Chapter 12: Integrating Servicelearning to Foster A Social Justice Approach

Being a democratic citizen is not a passive role (Parker, 2015). The vitality of a democracy is dependent on the active participation of her citizens (Teitelbaum, 2011). One way to get students actively involved in the secondary classroom is through service-learning projects. When educators seek to implement servicelearning activities in their classrooms, a few questions should emerge:

Such questions are important when implementing service-learning projects to assume a reflective approach to helping the community, fulfilling alignment with objectives and goals of the curriculum, and making authentic connections to the world (Bringle, Clayton, & Hatcher, 2013).

As educators assume the task of engaging students more rigorously in relation to service-learning, let us navigate these questions and explore two user-friendly lessons designed to integrate service-learning activities that fosters a social justice approach. In this chapter, two lessons are provided to encourage students to reflect upon their immediate environments and global contexts while embracing opportunities to take informed action as engaged citizens.