Developing and Implementing a Philosophy for Service Learning at Barker

Olivia Smith Coordinator of Service Learning & Languages Teacher Josephine Christofferson Assistant Coordinator Commerce & Service Learning

Abstract

This paper explores the development and implementation of a philosophy of service learning. Service learning is an important part of school life at Barker College with every student afforded the opportunity to engage in age-appropriate service activities that look to see positive gains in students’ attitudes toward self, attitudes toward school and learning, civic engagement, social skills, and academic performance. It is the aim of Barker’s Service Learning Program to foster academic success and develop well rounded young people who are active citizens, serving the wider community with respect, integrity and courage and compassion. Connected to the school’s teaching and learning framework, students engage in service learning experiences that is based on three concepts: Respect, Relationship and Return.

Introduction

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others.” Gandhi

Service learning is an experiential education approach that is premised on "reciprocal learning" (Sigmon, 1979, quoted in Furco 1996). As learning flows from service activities, both those who provide service and those who receive it "learn" from their experiences. As demonstrated in a meta-analysis of 62 studies involving 11,837 students participating in service learning programs in the USA by Celio et al., (2011), students achieved significant gains in five outcome areas: attitudes toward self, attitudes toward school and learning, civic engagement, social skills, and academic performance. Service learning is therefore fundamental to education and growth of students during their most formative years.

So why do we engage in service learning at Barker? Teaching and learning at Barker College is characterised by our “Thrive Framework of 4 pillars”: Inquiry, Rhetoric, Gratitude and Service. These pillars are underpinned by our values: Commitment, Compassion, Courage, Integrity & Respect. We wanted to create a program of service initiatives for each year group that follows these values and pillars, allowing students to develop a culture of service learning throughout their time at Barker.

Service learning programs that begin early and are continuous throughout schooling appear to achieve the greatest gains with respect to both citizenship and academic performance (Moore et al., 1999). To do this, at Barker, we developed a two-tiered system. Firstly, we partnered with charities through each of our vertically aligned house groups (Years 7-12). Secondly, we matched each year group with a suitable age-appropriate theme of service and rewarding service-learning experience. Through this model, we aspire to create a visible and sustainable culture of service learning that students can take beyond their schooling years into future endeavours. This model is based on a strong philosophy of service learning that we aim to deliver at Barker.

Our Philosophy An adaptation of our philosophy stemmed from the Australian Centre for Service Learning (ACSL, n.d.), where transformative learning is created by building upon the 7R approach as a foundation for all programs incorporating; respect, relationship, return, reality, resilience, research and reflection (Huitker, 2022). At Barker, we are actively developing a philosophy for service learning which rests on three of the ACSL components: Respect, Relationship and Return. We found these three values are intrinsically linked when engaging sustainable service learning and resonate with Barker’s school values. The aim of the service learning philosophy is to act as an articulation of guiding principles when creating service learning opportunities at Barker College.

R Respect Respect is one of the core values at Barker. We promote respect in our classrooms at the same time as extending it into our community. Where service learning promotes this value in our students is in their understanding of diversity and mutual respect, something that is looked upon highly in society. This vision emphasises that our students work collaboratively to address our community’s needs. Through our service learning programs we provide our students opportunities to work with and alongside children and adults who live on the margins of society. We feel this promotes inclusivity and mutual respect.

R Relationship The best service-learning activities are those that emphasise student learning whilst concurrently addressing community needs (Chamber & Lavery, 2017). Service learning at Barker seeks to promote a mutually beneficial relationship between our students and community partners. This reciprocal relationship teaches our students to value opportunities for personal and academic growth while fostering a culture of inclusion. The ongoing nature of our service learning programs seeks to build continuity with relationships that are sustainable. Therefore, we continue to actively support and contribute to our community by creating meaningful relationships.

R Returning Building an authentic relationship requires commitment, rather than a specific short-term purpose. At Barker we believe that through returning to services we engage with, we form trusting partnerships. We believe these longer term relationships are critical for servicelearning success, as they mean that partners and students learn together and understand

each other better. We believe this is truly where the learning occurs. The service is no longer transactional, and we understand why and how we are making a mutual impact on both the community we are serving, as well as our own students.

Service Learning Programs in the Middle School In Year 7, we focus on the theme of the environment, as this creates age appropriate activities with which students can engage as they are introduced to service learning at our school. Our Year 7 students can be involved in the Barker Recycling Program whereby they collect recycling bins from staff rooms, sort through these and take them to be collected. The program is coordinated by one dedicated staff member with other staff members helping these students. Through this, students learn to respect the environment of our school, develop relationships with our staff members and return weekly to this commitment, all while helping to promote a culture of service within our school community.

In Year 8 we focus on the theme of care through working with aged care homes and hospitals. An organic relationship of care grew with a local charity: The North Foundation upon their request to work with North Shore Sydney schools on a Costumes for Cancer initiative. To show respect to the needs of the North Foundation, our Year 8 students met with the charity and learnt how to best serve them. A relationship was developed, and The North Foundation brought doctors into the school, whom Year 8 introduced to the primary school, to assist in better understanding the purpose of their fundraising activity. We returned to this charity during our Year 8 Service Learning day, where students created handprint messages to display in the North Shore Hospital, thanking hospital workers for their dedicated service to our community. The Year 8 Service Learning Day, entitled “A Heart for Service”, gave students a taste of all the different programs that we offer throughout Barker. In the future, once the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic are overcome, our plan is to work with an aged care home on a regular basis.

In Year 9 we focus on the theme of shelter. This theme is age-appropriate for Year 9 as these students have the maturity to engage with homeless people in our community. Our students are primarily involved in helping at Hornsby Connect, a local supermarket for disadvantaged members of the community. Students learn to respect members of the community who are marginalised by society, not passing on judgement. In doing so, an authentic relationship has been formed with both the volunteers and participants based on mutual understanding. We have made a commitment to returning to Hornsby Connect weekly with a small group of students from each pastoral care group. The students then take back this experience of service learning to their pastoral care group and encourage members of their group to volunteer at the next opportunity, therefore allowing them to reflect on their experiences and demonstrate leadership skills.

Service Learning Programs in the Senior School In Year 10 we focus on the theme of Education. This has allowed Year 10 students to engage with young people in education at Clarke Road School and Ngarralingayil Barker. Clarke

Road School caters for students with an intellectual disability and is committed to vibrant, engaged learning and promoting student independence. This long-standing, strong partnership has been in existence for over 30 years and embodies the elements – returning, respectful and relationships - of service. Students visit the school every week during the course of a term, working in the same classroom to build a strong relationship with the students. This routine allows Barker students to ‘return’ and build a relationship with the students, respecting their abilities as learners and individuals. We are committed to maintaining the strong partnership with Clarke Road School, as it provides rich and meaningful experiences for our students.

Year 10 students have also been providing service as student mentors, as we begin to strengthen our relationship with the Darkinjung Barker and Ngarralingayil Barker. In their capacity as student mentors for the primary school students, they have modelled the Barker values through commitment to learning, courage in taking risks in learning, and integrity and respect for students with differing cultural understandings. These programs run regularly and include student mentoring in music, robotics, reading, mathematics and in play. Building this relationship is important as we acknowledge Barker as one school across four campuses.

As students move further into the Senior School, it is appropriate that we align our service initiatives to leadership and look to prepare students for ‘Beyond the Mint Gates’, a phrase used at the school to refer to life after Barker as active citizens in our community. In Year 11 and Year 12, students can participate in community events such as TimeOut Basketball, Red Shield Appeal, Bobbo Cycle Classic and the Lifeline Book Fair. TimeOut basketball is an established program that aims to provide ‘TimeOut’ for the parents and carers of young adults with a disability. Barker students guide participants through drills, activities, and a friendly match of basketball. Students are committed to returning on a fortnightly basis, where it is extremely important that they build a relationship with each participant and show care and compassion for their abilities to play basketball. Respect, relationships and returning are a vital component of this service as students begin to interact with people in our wider community.

As school leaders, it is pleasing to see that Year 11 and Year 12 students have led the charge in volunteering for community events. Students have been gracious in their service, continuing the tradition of helping to raise funds for the Red Shield Appeal, in partnership with the local Hornsby branch of the Salvation Army. Other events such as the Cycle Classic and the Book Fair have required students to assist with the running of the event, set up and pack up. The pinnacle of providing service is that it may disrupt a student’s normal schedule, with these events often requiring students to serve on weekends and to reorganise their study schedule or work and family commitments. Students have greatly demonstrated respect with their involvement in these yearly events, deepening the relationship between our organisations.

The Service Learning Program at Barker College is underpinned by the school’s Thrive Framework, school values and the characteristics of Return, Respect, and Relationships. Coupled with the College mission to ‘inspire every learner, every experience and every day’ the service learning model, through year groups and house groups, aims to inspire students through service. Education encompasses a wide range of learning. Service learning is a critical component in achieving academic success and developing well rounded young people who are active citizens, serving the wider community with respect, integrity and courage and compassion.

References

ACEL n.d., Australian Centre for Service Learning, viewed 24 October 2022, https://www.servicelearning.com.au/ Barker College 2019, Teaching and Learning Framework, Barker College, Hornsby, viewed 24 October 2022, https://www.barker.college/media/3411/teaching-framework-final.pdf Celio, CI, Durlak, J & Dymnicki, A 2011, ‘A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Service-Learning on Students’, Journal of Experiential Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 164–181. Chambers, D. and Lavery, S. (2017), "Introduction to Service-Learning and Inclusive Education", ServiceLearning (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 12), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620170000012001 Furco, A. (1996). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. Expanding Boundaries: Serving and Learning, 1, 1-6. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=slceslgen Moore, K. P., & Sandholtz, J. H. (1999). Designing Successful Service Learning Projects for Urban Schools. Urban Education, 34(4), 480–498. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085999344004