Vista's Service Learning Project
Why Service Learning?
Service Learning is a strategy that has been proven to:
- Teach Common Core
- College & Career Readiness
- Engage Unmotivated Learners
- Improve Drop-out Rates
- Make Learning Fun
- Excite Excelling Students
- Ignite 21st Century Skills
We believe service learning is the means to achieve the district's mission to inspire students to persevere as critical thinkers who collaborate to solve real world problems. Service learning builds critical academic skills while engaging students in personally relevant, meaningful service. Interacting with members of the local business community and service organizations awakens students to myriad opportunities in the world of work.
Service Learning in the News!
Across the nation there are a number of definitions of Service Learning. In Vista we define service learning as a research-based teaching pedagogy where learning outcomes are realized via action to address real community needs in a design-based process.
School |
Community |
World of Work |
VUSD Service Learning Project ShowcaseWant to see what teachers in VUSD have done for SL? Past projects are showcased.
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Service Learning ResourcesCheck this repository of SL resources to help streamline your project's success.
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Service Learning Professional DevelopmentFind out where and when staff can receive SL Professional Development opportunities.
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Many confuse community service for service learning. The graphic below represents where different experiential educational program fall on a continuum of emphasis (Furco, 1996). In community service the primary beneficiary is the recipient of service, while in service learning, there is a balance between the recipient and the provider. Another key difference is the specific learning outcomes the students are to achieve in service learning.
Service-Learning: EXAMPLE 1
1. Coordinating a school food drive is service. 2. Calculating caloric intake is learning. 3. Calculating the average caloric intake of students in a school, setting up a website to gather statistics, then organizing a “Vista Food Security Initiative ” to help reduce child hunger is service-learning.
Service-Learning: EXAMPLE 2
1. Picking up trash at the beach is service. 2. Studying water samples under a microscope is learning. 3. Science students collecting and analyzing water samples, documenting their results, and presenting their findings to a local pollution control agency is service-learning.
* Adapted from National Youth Leadership Council (http://www.nylc.org/)
1. Coordinating a school food drive is service. 2. Calculating caloric intake is learning. 3. Calculating the average caloric intake of students in a school, setting up a website to gather statistics, then organizing a “Vista Food Security Initiative ” to help reduce child hunger is service-learning.
Service-Learning: EXAMPLE 2
1. Picking up trash at the beach is service. 2. Studying water samples under a microscope is learning. 3. Science students collecting and analyzing water samples, documenting their results, and presenting their findings to a local pollution control agency is service-learning.
* Adapted from National Youth Leadership Council (http://www.nylc.org/)