Many schools already have volunteering programs where students, either during or after school, donate their time to a service project. Service learning takes the process a step further by weaving volunteer work into the classroom. With service learning, educators find ways to take what students are learning in the classroom and apply it directly to what is needed in the community.
For example, students studying Spanish can volunteer to be translators at a hospital, students in an accounting class can review the financial statements of a nonprofit organization, or students in an art class can teach art to the developmentally disabled.
A primary goal of service learning is to get students to place their volunteer work in a larger social context and to give them an opportunity to explore that connection through reflection activities.
In brief, service learning projects give students a chance to make volunteering a more relevant activity, while gaining real world experience in the surrounding community.
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