Service Learning
Service learning combines academic or school learning with engagement in the form of project work.
Target group: Students; schoolchildren (from 3rd/4th grade onwards)
Duration: Several weeks to months
Keywords: Commitment, action orientation, transfer, project work, external cooperation partners, Inner Development Goals (IDGs)
The teaching and learning format known as service learning (SL), also referred to as learning through engagement (LtE), combines academic learning and social engagement in the form of student projects carried out with non-university partners (e.g., non-profit organizations, companies, local institutions) and reflected upon in accompanying courses. The process- and action-oriented format of service learning makes a valuable contribution to promoting creative skills in the sense of holistic ESD: at the interface between science and society, this experience-based method enables the theory and practice of sustainable development to be linked. In collaboration with their partners, learners identify real needs or challenges against the backdrop of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By planning, implementing, and evaluating projects to solve these problems, learners experience the transfer of academic knowledge into practice, the transformation of mindsets, and transdisciplinarity in collaboration. Regular exchange, guided reflection, and a positive culture of error support the development of skills in line with the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) competency framework for all participants.
Service learning is implemented in Module 6 "Transdisciplinary Approaches to Transformative Action" of the el mundo-ESD certificate program for teachers. Teacher training students design their own service learning projects related to sustainability and ESD, and are also empowered to implement service learning in a school context with primary and secondary school students.
Starting in December 2024, el mundo will lead the Erasmus+ project SEED "Shaping the Future – Education for Sustainable Development through Service-Learning" with Romanian and German partner organizations. The goal is to systematically explore the potential of service learning with regard to ESD and to provide a pedagogical concept for universities and schools.
