Re: "Best of" resources for Service Learning

I highly recommend two books by Janet Eyler and Dwight Giles, both of which I found to be very useful and informative.

The first is Where's the Learning in Service-Learning, which was published by Jossey-Bass in 1999.  The book explores learning outcomes of college students engaged in various service-learning activities.  The book is based on the findings from two large-scale studies.  The research on which the book is based received the 1998 Outstanding Research Award from the National Society for Experiential Education.  It's one of the best books I've read on the subject of the learning outcomes of service-learning.

The other book is an excellent user-friendly guide to reflection called, A Practitioner's Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning.  The book was published in 1996 the Corporation for National Service.  Eyler and Giles, along with Angela Schmiede, present a comprehensive set of issues regarding conducting reflection. 

There are many other resources I can recommend.  I might suggest that you consider forwarding the results of your list-serve inquiry to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (at University of Minnesota and UCLA).  They may want to compile a top-ten list of service-learning resources on various service-learning topics.

It was nice meeting you at the California conference last month.

Best wishes with your service-learning  activities.

Andy Furco
UC Berkeley




>Perhaps this request has already been sent out to the listserv, but I
>will ask again anyhow.  I am compiling a resource library for faculty at
>our new Jacobsen Center for Service and Learning at Brigham Young
>University.  So far I have some great bibliographies off of websites,
>several of the "essential"  books for Service-Learning, and articles.

>However, I would like to know from all of you what the "must-have's" and
>"best-of's" are of service-learning.   Most of the bibliographies I have
>are so long and we don't want to keep all of the books at our resource
>library, but we would like to keep those that are MOST helpful and MOST
>used.  Please send me some references and perhaps a short annotated
>bibliography, if any of you have them.
>
>Thank you in advance for your reply!  
>Enjoy the holidays and have a merry Christmas!
>
>Heidi Bitter
>Academic Outreach Coordinator
>VISTA Volunteer
>Jacobsen Center for Service and Learning
>Brigham Young University
>2010 WSC
>Provo, UT 84604
>phone: (801)378-9277
>fax: (801)378-1291