Service Learning

When reading the news and thinking about the world, it's easy for students to fall into apathy or despair. Teaching about global issues and sustainability is an opportunity to motivate students about the future and their own education. By sharing inspiring examples and ideas for taking action, Facing the Future resources are designed to reaffirm young people's hope and belief in their ability to make a difference.

Recognizing that service learning requirements can present both challenges and opportunities for educators, we hope the following resources will assist you in helping your students get involved in the "real world." Read a brief introduction to service learning.

Service Learning Resources

• Additional Resources
  Resources and websites on service learning from other organizations.

• Action Project Database
  Links to organizations that provide action project opportunities for students in Washington state, across the United States, and internationally.

• Climate Change Action Project Database
  Links to organizations that provide climate change action project opportunities for students in Washington state, across the United States, and internationally.

• Curriculum
  All of Facing the Future’s K-12 lesson plans include action project ideas at the end of each lesson.

• Examples of Students Taking Action
  Examples of how students are taking action, along with some fundraising and media tips.

• Fast Facts and Quick Actions
  Information on a variety of global issues and possible actions that students can take.

• Service Learning Framework
  A step-by-step teacher’s manual that walks through the process of implementing a service learning project tailored to your class (in PDF format).

What is Service Learning?

Service learning is a teaching tool that ties academic curriculum to a service project that reinforces and expands students' learning. Service learning helps young people connect their education to their own lives and the “real world.”

Three major elements define service learning:

• Students, teachers and community partners develop clear learning objectives that meet educational standards and address the change in knowledge, skills and attitudes they expect to see as a result of the service project
• The project addresses a real community need
• Students have an opportunity to reflect on and learn from their project before, during and after their service

Research has demonstrated the positive impact of service learning on student learning as well as on the schools and communities receiving the service. More and more schools are mandating some form of community action or service learning as a requirement for graduation.

For further reading...

Key research studies and resources on service learning