learn something is to do it!!! Therefore, I wrote two Brown Foundation grants which would allow my students to serve as Junior Achievement volunteer teachers and to serve as ‘helpers’ in kindergarten classes to read to children. My student would learn how to create effective lesson plans to meet the needs of all students at different levels, and the schools would have volunteers. STAR students have also written their own service learning proposals. Some of them are implementning their proposals as part of their senior project (required in our district for graduation) Among the great ideas ---- KIDS club (afterschool program where high schools students tutor, mentor and have fun with elementary students at one of the district school) ---- Reading Readiness – give elementary students practice reading out loud, have them tape record books and give to LightHouse for the Blind ---- Letters to our Troops – teaching writing skills to 8th graders, send letters to troops --- Mardi Gras History – learn about the history of mardi gras and then organize and hold a mardi gras parade at the Children’s Hospital
I applied service learning to my STAR state curriculum. And this is how I did it.
Preparation for implementing the service learning project**Like an anticipatory set Link the service to the curriculumEngage and solicit student voice and choiceFind a partner, find a need, talk to the partner Have students learn as much as they can about the service partner or needPrepare students for the service (teach any direct skills needed; or use PBL approach) Back in 1899, John Dewey wrote, “Relate the school to life and all studies are of necessity correlated.” You can think of service learning as an interdisciplinary theme, or a project based, or inquiry based learning experience.Modern life requires students to be able to take what they’ve learned in school and apply it on the job, at home, in their communities and in further studies.
My students engaged in Mind Spin – a brain storming
Final slide: One final thought before you go……..Website/Blog/add on information as you work and implement Service learning