Service Learning Opportunities for Educators

As a global trend, service learning has been widely accepted as an effective pedagogy that replaces and/or complements the usual internship program in many colleges and universities across the world. The International Service Learning (ISL) website displays their organizational mantra "TRAVEL, SERVE, LEARN" in all caps perhaps to emphasize that service learning need not be a separate academic venue but should be accepted as a norm.

Know more about ISL, their programs and funding opportunities at https://islonline.org/

The UNESCO documents on global citizenship and various international collaborations are more than enough tools for any basic education school in the Philippines to infuse SL into the curriculum even if there is still no formal memo from DepEd. Nevertheless, we do not need a memo because as a 21st century core skill, civic engagement (a soft skill that comes in a plethora of terms) is a must for any educational institution who would prefer to evolve to become globally competitive rather than become a model of mediocrity and thereby losing its true purpose in the community.

Another international initiative is the Projects Abroad (PA). Both ISL and PA are for higher institutions, unfortunately both have not much volunteers from the Philippines, as compared to other countries. Both depend on voluntary participation but an innovative team can tap possible grant sources to be able to fund an independent project using ISL or PA as a venue.

Are you a junior or college student looking for an internship? Why not engage in a more meaningful service project? Know more about Projects Abroad in https://www.projects-abroad.org

In the Philippines, international schools would usually have the established SL programs for junior and senior high schools with national or international affiliations. Needless to say, they follow an international curriculum framework. Furthermore, the lack of a national institution to oversee SL and the demand for logistics and professional expertise on SL, contribute to the weak commitment of many Philippine basic education schools to really transform their community engagement programs into formal SL curriculum. Nevertheless, the current SHS program is an ideal opportunity to finally make SL a pedagogical practice in the Philippine educational landscape.

For a start, there are many SL conference opportunities that Filipino educators can explore. The Ohio State University (OSU) website has a list of various conferences across the US. See the list thru this link: Service-Learning Conference Opportunities. The University of Nebraska Omaha website also features a list of US and international SL conferences. See the list thru this link: UNOMAHA list of SL conferences. Traveling and experiencing a different ambiance is always a life-changing event, so why not bring your SHS students to a conference, either as a spectator, workshop participant or even a presenter. Sometimes, the ingenuity of a teacher is a much needed push to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young learner. A small campus-based project can be transformed and presented as a full SL paper in a conference. The 2020 SL conference of the National Youth Leadership Conference (NYCL) is an ideal venue for both students and teachers who would like to benchmark and test the waters for SL in a high school setting. 

Explore something different and have the opportunity to make a difference! Join the 2020 National Service Learning Conference. Know more about it thru their official conference page: https://www.nylc.org/page/conference

Not knowing about something is not an excuse but learning more means knowing less. In other words, a true teacher fuels his/her passion and commitment to teaching. There are various opportunities to understand and help one understand how to jumpstart SL. The National Geographic, for example has a free online course "Integrating Service with Goals. As of this writing, registration is still open.

Sign up at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/professional-development/courses/

I also found one on Coursera, "Compassionate Leadership Through Service Learning with Jane Goodall and Roots & Shoots". This is offered by the University of Colorado- Boulder. Another one, "Networking and Volunteerism for Career Success" is being offered by the University of California San Diego. Both courses start August 31. A lot more reading materials and videos are accessible for free in the internet. Numerous novels, TV series, documentaries, and movies have also featured service learning projects either in the formal school or educational extension context.

Furthermore, there are publishing opportunities for researchers and educators who would like to consider SL as an area of expertise. Purdue University Libraries and School Information Studies has come up with a partial list of major publications. See the list, explore and read thru this link:  SL Publishing Opportunities. 

This is the 21st century and everything you want to learn is on the web. 

Be smart teachers! Do I need to say more?