Service Learning (National Society for the Study of Education Yearbooks)

"While service learning is not a new concept, as Joan Schine points out in her preface, it is increasingly being regarded as a component of schooling rich with promise as schools seek to enhance students' classroom learning with real life experiences outside the school." "Readers will find here examples of many of the forms service can take in school programs at various levels. These examples illustrate how students can become involved in the community, be of service in ways that enrich their own lives, and add new dimensions to what they have learned in school." "The authors who have prepared chapters for this volume share a commitment to the idea of service learning. They also know that programs that combine service with learning in valid ways are the result of careful thought and hard work. The difficulties encountered in establishing such programs are not underestimated here, but useful strategies for coping with these problems are provided." "The case for service learning is made throughout the book. At the same time, it is recognized that the dynamics of how school-based service learning contributes to the development of young people has yet to be fully understood, in particular, how their lives after school are affected by their school experience. This volume, therefore, also makes a case for ongoing study of service learning programs and offers suggestions for how such studies could be carried out."--Jacket.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Philosophy. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.