Omincomprehensive Institute of Bobbio
KA229 - Where Is Beauty
A 2 years project, developed adopting Project Based Learning method in Service Learning approach
DIFFERENCES AMONG PROJECT BASED LEARNING AND SERVICE LEARNING
WHAT SERVICE LEARNING IS?
Service Learning is a pedagogical proposal that allows children, adolescents and young people to develop their knowledge and skills through a practice of solidarity-based service to the community. (M. Nieves Tapia, Education and Solidarity)
Service Learning is a pedagogical approach, not a method, combining Service (support and service to the community, to specific targets of citizenship, through solidarity actions, campaigns, volunteering...) and Learning (learning of knowledge, acquisition of academic and transversal skills and competences).
IN PRACTICE: while I am involved in helping my community I learn!
It is strictly connected to the GLOBAL COMPETENCE defined by OCSE
Global competence is the ability to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate other people's perspectives and views of the world, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development.
Fundamentals of Service Learning
EXTREMELY CLOSE INTEGRATION WITH THE SCHOOL CURRICULA
Service Learning is not just about community support, it is first and foremost about developing real learning for learners. Learning and service are related as equals in Service Learning, intertwining and reinforcing one another. In this, the role of the teacher is very relevant.
Phylantrophy and Service Learning
SERVICE LEARNING IS...
CURRICULAR: the educational topics covered by the service must be part of the teachers' normal annual planning, so it is not a matter of doing "something else" but of doing "the same" in "another" way;
INTERDISCIPLINARY: a valid Service Learning pathway inevitably touches various fields, even if not necessarily various disciplines; in this sense, attention must therefore be paid not only to traditional contents, but also to connections with other disciplines and socio-emotional competencies
COMPETENCY-ORIENTED: the learning that comes from this approach does not have as its primary objective the contents, but the competences that are put into practice with the contents;
MEANINGFUL LEARNING - ORIENTED: good Service Learning combines participation, emotion, experience, commitment, interest, skills and motivation, aspects that can transform what is usually rather neutral learning into "meaningful and authentic" learning;
CHANGE-ORIENTED: what we learn and do with Service Learning is not just knowledge but action. In other words, this approach is not just about delivering content, but about acting on the practices of the learner (and therefore the citizen) through content;
PARTICIPATED: by its very nature, a learning process such as the one produced by Service Learning, cannot be done individually, but requires a double track of participation: between peers, that is with the class group, and between the group itself and the community;
RESPONSIBILISING: the contents and the practices implemented in a Service Learning pathway aim, among other things, to make learners aware of problems and social dynamics of the territory/community in which they live, therefore they aim to make learners participate and be responsible;
COLLABORATIVE: as mentioned above, Service Learning requires collaboration, indeed collaboration is its very essence.
4 TYPES OF SERVICE LEARNING
DIRECT SERVICE LEARNING: is service that direct affects the persons, animals or parks we want to impact. This may include volunteering or cleaning up a park.
INDIRECT SERVICE LEARNING: might take the form of fundraising or collections. It is they type of service in which you are not in the presence of the person or thing you are impacting.
ADVOCACY: is when you speak up for or against an issue or solution. When we use our voices, we are being advocates.
RESEARCH: involves finding out new information that informs or demands action. For example, collecting scientific data or surveying a group.
SERVICE LEARNING STAGES
- INVESTIGATION AND MOTIVATION
- DIAGNOSIS
- CONCEPTION AND PLANNING
- ACTION
- CLOSURE, DEMONSTRATION AND EVALUATION
1- IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND CHOOSING THE MOST URGENT AND SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS - Pupils think deeply about needs and reasons for making one choice rather than another, for committing to and producing a change. - Possible stakeholders, associations, supporter are identified
GLOBAL COMPETENCE: examining local and global issues....
Teachers are facilitators
- Please think and write autonomously on the placemat, listen to your colleagues, discuss with your group and write in the center no more than 2 ideas
- Propose your ideas to the big group
- The facilitator takes note
- Discuss wich of the proposed ideas are the most emergent and interesting
- Identify 2 that you all agree on
IS IT A REAL PROBLEM? DOES IT PRESENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES? WHAT SOCIAL CRITICALITY DOES IT PRESENT? IS IT FEASIBLE? The team of teachers defines in depth the various aspects of the problem, ensures that it is a real learning and service opportunity, evaluates the human and financial resources. An outline summary is defined by teachers
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? WHAT IS THE TARGET GROUP? WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE? HOW TO PROCEED? After an analysis of the context in which the Service is to be developed, the pupils define the idea, identify possible community partners and initiate contacts, protocols, collaborations. The pupils draw up a timetable and produce a step-by-step plan. They assess risks, unknown factors and possibilities.
In this phase the teacher coordinates and facilitates. The teaching team also defines LEARNING GOALS and SERVICE GOALS, content, disciplinary and transversal skills, activities. They discuss times, spaces, financial and human resources with the pupils.
IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANNED ACTIONS, DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING CONTENTS AND SERVICE ACTIONS. It is a time for action, relations with networks, associations, fundraising, awareness campaigns. It is the time to develop contents useful for service and to acquire academic and transversal skills and competences. This is the stage when everything planned is implemented in action.
Young people challenge themselves, act in the community, train active citizenship, produce change, drive positive trends, influence, touch their limits and go beyond them. The action can vary in duration depending on the planned Service activity.
GLOBAL COMPETENCE 1 - engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures 2 - act for collective well-being and sustainable development.
CELEBRATING, PUBLISHING THE RESULTS, MEETING, REFLECTING, EVALUATING. Often there is a final event with all the components that have worked together in which the results are published and the work is celebrated. At school, a metacognitive revision of the process is carried out, to understand the process that led to the result and to reuse the practices, but also to identify what was not useful or what was harmful, in order to avoid it in the future. Finally, the impact obtained is verified and evaluated, also on the basis of the quality and quantity of the change produced.
EVALUATION MUST:
- be participative
- focus on process and outcomes
- cover LEARNING and SERVICE aspects
- assessment should encourage pupils' self-assessment about their performance and achievements
- take into account general and personal impact
SOME EXAMPLES
GLOBAL COMPETENCE & Agenda 2030
Credits:
Creato con immagini di PublicDomainPictures - "align fingers index fingers hands" • geralt - "play stone network networked" • geralt - "faces social play" • sasint - "students adult asia" • igorovsyannykov - "hanging industry stock" • Pexels - "kindle ereader tablet" • Pexels - "books feet legs" • Alexas_Fotos - "make the day great letterbox light box" • PIX1861 - "question mark question symbol" • InspiredImages - "heart care medical care" • Pexels - "concept man papers" • Wokandapix - "implement do implementation" • TanteTati - "end list note" • suman - "human efforts men at work mud" • athree23 - "thank you thank you card table"