Community+Based+Learning+A+Foundation+for+Meaningful+Educational+Reform

// In my community experience, I went from learning what something is, to applying it to real life. I learned why I need to know the things that I learned in math class. I had a chance to work with some neat people who let me try out things for myself. The mentor really seemed to care about me as a person, and I had fun. // —A Student Many of today's leaders in education, business, and community development are coming to realize, even more than in the past, that schools alone cannot prepare our youth for productive adulthood. These leaders are ready to try new approaches that link learning activities in classrooms with a full range of learning experiences available in our communities. Perhaps more important than the views of adults are the views of young people about themselves and their schools. Students often complain that their classes are irrelevant, not related to what occurs outside of the classroom, and lacking opportunities for hands-on applications. They feel they are treated as children instead of being given adult responsibilities. They feel cut off from meaningful relationships with caring adults. As a result, they are often unmotivated to study and view education as something imposed by adults rather than an exciting opportunity for them to develop their skills and contribute to others. In short, there is a growing consensus that change is needed in education, not only in reforming // what // is taught but also in // how // and // where // it is taught. This topical synthesis summarizes what we have learned over the past 20 years about various community-based learning programs and describes how community-based learning can serve as an important contribution to educational reform in the future. The paper first defines what we mean by community-based learning and discusses it as a philosophy, program, set of strategies, and expected outcomes. Next, we describe the advantages of having multiple outcomes for community-based learning that include a youth development perspective. We review the barriers that have faced this form of learning. The research regarding community-based learning is discussed, followed by its contribution to educational reform. Finally, we state some conclusions and recommendations for future directions. Following the text we cite key references and general references.
 * Introduction **

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