Tool Kit for Service Learning

Educational Tools for Understanding, Implementing, and Promoting Service Learning

A variety of tools have been developed to help you understand the Service Learning as a pedagogical tool, to assist you in implementing Service Learning projects, and to help you educate colleagues about the principles and practices of Service Learning.

1. Service Learning Sequence: Service Learning begins with classroom content (preparation), extends out into the community (service), and returns to the classroom (reflection). This tool outlines the eight steps involved in developing and implementing an effective Service Learning experience.
   
2. Service Learning Planning Tool: This tool asks a sequence of practical questions from preparation through reflection to help teachers organize a thoughtful and well-planned Service Learning experience.
   
3. Service Learning Rubric #1: What does an effective Service Learning project look like? The Service Learning Rubric uses seven rubrics and four levels to help a teacher understand what constitutes a high quality Service Learning experience. Particularly during a first project, teachers will find that they are strong in some others and weaker in others. Ultimately, the goal is to develop Service Learning projects that are strong in each of the seven areas.
   
4. Service Learning Rubric #2: This second rubric uses ten rubrics and three levels, from beginning to advanced, to help a teacher move toward a high quality Service Learning experience.
   
5. Steps to Reflection: Reflection is a critical component of Service Learning. There are many ways to lead an effective reflective process, but it is important to recognize the different levels of reflection. This tool helps reflection facilitators to understand the process of reflection beginning with the experience itself and moving through description to synthesis and presentation.

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