Middle school history teachers confront the same challenge every day: how to convey the breadth and depth of a curriculum that spans centuries, countries, and cultures. In "Making History Mine", Sarah Cooper shows teachers how to use thematic instruction to link skills to content knowledge. By combining thought-provoking activities and rich…

Service-learning is a curriculum-based form of community service that integrates classroom instruction and reflection with hands-on service experiences. While the number of schools organizing service-learning activities has not yet surpassed the large percentage of K-12 institutions that simply offer or organize community service, the pedagogy has…

C. Wright Mills Middle School uses a project-based curriculum and service learning to prepare students for participatory democracy. Two challenges are to develop academic skills through experiential education and to avoid indoctrination. (SK)

Describes a program at St. Mary's College of Maryland that involves collaboration with the Peace Corps to provide "on the ground" mentoring in the Gambia for students carrying out individual service learning research projects. Suggests that collaboration between universities and the Peace Corps can generate multiple benefits for all…

This article describes research conducted to evaluate the impact of service learning on exam scores and emotional empathy in a life-span development course. Service learning was 1 of 3 project options offered in the course; others included an interview project and a research paper. With the exception of the first exam, scores were significantly…

Technology teacher education students formulated and executed a service learning project in which they organized a mock production company and produced and marketed a product. Proceeds were donated to charity. The project integrated learning about manufacturing operations with community service. (SK)

In a nursing program, 28 students participating in group service-learning projects were compared to 16 who did other group work. Surveys, focus groups, and feedback from community partners showed that service learning contributed to group collaboration and the development of research skills. (SK)

Describes how American and Russian students engaged in service learning in their own communities as part of an organizational communication class in which they learned communication principles and applied their skills to assist non-profit organizations. Describes both projects, stumbling blocks, and course outcomes. (SR)

Community-based Learning (CSBL) is based on the idea that learning is facilitated when the classroom is linked with real-world experience. This paper presents an overview of the pedagogical basis of community service-based learning (CSBL) and compares CSBL projects carried out in two very different settings. The findings indicate that in order to…

Service-learning projects help students make connections to their community and help them to think about civic participation. The projects can range from very simple short-term philanthropy to very complex direct involvement by the students across multiple years. Students learn both social problem-solving skills and academic knowledge through…

The cultural validity of a psychological or educational theory is a function of its sensitizing and heuristic power for a given task addressed by a given community. African universities have inherited from the West a number of institutionalized arrangements for learning that tend to decontextualize the learning process by extracting learners from…

This article describes a two-semester general chemistry laboratory teaching approach to assist students in gaining experience with science-process skills. The ultimate goal is successful completion of a second-semester service-learning project requiring use of their newly developed science-process skills. The project entails creating an…

This theme issue of "Service-Learning Network" explores the fundraising process as it applies to students and educators who want to secure financial aid for a school or community program. The article, "Seeking Funding for School and Community Programs" (Charles Degelman; Debra Ballinger; Vickie J. Burt), surveys the search for…

In a clothing for special needs class, one student project involved becoming a clothing consultant to a blind man. The student and client evaluated and coded his wardrobe using a Braille-adapted computer, made Braille labels for clothing, and shopped to fill gaps in the wardrobe. The service learning project connected classroom learning with a…

Offers examples from the author's experience to show how service learning is well-suited to the population of students who take introduction to technical writing at Salt Lake Community College. Outlines what the organizations and the students themselves say about the service learning experience. Outlines recommendations for making service learning…