Authentic Service-Learning in the Classroom—A Journey of Empathy, Engagement, and Real-World Impact

As an interdisciplinary teacher at a theme-based school, I focus on student-centered learning that includes experiential and project-based approaches. Each term, we explore different themes, integrating multiple subjects while prioritizing skills development.

Two years ago, my colleague Jordyn Garinger and I decided to bring our classes together to teach a shared theme: Local Crises. Within this theme, we launched a module on food security, which quickly grew into a hands-on, community-focused project. Our students not only learned about food insecurity but also gained valuable skills in research, journalism, and problem-solving—all while making a real-world impact.

Learning Through Food Insecurity

To introduce the students to the issue of food insecurity, we invited a co-founder, Kelly Chessman, of a local community fridge to speak to our grade 5/6 and 7/8 classes. She shared her experiences working to fill gaps in food security, bringing a real-life perspective to a topic that may have felt distant for some students. Through this experience, students had the opportunity to conduct interviews with her, developing their primary research skills while learning about the specific challenges faced by members of their own community.

This first hand interaction allowed students to understand food insecurity in a tangible way. It sparked their curiosity and led to a class-driven initiative: organizing a school-wide fundraiser to purchase food to stock the fridge. By raising over $600, the students not only learned about the logistics of organizing such an event but also saw how their actions could directly impact their community.

Journalism as a Tool for Critical Thinking

As we delved deeper into the project, we introduced journalism as a means of exploring local issues while fostering critical thinking. We wanted students to understand the importance of telling stories accurately and thoughtfully, developing skills in research, writing, and interviewing.

Why journalism? The ability to think critically about complex, interconnected issues is a key skill for students in today’s world. By participating in regular news circles, students analyzed real news stories and explored how perspective and bias can shape the narrative. This process then allowed them to better understand how to craft their own news stories, discussing how different angles or biases could influence the message.

We invited a director of marketing with a journalism background to teach the students how to conduct meaningful interviews. They learned how to ask open-ended questions, actively listen, and tell stories that respect and highlight the experiences of others. This prepared them to step into the role of journalists at the event, where they gathered and reported on stories from the community.

Understanding Environmental Impact

An additional focus of the project was to encourage students to think critically about the environmental impact of their food choices. With the money raised, they worked in groups to create shopping lists for the community fridge, ensuring that they stayed within budget while considering factors like food miles, seasonality, and packaging waste.

Students explored how certain foods—those with fewer food miles or minimal packaging—could be better for the environment. This aspect of the project gave them a more well-rounded understanding of the decisions that affect not just local communities but the world at large.

Hosting a Community Engagement Event

The project culminated in a community engagement event that was designed to foster connection and understanding between students and the people who use the fridge. The students organized the event at the local community fridge, serving coffee and pastries to bring neighbors together in a positive environment.

During the event, our students had the important task of listening to community members. They were not the center of the project; instead, they focused on raising other voices and uncovering stories from the community. By doing so, they learned to appreciate the experiences of those who benefit from the fridge, gaining valuable insights into how their efforts positively impact the lives of others.

The event was an opportunity for students to engage directly with the people their project was benefiting, allowing them to see the real-world implications of their efforts. This experience not only provided rich material for their journalism projects but also allowed them to connect on a deeper level with their community.

Preparing for the Event: Lessons in Journalism

Before the event, we focused on preparing the students to report on the stories they would hear with care and accuracy. We covered the basics of interviewing—how to ask questions that would elicit meaningful responses and how to avoid bias in reporting. We emphasized the responsibility that comes with telling someone else’s story and the importance of presenting information clearly and accurately.

By the time the community event arrived, the students were well-prepared to approach their role as journalists with confidence. Afterward, they engaged in a two-day writing process to reflect on their experiences, draft stories based on their interviews, and polish their work through multiple revisions.

Project-based Assessment

For this interdisciplinary project, we used a competency-based approach, assessing students on skills from the English, math, and social studies curricula. Some of the key competencies included collaboration, public speaking, critical thinking, personal and social responsibility, and research skills. Through this project, we wove together learning from multiple subjects—students applied math skills for budgeting and environmental calculations, social studies knowledge to explore food security, and English skills to conduct research, interviews, and write news articles through the writing process. Throughout the project, students engaged in metacognition, reflecting on meaningful moments in their learning process and assessing their development of various skills. They received ongoing feedback through comments on their e-portfolios, as well as peer and teacher feedback during the drafting stages and after news circle discussions. The final product was evaluated, but emphasis was also placed on assessing the entire process, ensuring that students received continuous guidance and support to improve their work. We provided a final single-point rubric, co-constructed with the students, that emphasized the key skills outlined above

Lessons Beyond the Classroom

This project taught our students far more than just food security or journalism. It provided them with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, collaborate with peers, and see how their actions can have a direct impact on the world around them. The integration of real-world issues like food security and environmental responsibility helped them understand that even small efforts can make a big difference when approached thoughtfully and with care. They also took away what meaningful volunteerism could look like compared to tokenism volunteer work.?

Through this project, students learned not only to recognize the challenges their community faces but also how to engage with those challenges in a way that promotes understanding and positive change.