Methodology

Community- based learning refers to a wide variety of instructional methods and programs that educators use to connect what is being taught in schools to their surrounding communities, including local institutions, history, literature, cultural heritage, and natural environments. Community- based learning is also motivated by the belief that all communities have intrinsic educational assets and resources that educators can use to enhance learning experiences for students. Synonyms include community- based education, place- based learning, and place- based education, among other terms.

Concept of community based resources

Proponents of community- based generally argue that students will be more interested in the subjects and concepts being taught, and they will be more inspired to learn, if academic study is connected to concepts, issues, and contexts that are more familiar, understandable, accessible, or personally relevant to them. By using the “community as a classroom,” advocates would argue, teachers can improve knowledge retention, skill acquisition, and preparation for adult life because students can be given more opportunities apply learning in practical, real - life settings— by researching a local ecosystem, for example, or by volunteering at a non profit organization that is working to improve the world in some meaningful way. While the methods and forms of community- based learning are both sophisticated and numerous, the concept is perhaps most readily described in terms of four general approaches (all of which might be pursued independently or combined with other approaches):

Instructional connections:

 In this form of community- based learning, teachers would make explicit and purposeful connections between the material being taught in the classroom and local issues, contexts, and concepts. For example, the workings of a democratic political system may be described in terms of a local political process; statistics and probability may be taught using stats from a local sports team; a scientific concept may be explained using an example taken from a local habitat or ecosystem; or the Civil War may be taught using examples and stories drawn from local history. In this scenario, students may still be educated within the school walls, but community- related connections are being used to enhance student understanding or engagement in the learning process.

Community integration:

 In this approach, educators might take advantage of local experts by inviting them into the school to give presentations, participate in panel discussions, or mentor students who are working on a long-term research project. The school may also partner with a local organization or group to provide additional learning experiences in the school— e.g., a local engineering firm or scientific institution may help the school develop a robotics program or judge science- fair projects. In this scenario, students are still being educated within the school walls, but community resources and authorities are being used to enhance the learning experience.

Community participation:

 In this approach, students would learn, at least in part, by actively participating in their community. For example, students may undertake a research project on a local environmental problem in collaboration with a scientist or nonprofits organization; participate in an internship or job- shadowing program at a local business for which they can earn academic credit or recognition; volunteer at a local nonprofits or advocacy campaign during which they conduct related research, write a paper, or produce a documentary on what they learned; or they may interview doctors, urgent - care professionals, health -insurance executives, and individuals in the community without health insurance to learn about the practical challenges faced when attempting to expand health- care coverage. In this scenario, students are learning both within and outside of the school walls and participatory community- based-learning experiences would be connected in some way to the school’s academic program.

Citizen action:

 This approach would be considered by some experts and educators to be the fullest or most “authentic" realization of community -based learning— students not only learn from and in their community, but they also use what they are learning to influence, change, or give back to the community in some meaningful way. For example, students may write a regular column for the local newspaper (rather than simply turning in their writing to a teacher); research an environmental or social problem and then create an online petition or deliver a presentation to the city council with the goal of influencing local policy; or volunteer for a local nonprofits and create an multimedia presentation, citizen -action campaign, or short documentary intended to raise awareness in their community about a particular cause. In this scenario, the audience for and potential beneficiaries of a student’s learning products would extend beyond teachers, mentors, and other students to include community organizations and the general public.

Potential benefits for Students

·         Takes students out of the classroom and into the community to provide students with “real-life” experiences that in turn supports and contributes to academic learning

Gives students an opportunity to become active citizens, to be part of the political process and part of the problem solving solutions that impact the community

Provides students with political, social and professional resources

Broadens perspectives and enhancing critical thinking skills

Improves interpersonal and human relations skills

Allows you to forge professional networks