Kevan

Kevan's Classwork
Middle School Students and Service Learning: Developing Empowered, Informed Citizens**
 * Article 1

//1. To what extent could service learning activities be incorporated into the curriculum across all levels of education (i.e., K-12 schools and higher education)? What “adjustments” would have to be made at the various levels?//

Service learning activities could be incorporated into the curriculum across all levels of education rather easily. According to Grant, “service learning is also compatible with the standards currently being written and implemented in the content areas, such as science, mathematics, social studies, and the language arts”. Grant goes onto to say that “the most natural content link for service learning is the social studies”.

Some adjustments would have to be made at the various levels depending on the age of the students, resources available for use, and the ability level of the students. According to Grant, “special educators recommend an integrated, activity-based learning model in which the learning must take place in a community context where students work cooperatively with others”. As a special educator, I have had the opportunity to witness high school students in the life skills program take part in such activities. Some students who are training for future jobs do well with the real-life examples and actually working in the community. I have also witnessed the same concept apply to regular education students. Service learning activities force students to use what they have learned in all of their courses and apply them to real world situations. As Grant said, “working together, they practice problem-solving and develop interpersonal skills, while using communication skills from their language arts classes”. These projects help students achieve the overall goal of applying conceptual knowledge into the real world.

//2.	How might you incorporate service learning into the curriculum with which you are most familiar?//

According to Grant, “the most natural link for service learning is social studies”. It is easily relatable to social responsibility and civic literacy. I have already incorporated a service learning project this year on a small scale with my government class. The students ran a mock election campaign for each of the Presidential candidates. When it came voting time, the students had to “register” students to vote and run the voting booths on Election Day. I realize this is not a true service project, but it still reinforced the ideas of having students complete authentic activities and using real-life applications.

For a more authentic service learning project, my same government class hands out real voter registration cards when students turn eighteen years of age in the school. The students also remind the male students to register for the selective service act and hand out pamphlets with information.

The Curriculum in Action: Benchmarks of Student-Friendly Middle Schools**
 * Article 2

//1.	What are the seven characteristics that differentiate student-friendly environments? Are these characteristics realistic for most schools to accomplish? What conditions would make it more difficult for some schools to meet these benchmarks?//

The seven characteristics that differentiate student-friendly environments are: •	Recognition of learner diversity •	Educators trained in middle school education •	Exploratory programs that encourage learner interest •	Developmentally responsive guidance and counseling programs •	Equal access to educational experiences •	A positive school environment •	Involvement of parents and families in the education of young adolescents

I think these characteristics are realistic for most schools to have on their “wish list”, but I don’t see the characteristics as 100% achievable in a short period of time. If a middle school were to set these goals in place today, I would foresee it taking 5-10 years to truly accomplish the expectations. Some of the goals are also unable to be measured. (How do you measure a positive school environment?)

Some conditions that would make it more difficult for some schools to meet these benchmarks are variables that are out of the school’s control. Involving parents and families in the education of their children is something every school strives for, but it is not always attainable. Some parents are almost impossible to contact, and others provide no academic support at home to their children. Teachers across the nation encounter parental problems each year. It is sometimes impossible to get parents involved in their son or daughters education.

//2.	What is the effect of a student-friendly middle school for student learning? What is the connection between the environment students occupy and their capacity for learning?//

The effect of a student-friendly middle school for student learning is obviously a positive one. I’m not sure how realistic a student-friendly middle school is, especially when trying to attain all seven characteristics, but ideally the students would be performing and achieving at high levels.

There is a strong connection between the environment students occupy and their capacity for learning. Students in my building seem to have a strong influence on each other and if the mood of the building is tired, or hectic, I always have a tough time getting through to them. I also believe that teachers need to get to know their students personalities before they can effectively teach them. On my first day I went around and introduced myself to all of my IEP roster students and gave them a big talk about how it was going to be a great year and we would work together to get things accomplished. A month later, the majority were failing most of their classes because I was still getting a feel for their work ethic, determining when they were telling me the truth, and deciding how hard I needed to push each student. After I was able to learn my students learning styles, I became much more effective and my students have been passing ever since.