What can go wrong, will go wrong, is a phrase that is applicable not only to this nation but in this global economy. We have climate change, widespread economic distress, social safety nets that have been shredded by economic interests, wars without end, and a generation of youth not only facing an uncertain future but lacking the resources to effectively problem solve.
But don't despair, there is a solution. The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse maintains a website for educators of all levels to facilitate engaging today's youth in not only being proactive about their contribution to society but also in making those contributions a learning experience. For progressives everywhere this is a ray of hope we can believe in.
More after the fold.
Community-based learning is not a new concept. The concept that the greater good is served by promoting education was codified in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln in signing the Morrill Act providing for land grant educational institutions. This gave rise to the extension programs where students worked with rural families to improve agricultural production and innovation. This was also promoted most vociferously by professor and philosopher John Dewey.
Dewey believed there is an intimate connection between education and social action in a democracy. "Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife," Dewey wrote in School and Society, published in 1889. Dewey recognized that schools, particularly elementary and secondary schools, often were repressive institutions that did not promote exploration and growth. He wrote about, and helped to implement, a number of reforms that would allow schools to be "major agencies for the development of free personalities" (Sidorsky, p. xxx). Dewey's ideas were put into practice in 1896 at the University of Chicago's experimental school.
Dewey believed that school should teach students how to be problem-solvers by helping students learn how to think rather than simply learning rote lessons about large amounts of information. In Dewey's view, schools should focus on judgment rather than knowledge so that school children become adults who can "pass judgments pertinently and discriminateingly on the problems of human living" (Campbell, 1995, p. 215-216). Dewey also believed that schools should help students learn to live and to work cooperatively with others. In School and Society he wrote, "In a complex society, ability to understand and sympathize with the operations and lot of others is a condition of common purpose which only education can procure."
The concept of education and community action is not new but the new frontiers opened up in the Internet age provides us with the means to create a better society on levels more widespread than ever before. Through the use of online resources this teaching strategy is available not only to educators but community activists and political groups. There is a growing awareness that our society is already evolving into a more Internet-based model and today's youth are key in this evolution.
More and more of the young people we serve as clients and recruit as volunteers are savvy users of technology. Whether a person embraces or shuns technology is not dependent on age, and there are technophiles and technophobes among young and old alike. But youth tend to have a greater interest in and ability to use technologies that comes from having grown up using them in their schools, work places, and personal lives. A 2007 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that an estimated 93% of American teens ages 12 to 17 use the Internet. The survey also found that large numbers of these online youth are using the Internet to create and share content and interact with others. Fifty-five percent (55%) of the online teens surveyed have created a profile on MySpace or Facebook. Forty-seven percent (47%) have uploaded photos to sites where others can see them, and 14% have posted videos. Another Pew survey in 2008 added that 85% of the teens use personal electronic communication tools, including text messaging, sending e-mail or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites. There are some caveats (see the sidebar “A New Digital Divide”), but clearly the majority of young people are exposed to and comfortable with computer and online technologies.
The new online problem-solving game InterroBang capitalizes on young people's connection to technology InterroBang and it provides a gaming connection to service-learning and problem-solving with Smithsonian experts. This provides students that may only have an interest in the competitive aspects of Internet interactions the opportunity to be exposed to problem-solving on a real-world level while enjoying their gaming pursuits.
Online Conference: Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts
Smithsonian historians, scientists, researchers and other experts share their questions, their methods, and their unique way of thinking in an interactive format that welcomes you to contribute your own ideas during this two-part conference. April 13-14 and April 28-29, 2010.
By making these programs web-based there is a greater opportunity not only to reach these students and bring them into community-based activities but the ability to maintain long term connections with these students as they progress in their educational careers and beyond is enhanced. Of course service-learning opportunities are not limited to high school or college aged students but can be initiated with all grade levels.
Service-learning can happen in schools from kindergarten through university, in community and faith-based organizations, and can benefit all students no matter what their academic ability level. Why encourage your child’s involvement? Research studies of service-learning show that service-learning programs can have positive impacts on youth in three main areas: academic engagement and achievement; civic attitudes and behaviors; and social and personal skills. Through service-learning, participants also make valuable contributions to their communities and may increase motivation and desire to learn, cultivate responsibility, and improve self-esteem.
Parent participation is encouraged yet not a requirement, understanding the difficulty todays parents have in maintaining a work-life balance. As a tool for increasing developmental growth in their children and creating values that will sustain their children's future, service-learning is an excellent resource.
...parents who are involved in their children's education show that they value learning and good character, set high expectations, stay informed about their children's progress, and monitor their children's activities. Research shows that when parents maintain strong relationships with their children's schools, the parents develop:
A greater appreciation of their role in their children's education; An improved sense of self worth; Stronger social networks; and A greater understanding about their schools and teaching and learning activities in general (Carter, 2003; Mapp, 2003). Service-learning programs can benefit parents by providing them with unique ways of communicating with and understanding their children while also developing their skills as leadersand advocates in their schools and communities (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, n.d.). In some cases, parents may even be the recipients of service-learning program activities (computer training, literacy instruction, etc.).
The active use of service-learning is not only beneficial to schools and families but it forges connections between the student and the community at large. There is a disconnect among todays youth and the communities they inhabit. By creating partnerships based on the students providing service to their communities a bond is formed that benefits the entire community.
Service-learning collaborations provide students with an increased confidence in their ability and show the community that young people can make valuable contributions. (PA Service-Learning Resource and Evaluation Network) By working together, we can reach a larger population, avoid duplication of efforts, make better use of resources and deal more effectively and thoroughly with the myriad of problems faced by our young people. Whether it is schools partnering with Volunteer Centers, community based organizations partnering with business, or youth corps partnering with nursing homes, the potential for and productivity of effective partnerships are limitless.
In looking at how we have evolved into a society of self, encouraging youth of all ages to use the tools available to become better citizens will make this country and the world a better place to live for us all. By teaching the fact we are all on this island of a planet together and thus must work together to problem-solve using the Internet as a tool to facilitate this cohesiveness, we will provide a brighter future for humanity as a whole.