UNO Hosts Service Learning Seminar for K-12, College Educators

OMAHA – Approximately 70 K-12 educators and University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) faculty members will come together on UNO campus for a special four-day Service Learning Seminar beginning Monday, July 14.

Hosted by the UNO Service Learning Academy, the seminar will help educators understand how to pair community service with classroom lessons and how to go about establishing service-based learning objectives for students – regardless of education level.

Each of the four days will last from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and be held in UNO’s Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center.

Participants in the Service Learning Seminar will be given the opportunity to visit local non-profits to experience different types of service opportunities, engage in exercises to help guide curriculum planning and examine case studies with the ultimate goal of designing of a service learning project that can be implemented by participating educators during the upcoming 2014-2015 school year.

This year, UNO’s Service Learning Academy is partnering with Heron Haven, Together Inc. and Kids Can Community Center to provide hands-on service experiences for participants. Teachers will go into the community as students to learn what their students can experience through service learning projects.

The Service Learning Seminar is provided through the UNO Service Learning Academy’s P-16 Initiative, which brings together Pre-K-through-12 classrooms with UNO students and area community organizations. The goals of these P-16 service learning experiences are to improve academic performance, raise graduation rates, increase civic responsibility and ensure all students are prepared for post-secondary education.

Since its founding, the UNO Service Learning Academy has been a leader in UNO’s commitment to community engagement in Omaha and around the world. By working with nonprofit community organizations, government agencies and Pre-K-through-12 faculty, in partnership with higher education classrooms, the Service Learning Academy can provide valuable learning experiences that show education goes beyond the classroom.

The UNO Service Learning Academy, P-16 Initiative and Service Learning Seminar each contribute to UNO’s status as the only Nebraska higher education institution to be included on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since it was started in 2005.

For more information, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at 402.554.2129 or by email at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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