Service Learning: Empowering Students to Make a Difference<br>

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The WISS Education rests on four unyielding pillars of learning: Academics, Sports, Arts, and Community Service.

At the Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), service learning is a unique educational experience that combines classroom instruction with community service. By engaging in meaningful projects and activities that address real-world problems, our students can apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in the classroom to impact their communities positively. Through service learning, students also develop a sense of social responsibility, empathy, and compassion for others and gain valuable leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.

Ultimately, service learning has the potential to transform not only individual students but also their communities and the world at large by fostering a commitment to civic engagement, social justice, and global citizenship.

Service learning is, on the one hand, a powerful learning methodology. On the other hand, it is a philosophy that reconciles the cognitive and ethical dimensions of the person; furthermore, it is a pedagogy that merges educational quality and social inclusion through a community development strategy by fostering the social capital of the communities where it takes place.

WISS believes that students benefit from enriching their personal growth and understanding their responsibilities as social citizens by participating in social services. Our school offers a wealth of opportunities for students to make a difference, approaching service learning in various ways according to their interests. At our last WISS Service Learning Fair, parents and students had a chance to explore all the service projects and initiatives our students are leading and the service they are offering back to the community. Students showed how empowered they are by putting their skills into action in new projects that positively impact the community.

In the words of Claudia Romeo, Service as Action Coordinator: “The Service Learning Fair marks the culmination of the service learning cycle for our students. In it, students from Grades 6 through 12 who have been part of the most successful and engaging initiatives showcase and share the process's outcome with the community. In doing so, they serve as an inspiration to all with their example of commitment and service. From that inspiration, the flame of a new service-learning cycle is lit.”

The Service LearningFair was a display of nine projects focused on an array of topics such as the environment, health and wellness, or education, among others. Students demonstrated what community is and their responsibilities as members of a larger community.

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Service Learning: Empowering Students to Make a Difference

Mar 23, 2022