“It is clear how powerful this type of learning can be for both teachers and students. Thank you for opening my eyes, providing clear examples, and your discussion points were so powerful. I hope to do service-learning justice in my own classroom.“
–Class Participant
“I enjoyed the pace of the course, especially during the summer. I enjoyed learning about other teachers’ ideas and how they were going to implement his or her projects. Thank you for providing past project examples and being supportive to teachers.”
–Class Participant
“Collaborating with Ellen and Kathy at Partnerships to offer professional development for teachers on career awareness and exploration is like igniting a beacon of opportunity in education. Together, they illuminate the path for educators to develop authentic and engaging projects that empower students with knowledge. DACC offers the “Making Learning Irresistible” course for elementary and middle school teachers in our partner districts to support career awareness and exploration through Service-Learning and Project Based Learning strategies.”
–Lisa-Marie Reinhart, DACC
These were just a few of the comments from participants and sponsors in Partnerships’ most recent “Making Learning Irresistible” graduate/CEU course. Thanks to the Delaware Area Career Center, 28 member school educators were able to take part in this workshop and obtain graduate credit for free.
"Making Learning Irresistible" is designed to engage educators in collaborative design of highly engaging authentic instruction, specifically service-learning/PBL. These curriculum-based project ideas are tied to enhancing academic content standards and the social/emotional learning of students.
The 2023 course met on Zoom for six sessions, and then met in-person at DACC for the final session. While at DACC, participants received a tour of the Career Center and heard from DACC staff members and students about available programs and resources.
As part of their project design for authentic learning, class members were asked to incorporate the use of experts from the community and/or DACC as significant resources. These role models will provide valuable information and inspiration as students undertake the "mission" of their project.
Service-learning, PBL, and other authentic learning strategies are invaluable tools for workforce development. They provide age-appropriate opportunities for students to "do the work of real people" and contribute to the culture, economy, and well-being of their communities and the world.
Here are a few sample projects created as a part of this last “Making Learning Irresistible” workshop:
Can I Be Your Dog?: A Service Learning Project to Bring Awareness and Support for Local Humane Society Driving Questions: How can we bring awareness to humane societies? How can we use our skills as communicators to bring awareness to the needs of these shelters? In what ways can we support them as they care for dogs?
Tree Awareness on the Morning News Driving Questions: How can we learn more about the nature around our school, find new ways to support it, and be a good neighbor to it? How can we use the morning news to create more connections and learning around our school regarding trees and the importance of trees?
Creating an Eco-Friendly and Welcoming Outdoor Space at Walnut Springs Middle School Driving Question: How can we, as young environmentalists, improve an area of our school grounds with an eco-friendly and welcoming design?
Sixth grade students will work with DACC students to create an eco-friendly and welcoming outdoor area at Walnut Springs. We will use the book, Hoot, along with a visit to a nearby wetlands, to springboard the students’ ideas.
If your school or district would like to sponsor a future “Making Learning Irresistible” workshop, email info@partnershipsforall.org.
To learn more about opportunities at Delaware Area Career Center, contact Lisa-Marie Reinhart, reinhartl@delawareareacc.org, https://www.delawareareacc.org/
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