Description
Book SynopsisA Glorious Revolution integrates the ideas of service-learning, positive youth development, and model communities into a book with a comprehensive message about making communities more democratic. Specifically, the book argues that through service-learning an educator can teach higher-order thinking, such as information literacy, problem-solving, and critical and creative thinking. Educators learn how to teach each of these skills. The book also argues that service-learning fosters skills for career success. The book also introduces a new way to think about what constitutes a model community. The authors use current and classical research, books, and web sites on the topics presented in the book and employ examples of how different communities currently engage their young people. The end of each chapter includes exercises designed to foster critical thinking.
Trade ReviewThe material presented in this book provides many helpful suggestions for how educators can take advantage of service learning to promote development of specific skills associated with each topic. I think educators will learn to value this book as a resource that will help them improve their teaching. It is practical and presents a new model for thinking about service-learning as a way to build communities by providing youth with more central roles. It will be useful and provocative to those who are already teaching service-learning classes as well as to those who are contemplating how to design a successful experience for the first time. -- Robert G. Bringle, Chancellor's Professor of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University
This book explores a very exciting concept—a paradigm shift in our view of youth—and I can see why it is called A Glorious Revolution. It contains a great many interesting ideas and represents a great deal of work and wide-ranging thinking about ways to help young people grow. -- Florence Pritchard, former associate vice president for academic affairs at Salisbury University
This book is a call to action for those who realize, and those who wish to influence others to realize, that the key for building community in the twenty-first century is to engage its youth. This is essential reading for any teacher, administrator, parent, or community partner interested in using service-learning to help students connect academic content with their community in a meaningful way. It provides concrete ideas that can be used immediately, along with a summary of the latest research that shows the impact service-learning has on students and the greater community. -- Brian Raygor, supervisor of science and student service-learning, Wicomico County Public Schools, Maryland
After helping Salisbury, Md., become one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People, George Whitehead and Andrew Kitzrow offer a blueprint for integrating positive youth development and advocacy to create communities where young peple flourish....The authors' own model community concept at the heart of this book allows this "paradigm shift" in attitudes to occur....these ideas for involving youth as partners in model communities are worth pursuing. * Youth Today, June 2010 *
Whitehead and Kitzrow give a fantastic and comprehensive look at the history of service-learning and what needs to be done to have it be a more practiced educational approach. They lay out an educational strategy that policy makers and educators can agree will make young people more engaged in learning. Thirty percent of our county's young people are dropping out of high school very year. Service-learning helps students to better understand why what they are learning is relevant—in many cases it may also empower them to become civically engaged in their communities and stay in school. This is a must-read book for anyone who works with young people in America. -- Elaine Leibsohn, America's Promise Alliance
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Service-Learning, Education, and Community Reform Chapter 2 Information Literacy Chapter 3 Problem-Solving Chapter 4 Critical Thinking Chapter 5 Creativity and Creative Thinking Chapter 6 Communities for Youth Chapter 7 Four Cornerstones Chapter 8 Youth Empowerment Chapter 9 Community Examples Chapter 10 Before You Shift Chapter 11 Call to Action
