Service-Learning Institute for Educators

Graduate Credit Requirements and Criteria for Portfolios

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Section A. 3 Graduate Credits: Written Reflection on Readings PRIOR to the Institute

(Total of 2 Readings: one choice, one required)

Choice Readings (pick one)

• Raising Their Voices, Engaging students, teachers, and parents to help end the High School Dropout Epidemic, A Report by Civic Enterprises, Washington, D.C., March 2010.
• Creating a National Culture of Learning, The Forum for Education & Democracy's Recommendations for the Reauthorization of ESEA, Spring 2010.
• The Intellectual and Policy Foundations of the 21st Century Skills Framework, Partnerships for 21st Century Skills.
• Reading in The Disciplines, The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy, Final Report form Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy, New York, 2010.
• Tough Choices OR Tough Times, The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce (Executive Summary), National Center on Education and the Economy, Washington, D.C., 2007.
• Why We Still Need Public Schools: Public Education for the Common Good, Center on Education Policy, Washington, D.C., 2007.

Required Reading

All participants must read: The Civic Mission of Schools (a report from Carnegie Corporation of New York and CIRCLE: The Center for Information and Research on Civic Engagement. New York, New York, Carnegie Corp. of NY, 2003).

Written Reflection

Prepare a written reflection to be submitted the first day of the Institute:

• What educational issues/needs were raised in these reports? Do you see evidence of these issues/needs in your own school/community?
• How do these reports square with your own beliefs about education?
• Highlight new information and/or ideas that can be incorporated into your practice.
  

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Section B. Portfolio Components Prepared Mostly DURING the Institute

 

1. Effective Citizen Reflection
Participants will write a reflection that discusses how service-learning helps students develop the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and behaviors for effective citizenship.

2. Service-Learning Benefits

Based on the video, Bring Learning to Life: An Introduction to Service-Learning, participants will list 10 benefits of doing service-learning with students, teachers, and communities. (Video provided at Institute)

3. Problem Solving Approaches

Participants will give examples of the three approaches (direct, educate, policy) KIDS to solving two different community needs. Participants may select only one need from the "Approaches" activity (from Day 2). The other need must be of participant choosing.

4. Complete a Project Overview Template
Participants will create an outline for a service-learning project using a template (provided at Institute) that identifies:

• a service-learning project entry point and possible problem(s) to be addressed
• ideas for guided discovery of the problem
• possible community partners for the project
• academic connections

5. Complete a "Web the Learning" Template
Participants must be able to connect their plan for a service-learning project to at least 8 content knowledge and/or skills. Of the 8, at least two will be considered for the development of assessments.

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Section C. Follow-up work after your Institute

 

1.Benefits Script
Based on activities during the institute and readings below, participants will create a script that will communicate the benefits of doing service-learning with students, teachers and communities.

Readings

• K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice: An Annotated Bibliography
• Engaged for Success: Service-Learning as a Tool for High School Dropout Prevention

2. Final Reflection
Participants will respond in writing to the questions below. (Draw from class discussions, readings, and KIDS as Planners Guidebook, 2nd Edition)

• Discuss at least one new or changed understanding of service-learning that you have developed since attending the institute?
• How do you feel about the impact of service-learning on students?
• How have your beliefs in the importance of student civic engagement changed?
• What do you foresee as the greatest challenge to implementing a service-learning project? How will you face that challenge? Are there any resources/tools from the institute that will help you.

3. Planning a Service-Learning Project
Participants will complete and submit supplementary portfolio requirements by using, Planning A Service-Learning Project outline. The intent of this work is to plan out a project, including a number of "get started" activities, to be implemented with students during the 2009-10 school year.

4. Self-Assessment on Product Descriptor

Participants will self assess on the Portfolio and Criteria Sheet.

2010 SUMMARY OF DEADLINE DATES FOR GRADUATE CREDITS
Institute Location	Section A	Sections B and C Due:	Contact your Instructor(s)
Florida	1st morning of your Institute	July 9	Barbara and Matt
New York		July 30	Tracy
Maine		July 30	Barbara and Matt
Massachusetts		September 10	Tracy and Matt
ALL DOCUMENTS must be typed and attached all inclusive by e-mailing your instructor(s). To ensure electronic documents are compatible with our software, we ask that you submit in WORD or EXCEL. Electronic submissions will be confirmed after we know we can open and view the contents.