educational activities examples in community

15 Engaging Community Building Activities for the Classroom

“We’re in this together!” is a phrase we all like and need to hear. Not only that it says that we’re supported and can rely on other people, but it also makes us feel understood, safe, accepted, and thus, empowered to contribute to the relationships with our “supporters”.

A community classroom is precisely that – a place where students feel accepted, loved and connected to their peers and teacher, so they feel motivated to change, grow and learn.

According to experts, community building is the foundation of a happy classroom. For students to be productive learners, they need a sense of belonging, as their emotional and social development is deeply connected to their learning. When young students enter the classroom for the first time, they actually enter a new community away from their family, so it is essential for them to feel both empowered and invested. Or in other words, a great deal of students’ energy for learning comes from their social connectedness. 

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As a teacher, you can try different community building activities and strategies that will help you create a belonging classroom for your students. Understandably, these may be conditioned by students’ age group, i.e. grade, however, they all focus on facilitating both students’ and teachers’ skills that are crucial for problem-solving, interaction, and teamwork. 

Community Building Activities for Elementary Students

Community building activities for middle school students, community building activities for college school students.

When it comes to young students in elementary school, it is utterly important for teachers to get to know each child and set the foundations of trust and familiarity. You can play games or do projects that focus on the development of these aspects, but you can also make discussions where children can express their opinions and demonstrate who they are to their peers. 

These community building activities will encourage students to work together, communicate, listen and think creatively.

Storytelling Round Robin

For this, community building activity, you’ll need a story of your preference. Have students seated at their desks and then start the game by reading the first line of the story. Then stop and tell each student to add a new line to the story, one by one, as they’d imagine the story continues.

For example:

Teacher: Once upon a time…

Student A: …there was a squirrel…

Student B: …its name was Pirri…

Student C: …and she loved peanut butter cookies…

Keep doing this until every student gets a turn.

Additional idea: Write the story down and save it. Repeat the activity a few times throughout the year and create a printed storybook that you can give to your students at the end of the school year.

Co-Created Rules Chart 

Bring materials for creating a fun and colorful chart poster for the classroom and gather your students for this team activity. Discuss what makes them feel nice and happy in the classroom, and then explain why following rules is important for everyone.

Guide your students in creating a chart of classroom rules together with you. Give each child a turn to suggest a rule. Write down the rules and leave a replaceable blank line under each rule (you can use an adhesive write-on strap).

Explain to students that each time a rule is broken you’ll draw a frowned face under it. Change the tape every week and save it to count the frowned faces at the end of the month. Reward students if there are no more than 5 frowned symbols per month. 

Birthday Line Up

This is a fun and energetic activity. To prepare students for this activity, make sure they know the order of months and their birthday. The goal is to line up the students in order of their birthdays, starting from January to December. Tell them to go around and ask each other about their birthdays to figure out the order they need to make. Add an extra challenge by telling them to do it with pantomime instead of talking.

Kind Mondays 

This activity will teach students about the importance of encouraging and lifting their peers up. Start every school week by sitting with your students in a circle with their legs straight. Tell your students to compliment the classmate opposite them, say why they are good friends or what they like most about them. 

Each time a student receives a compliment, they cross their legs. Make sure you change students’ positions and pair students that are not very close as friends to make them more interested in one another positively. 

Creative Solutions

Choose four random items and think of fun, challenging scenarios that you will later read to your students. Split your students into teams and present the scenario that each team will have to solve only with those four items.

You’re trapped in the jungle with Captain Hook…

If you need more resources to engage your young-aged students, look at these warm-up activities for kids .

The quality of the social and academic achievements of middle school children becomes better when they feel that they belong. Considering that middle school is a transitional period and the very beginning of puberty, it is important that teachers incorporate activities that will help students of this age feel accepted and active in their learning environment and thus cultivate their sense of belonging.

Step into My Shoes

Learning about diversity can be fun and very helpful for students to learn how to interact and relate with people who are different from themselves. 

Prepare a reading sheet with scrambled letters (free download below) and hand out a copy to each student. Ask for students to read the sheet aloud. After students have struggled reading, read the full text from the answer sheet. Ask students how it felt to read this and explain that this is how people with learning disabilities usually feel despite their intelligence (dyslexia, dyscalculia).

Ask students if people with learning disabilities can make important contributions to society (give examples- Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Tom Cruise). Conclude that people with learning disabilities have similar feelings to the ones they’ve experienced.

Walk Apart-Walk Together

With this activity, you will help students recognize differences among peers and the similarities they share. Ask two volunteers to come forward and stand back to back. Ask other students to call out things that are different about the two volunteers. 

For each difference, the volunteers take one step away from each other. When they finally reach the end of the walking space, tell them to turn and face each other. Next, tell students to call out similarities of the two volunteers. The volunteers take a step toward each other as each similarity is listed. Talk about the differences that are easy to see and mention but also the similarities that are sometimes not visible (interests, goals, preferences).

Anti-Bullying Campaign

Ask students to give examples of bullying behavior and then inform them about the possible consequences, like low grades, health issues, depression, etc. Tell students that you’re going to create an anti-bullying campaign together and present it to other classes in the school. 

Divide students into 3 groups and tell them to think of things that demonstrate kindness as opposite to bullying behavior. Write them on the board. 

Then give them the following tasks: creating an anti-bullying poster with messages that encourage nonviolent behavior, a song or YouTube video with a message against bullying, writing anti-bullying and pro-kindness tear-off messages, and creating anti-bullying memes and hashtags. Present these in front of other classes and spread the campaign in your school.

Paper Tweets

Create a bulletin board modeled according to a social media profile (e.g. Facebook or Twitter). Each student creates a profile and includes at least three followers- a close friend and two other classmates they don’t interact with much. The student writes their current mood, a problem or news and their followers respond.

After-School Hangouts

Make sure you schedule a monthly informal after-school gathering where you’d invite both parents and students. If the weather is nice, you can do this in the schoolyard or even have a picnic in the park, for example. 

Tell students that they can bring food or drinks if they want and share them. Bring a portable speaker and play some relaxing music while chit-chatting together. This type of activity allows teachers, students, and parents to interact on a different level and build deeper connections.

Building a community in the college environment can be challenging and require creative thinking. Most college students are commuters or have jobs, so college instructors ought to focus on activities that will build community among students and within the classroom.

Two Truths and A Lie (Icebreaker Activity)

Students write down two truths about themselves and one lie. Then they present the three “facts” to the rest of the group, who tries to guess which one is the lie.

Weekly Class Meetings

Meeting and talking for 15 to 30 minutes with your students at the beginning of each week is one of the simplest but effective ways to build classroom community. And it doesn’t need to be complex or specific, just ask how everyone is doing, what are their goals for the week, and what they’re doing to meet those goals. This also works via Zoom in times of COVID-19.

Gratitude Journal

Thinking about and expressing gratitude is a fun and mindful community building activity for older students. Ask your students to create a gratitude journal and write 5 things they feel grateful for at the beginning or end of the class. Ask students to share what’s on their list.

I Wish My Teacher Knew…

Though college students are adults, they might not always feel encouraged enough to speak out in the classroom and share their opinion about things. This activity will give them a voice and value their perspective. 

Create printable comment cards that read, I wish my teacher knew… with a blank line for students to fill out. Hand out the cards to students who can return them anonymously, and then you can read them aloud.

Compliments Ritual

Students like to hear that they’re doing well or that someone believes in their potential. Create a ritual at the beginning or at the end of the class where students would stand in a circle and give compliments to each other to recognize their work and positive traits.

Here are even more activities that are perfect for engaging teenagers.

Community classrooms can effectively impact students’ personal development and provide stronger motivation to learn. Studies have shown that community classroom students more often state that at school they feel at home or that they care about their classmates. And that, to conclude, results in greater social competence, higher educational expectations, and stronger problem-solving skills.

If you want more tips on how to improve your classes, you can look at many other activities for your students of every age here .

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Community-connected learning in community schools: Why it is essential for whole-school transformation

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, stacey campo and stacey campo community schools consultant - national center for community schools @staceycampo13 hayin kimner hayin kimner nonresident fellow - global economy and development , center for universal education @hayin.

August 8, 2023

In January 2023, the Community Schools Forward Task Force introduced a national consensus framework along with supporting resources to develop a common understanding of community schools and articulate essential implementation practices. The framework reflects the evolution of community school development, in particular highlighting the shift from a predominantly “wrap-around” services model to a whole-school, whole-community approach to teaching and learning that reflects the science of learning and development and explicitly includes rigorous, engaging, community-connected classroom instruction. 

What is community-connected classroom instruction and what does it look like in a community school?

Community schools are a place-based strategy ; the school acts as a hub for students, educators, families, community-based partners, local leaders, and other key stakeholders. These schools provide an ideal environment for “community-connected learning.” Activities are designed so students can practice skills in their real-world contexts; build upon those skills; and see their communities, identities, cultures, language, interests, and experiences as valued assets to their learning.

Community-connected learning cultivates more porous boundaries between classroom and community, and often explores social identity, equity, language, and culture. It can be learner-centered—the student identifies the direction of the work—or teacher-centered—the curriculum and partnerships are initiated by the teacher. Perhaps most importantly, community-connected teaching and learning is rigorous and relevant to the lives of students.  

Best practices for community-connected learning include:  

1. Inquiry-based pedagogy that prioritizes youth voices

Students develop questions and answer them through critical examination and reflection. For example, the Netter Center’s Moelis Access initiative brings together University of Pennsylvania students with students in Philadelphia’s K-12 schools for community-based, science lessons with an emphasis on problem-solving.   

2. Experiential learning that promotes collaborative skills

Learning is experience-based, applied, and enables opportunities for students to work together and/or with external partners.  During the RadioActive internship with a local radio station in Seattle, high school students are trained in radio production while simultaneously helping the station to center youth voices. And at Minneapolis’s South High , students learn about education by working with neighboring third graders while the district builds a pipeline for future teachers. 

3. Partnerships with local organizations

Lessons are co-created by either the teacher and the organization and/or the students and the organization. In East Los Angeles, Farmdale Elementary students develop a garden in partnership with a local café and explore environmental activism.  

4. Learning outside of the school campus and within the community

The city or town becomes the classroom and learning occurs in a local park, business, or museum. In rural Berea, Kentucky, community schools partner with the local library to develop a “storybook trail” that celebrates new books and cultivates community.  

5. Affirming and sustaining students’ and families’ knowledge and expertise

Students share the wealth of knowledge and experience gained from their families’ lives and work with teachers to build lesson plans based on this content.   For instance, students and families in Aurora, Colorado , share stories of immigrating to the United States, which are exhibited at the local history museum. And in Cuba, New Mexico, community school students are hired by the University of New Mexico and the University of Colorado Boulder to share and research local culture and language. 

6. Equity-focused content and topics

Learners are encouraged to consider their role and responsibility within their community. At the UCLA Mann School in Los Angeles , the student steering committee uses youth participatory action research strategies to collect data on students’ classroom experiences to improve their school. And across the country at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in New York City’s South Bronx community, students explore the mathematics of gerrymandering in their borough.

What is needed to strengthen community-connected teaching and learning? 

Community-connected learning starts with building trust in the classroom, where teachers learn about their students and cultivate connections with and between their students. Teachers understand their students’ assets and gifts, develop a deeper understanding of community inequities, and cultivate the skills to deconstruct these inequities with their students.

 In the same way collaboration and leadership are essential ingredients for community-connected learning, so are dedicated time and resources for professional learning .  Schools must develop professional learning opportunities that teach educators youth participatory action research , restorative practices , and critical consciousness , couched in an understanding of the community school strategy and a whole-child approach to education. Once properly trained, teachers require agency, sufficient planning time, and instructional coaching to design and facilitate these learning experiences.  

Like all facets of a community school, community-connected learning can’t happen without intentional systems and a supportive infrastructure —such as reliable funding and staffing—to meet desired outcomes . For example, community schools are staffed by a coordinator—hired by the district or a lead community partner—who is tasked with “managing partnerships.” Historically, this has meant bringing in resources like eyeglasses, tutoring, extended day programming, mental health services, or access to other services so students are ready to learn. However, working with school leadership, teachers, expanded learning providers, and families, the coordinator can also play an integral role in making connections that support community-connected learning by fostering learning partnerships with local universities, arts organizations, museums, businesses, and more.   

Why is community-connected learning important to community schools?

Community-connected learning must be central to how and why we educate. It is more than a different approach to teaching; it is the most effective way to teach. The science of learning and development tells us that learning happens best when students are engaged in meaningful and relevant work . As one of the key practices of a thriving community school, community-connected learning creates a crucial intersection between students’ lives and experience, real-world opportunities, and academic rigor.

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7 Activities to Build Community and Positive Classroom Culture During Online Learning

Ideas for creating authentic connections, meaningful relationships and classroom camaraderie through the screen.

By The Learning Network

When schools transitioned to remote learning in the spring, teachers worked quickly to adapt lesson plans and curriculums for virtual classes, while also trying to maintain community and connection. This fall, not only will many educators continue that same work, but they will have the added challenge of building community with students they’ve never met.

To support educators who are trying to do this, we’ve compiled a list of strategies that can foster meaningful relationships and authentic connection in the virtual classroom. They come from the community building exercises we used during our three-day virtual New York Times Teaching Project summer institute . After several participants told us they planned to start the school year with some of these activities, we thought we should share them with all of our readers.

How are you planning to get to know your students while teaching remotely this school year? Let us know in the comments.

Please note: The activities we describe below were all conducted via Zoom , but many other video conferencing platforms have similar capabilities.

Activities:

Discussion starters, flipgrid introductions, human bingo, write and show, what’s going on in this picture, meditation and mindfulness.

We started off our first professional development session with a series of discussion questions to get to know one another. Before the session, we selected a handful of questions from our daily student writing prompts that we thought would give participants an opportunity to learn something new about one another, while remaining low-stakes — no one had to share anything too personal.

Here’s how it worked: We shared a question on the screen, then sent participants into breakout rooms with one other person to discuss. After four minutes, we brought them back to the main Zoom room. We shared the next question on our screen, then sent them back into a breakout room, this time with a different partner. We repeated the process a total of three times.

This quick game allowed for short but meaningful conversations and, at the end, participants had gotten to know three new people.

If you want to try this with students:

The teacher will need the ability to create breakout rooms and assign students to them on their digital learning platform.

We put participants in groups of two, but if you’re starting the school year with this activity, consider that students might feel most comfortable talking in a group of three or four.

We gave participants four minutes to chat. Your students might need more or less time.

If we were doing this with students, we might give the class two minutes to write down some ideas in their notebooks before pairing them up to discuss.

“I have two cats.” “I love eating Oreos dipped in peanut butter.” “I speak two languages at home.” These are the kinds of personal statements participants shared during our game of That’s Me.

To set up the activity, everyone started with their cameras and microphones turned off. Then, one person came on camera and shared a statement about themselves like, “I have a sister.” Anyone else who had a sister turned on his or her camera and said, “That’s me!” Then, everyone turned their cameras and microphones back off and the next person made a statement.

Teachers need to have a remote learning classroom space that allows individual students to control their cameras and microphones.

If you’re concerned that students might have trouble coming up with statements about themselves, you can provide the class with a list of possibilities from which to choose: “I like mint chocolate chip ice cream.” “I have never tried surfing.” “Math is my favorite subject. …”

Instead of having students jump on the mic whenever they have a statement, you might have them use the “raise hand” icon or group chat to volunteer. Then you call on them one at a time.

This activity works best using the “gallery view” or something similar so you can see all participants.

Flipgrid is a video discussion tool that allows you to have face-to-face conversations without being in the same place at the same time. It’s easy: You create a discussion topic. Share it with your class. Then, learners record and share short videos to respond.

Before our summer institute began, we asked our Teaching Project participants to create short Flipgrid videos introducing themselves, including their name, pronouns, subject area, location and the answer to a fun question of their choice:

What’s your favorite show to binge-watch?

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What’s one thing that people don’t know about you by looking at you?

After they posted their own videos, we asked them to reply to at least one other person’s introduction. It was a way for participants to get to know one another and make connections before the sessions even started.

Teachers will need to create a class Flipgrid account. It’s free.

The default video length is 90 seconds, but you can adjust it to anywhere between 15 seconds and 5 minutes.

Start by posting your own video answering the questions you ask students and reply to them as they post their own.

Need ideas for questions to ask? Check out our 550 Prompts for Personal and Narrative Writing .

You might be familiar with the game Human Bingo: students walk around the room and mingle until they find someone that matches the facts listed on a bingo-style sheet. The student writes down the person’s name, and the first student to get five in a row — or fill out the whole board — wins.

Well, we adapted this for the virtual classroom: We used the Flipgrid introduction videos to populate a Bingo board, with each space including a statement about one of the participants. Then, we displayed the board on a shared screen and invited participants to write, using Zoom’s annotation tools, the correct names in each square. Participants discussed the answers in the chat and on the mic. The only rule was that you couldn’t write your own name.

This can be a great follow-up to the Flipgrid introductions to see how many students watched their classmates’ videos and remembered what they shared.

Zoom, Adobe and Google Jamboard all offer built-in annotation tools that students can use. We had participants practice by writing their names first so we could make sure everyone knew how to access the tools.

If you don’t have access to a meeting annotation tool, then students can share answers in the chat or on the mic while the teacher writes them on the board.

Here is a blank Bingo card you can edit for your own class.

If you have a large class, you can split students up into small groups in breakout rooms. Make it a competition: Whichever team completes the card first wins!

As a daily closing activity, we invited participants to sum up their reactions to the session on a written sign, then hold it up for everyone to see. The first day we asked them to describe how they were feeling in one word. Another day, we asked them to find a New York Times headline that reflected their moods. On the last day, we asked them to craft their own headlines, ones that captured how they felt and what they had learned after the three-day session.

For this activity, everyone will need to be able to see everyone else’s screen. It works best in “gallery mode” or something similar.

Students will need a piece of paper and a marker so their text is easy to read on the screen.

You can use this activity to get a sense of students’ emotional well-being at the end of each class or as an exit ticket to gauge their understanding of academic content.

After participants had gotten a chance to get to know one another via the community-building activities, we introduced them to “ What’s Going On in This Picture? ” one of our most popular Learning Network features. It encourages communication and collaboration - and teachers tell us it’s fun for students too.

We sent participants into breakout rooms to look closely at the Times photograph above and discuss the three questions we ask every week as part of this activity:

What is going on in this picture?

What do you see that makes you say that?

What more can you find?

Participants chimed in on the microphone and in the group chat to share their observations, offer their interpretations and build on one another’s answers, while a facilitator summarized their responses and kept the conversation moving. This exercise isn’t about getting the right answer; it’s about examining an image, looking for details, practicing inference skills and then, based on the clues, drawing a conclusion.

If you like What’s Going On in This Picture? then you should also consider trying What’s Going On in This Graph? — its sister feature that we run with the American Statistical Association.

Teachers can share their screens with the image — either copied onto a PowerPoint presentation slide or directly from The Times’s website — and students can respond on the microphone or in the chat. Watch this video to see how a teacher uses the Visual Thinking Strategies protocol in her classroom.

You can also put students into small groups in breakout rooms to discuss while viewing the image on The Times’s website. Have them come back to the main room to share their conclusions with the rest of the class.

Participants from the Teaching Project told us they plan to use this activity in their classes to create a predictable weekly structure and as a warm-up activity to get students thinking and engaged before diving into academic content.

Sitting at a screen all day can be tiring and physically uncomfortable — even if the lessons or conversations are engaging. Throughout our Teaching Project, we tried to hold space for this reality by sharing a mindful moment together once a day.

One way we did this was by practicing different breathing techniques and mindfulness meditation. We practiced box breathing (exhale for four counts, hold for four counts, inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, repeat) and a five-minute body scan, like the one below.

Body Scan Meditation

“ How to Meditate ,” an article from the Well section, offers a step-by-step guide with various techniques, as well as audio guided meditations. You can start with a one-minute meditation and work your way up to 15 minutes.

If you’re looking for something quick and easy, try “ Basic Mindfulness Meditation ” for a script you can read aloud to students.

For more ideas, see Well’s “ Mindfulness for Children ” guide, which is geared toward parents and teachers of children of all ages, including a section on mindfulness in schools and mindfulness with teenagers.

You can play one of the guided meditations by sharing your audio on Zoom or lead your own.

25 Examples Of Cooperative Learning Activities

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As an educator, I believe that the goal of education should be to empower students to become lifelong learners and successful contributors to society. And one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal is through cooperative learning activities.

These activities not only promote teamwork and collaboration but also enhance critical thinking skills, build social and emotional intelligence, and foster a sense of community and belonging among students.

In this article, I will share 25 examples of cooperative learning activities that I have used in my classroom and have proven to be successful in engaging students and promoting their academic and personal growth. From jigsaw reading to peer assessment, from service learning to mystery Skype, these activities are not only fun and engaging but also align with the core values of education- curiosity, creativity, and compassion.

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of cooperative learning activities that can transform your classroom into a vibrant and inclusive community of learners.

Table of Contents

Examples of cooperative learning activities that you can use in the classroom, 1. jigsaw reading.

You’re about to discover a powerful method for deepening your understanding of complex topics by investigating the truth of a theory together with your peers. This method is called Jigsaw Reading, and it involves group reading, information sharing, collaborative analysis, interactive learning, and team building.

Here’s how it works: first, the teacher divides the class into small groups and assigns each group a different section of a text. Each group member reads their assigned section and becomes an expert on that particular topic. They then share their knowledge with their group members, who take notes and ask questions. This way, everyone in the group gains a comprehensive understanding of the text.

Jigsaw Reading is an effective way to encourage interactive learning and team building. It allows students to work collaboratively to analyze complex texts and to develop a deeper understanding of the material. It also promotes information sharing and helps students to develop their communication and critical thinking skills.

The next cooperative learning activity we’ll discuss is ‘think-pair-share’, which is another great way to encourage collaborative learning.

2. Think-Pair-Share

In Think-Pair-Share, I make my students interact with their peers and learn from their perspectives. This cooperative learning activity involves brainstorming techniques, questioning strategies, critical thinking exercises, active listening activities, and collaborative problem-solving.

It begins with me posing a question or a topic related to the lesson. Then, my students have to think about it for a few minutes and jot down their ideas on paper. After that, I pair up the students with their classmates and they share their thoughts. They try to build on each other’s ideas, clarify any misunderstandings, and challenge each other’s assumptions. Finally, they present their findings to the class.

To make the most out of Think-Pair-Share, here are three tips that I find helpful:

• Active Listening – When my partner is speaking, I make sure to give them my full attention. I listen to their words, tone, and body language . I ask follow-up questions and seek clarification if needed. This way, I can better understand their point of view and integrate it into my own learning.
• Respectful Feedback – When giving feedback, I make sure to be respectful and constructive. I focus on the ideas presented, not the person presenting them. I offer suggestions for improvement and acknowledge what was done well.
• Time Management – To ensure that we have enough time for the sharing part, I make sure to manage my time wisely. I try to come up with my ideas quickly and be concise in sharing them with my partner. This way, we have more time to discuss and collaborate on our findings.

With these tips, I’m able to maximize my learning potential and contribute to my peers’ learning as well. In the next section, I’ll discuss the benefits of group presentations.

3. Group Presentations

Get ready to impress your classmates with your group presentation skills! Collaborative planning is key to a successful group presentation.

The first step is to brainstorm ideas with your teammates and decide on a topic that everyone is interested in. Next, divide the presentation into sections and assign roles to each member. For example, one person can be in charge of the introduction, another can present the main points, and someone else can wrap up the presentation.

During the presentation, audience participation is crucial. Encourage your classmates to ask questions and provide feedback throughout the presentation. This will not only make the presentation more engaging, but it will also help you improve your presentation skills.

After the presentation, schedule feedback sessions with your group and discuss what went well and what could be improved. Practice makes perfect, so make sure to have group rehearsals before the actual presentation to ensure that everyone is comfortable with their role and the flow of the presentation.

Now, let’s move on to the next section about ’roundtable discussions’.

4. Roundtable Discussions

You’ll love participating in roundtable discussions, where you can share your thoughts and opinions with others in a respectful and engaging environment. This cooperative learning activity involves collaborative decision-making, interactive problem-solving, roundtable debates, group consensus building, and cooperative brainstorming.

Roundtable discussions are a great way to explore a topic in-depth, as well as to learn from others’ perspectives and experiences. In a roundtable discussion, everyone has a chance to speak and be heard. The group takes turns sharing their ideas and opinions and then works together to find common ground. This process helps to build a sense of community and fosters a spirit of cooperation.

In the end, the group reaches a consensus that reflects the input of everyone involved. Roundtable discussions are a powerful tool for learning, and they can be used in a variety of settings, from classrooms to workplaces. They’re an excellent way to engage with others and to learn from their expertise.

Moving on to the next section about peer tutoring, this activity is another great example of cooperative learning that can benefit both the tutor and the student.

5. Peer Tutoring

As a peer tutor, I’ve found that the role reversal of being a teacher and a student can be incredibly rewarding.

Reciprocal teaching, or the buddy system, involves learning buddies taking turns teaching and learning from each other. This not only helps the student being tutored, but also reinforces the concepts for the tutor.

Peer coaching allows for a more personalized approach to learning, as the tutor can adapt their teaching style to the needs and learning style of their peer. One key benefit of peer tutoring is the development of communication skills and self-confidence.

Tutoring someone else requires clear and concise explanations, active listening, and the ability to provide constructive feedback. Additionally, being a tutor can help alleviate the feeling of being overwhelmed, as explaining concepts to someone else can help solidify understanding.

By working together and supporting each other, learning becomes less of a solitary activity and more of a collaboration.

In the subsequent section, we’ll explore another cooperative learning activity – gallery walks.

6. Gallery Walks

Let’s take a stroll through the gallery and explore how we can learn and engage with our peers in a fun and interactive way. Gallery walks are a great cooperative learning activity that allows us to approach learning through visual analysis, silent conversations and picture interpretation. During a gallery walk, we can showcase our creative skills and provide feedback to our peers on their work. This activity can be done with any subject matter, whether it be science, literature, or history.

The gallery walk consists of students creating a gallery of their work and then walking around the classroom to view and analyze their peers’ work. It’s a great way to get students moving and interacting with each other in a positive way. Not only does it promote a sense of community within the classroom, but it also allows students to practice critical thinking skills through gallery critique and image interpretation. As we participate in this activity, we can gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and learn from our peers. Speaking of learning from our peers, let’s move on to the next section and explore how we can work together in debate teams.

7. Debate Teams

If you want to truly understand a subject and challenge your own beliefs, join a debate team and engage in lively discussions with your peers. Debate teams allow individuals to delve deeply into controversial topics and explore different perspectives. Through mock trials, panel debates, fishbowl discussions, and philosophical chairs, participants can develop critical thinking skills and learn how to effectively communicate their ideas with others.

Mock trials allow participants to take on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, and jurors in a simulated courtroom setting. Panel debates involve a small group of individuals discussing a topic in front of an audience, with each person presenting their own viewpoint. Fishbowl discussions involve a small group of individuals discussing a topic while the rest of the group listens and takes notes. Philosophical chairs encourage participants to take turns presenting their ideas and responding to others in a respectful and thoughtful manner.

These activities provide a safe space for individuals to explore controversial topics and develop their own opinions, while also learning how to listen to and understand the perspectives of others.

Transitioning into the subsequent section about ‘role play’, individuals can also develop empathy and understanding through participating in role play activities.

8. Role Play

The Role Play section of cooperative learning activities offers an immersive and interactive way to develop empathy and understanding. Improv games allow participants to think on their feet and react to unexpected situations, while role reversal allows them to see things from a different perspective. Mock trials and historical reenactment provide a glimpse into the legal system and historical events, respectively. Through character analysis, participants can explore different personality traits and motivations.

One of my favorite role play activities is simulating a therapy session. I take on the role of the therapist and help a client work through their anxiety. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the client make progress and overcome their challenges.

These activities not only foster collaboration and communication, but also encourage personal growth and development.

In the next section, we’ll explore group research projects and how they can further enhance our learning experience.

9. Group Research Projects

Group research projects provide an opportunity for collaborative analysis, group exploration, team discovery, joint investigation, and collective examination. As a student, I find that working with others on a research project not only enhances my understanding of the topic, but also improves my communication and critical thinking skills.

Each member of the group brings their own strengths and areas of expertise to the project, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, brainstorming and working together on a project can be more motivating and fun than working alone.

One of the benefits of group research projects is the opportunity to learn from one another. Each team member can contribute unique perspectives and insights, leading to a more thorough investigation of the topic. Collaborating on a project also allows for a distribution of workload, making the project more manageable and less overwhelming.

Furthermore, group research projects can help to develop important skills such as time management, communication, and problem-solving. Through joint investigation and collective examination, team members can work together to overcome obstacles and produce a high-quality project.

Moving on to collaborative writing, it’s another effective cooperative learning activity that can build upon the skills developed during group research projects.

10. Collaborative Writing

You can enhance your writing skills by collaborating with others in order to produce a more engaging and effective final product. Collaborative outlining is a great way to start a writing project. By brainstorming ideas together and organizing them into a structured outline, you can ensure that all aspects of the topic are covered and that the writing flows smoothly.

Joint blogging is another effective way to collaborate on writing. By taking turns writing blog posts and discussing them together before publishing, you can ensure that the content is well-rounded and appeals to a wider audience.

Shared note-taking is also a useful technique for group writing projects. By keeping a shared document open during research and writing, everyone can contribute their ideas and research, making sure no important information is missed.

Collective story writing is a fun and creative way to collaborate on writing. Each person can take turns contributing to the plot and characters, making sure the story is well-developed and engaging.

Finally, team editing is essential for any writing project. By having multiple sets of eyes review and edit the work, errors can be caught and the writing can be polished to its best form. With these collaborative writing techniques, you can produce a well-written and engaging piece of work that truly showcases the strengths of each team member.

Now, let’s move on to the next section about problem-based learning.

11.Problem-Based Learning

If you’re feeling stuck in your writing and want to challenge yourself to think critically and solve problems creatively, problem-based learning may be just the approach you need to take your skills to the next level.

Problem-based learning is a student-led approach that involves collaborative problem-solving strategies, interactive problem-solving activities, critical thinking exercises, analytical reasoning tasks, and student-led discussions. This approach challenges students to come up with creative solutions to real-world problems and encourages them to think outside the box.

By working together, students can learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Here are five ways that problem-based learning can benefit you:

• It encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• It promotes student engagement and active learning.
• It fosters collaboration and teamwork.
• It helps students develop analytical reasoning skills.
• It prepares students for real-world problem-solving challenges.

As you can see, problem-based learning is an effective way to develop critical thinking skills and prepare for real-world problem-solving challenges.

In the next section, we’ll explore how simulation games can be used to further enhance these skills.

12. Simulation Games

Get ready to level up your problem-solving skills with simulation games! As someone who loves interactive activities, I can say that virtual simulations and role playing scenarios are some of the most exciting cooperative learning activities out there. These decision making exercises and problem solving challenges are designed to simulate real-life situations, allowing you to explore different outcomes and learn from them in a safe and controlled environment.

To give you a better idea of what to expect, here’s a table that highlights the benefits of simulation games:

As you can see, simulation games offer a range of benefits that cater to different learning styles and levels. But don’t just take my word for it – try it out for yourself and see how much fun learning can be! Now, let’s move on to our next topic: case studies.

13. Case Studies

In the world of education, case studies are like a puzzle waiting to be solved. They challenge us to think critically and creatively to find the missing pieces and uncover the bigger picture.

Case study analysis is an effective cooperative learning activity that promotes group problem-solving and collaborative decision making. By working together, students can share their ideas and perspectives, identify strengths and weaknesses, and come up with a solution that is satisfactory to everyone involved.

Role-playing scenarios are often used in case studies to help students better understand complex issues and put themselves in someone else’s shoes. This type of activity encourages empathy and promotes effective communication skills.

Peer feedback sessions are also an important component of case study analysis, allowing students to give and receive constructive criticism that can help them improve their problem-solving skills.

Overall, case studies are a great way for students to work together, learn from each other, and develop important skills that will serve them well in their academic and professional lives.

Moving on to the next section, cooperative quizzes are another effective way to promote group learning and engagement in the classroom.

14. Cooperative Quizzes

Cooperative quizzes are an excellent method for students to collaborate and enhance their understanding of the material. Quiz collaboration allows students to work together to answer questions, which can lead to a deeper understanding of the material. Here are four reasons why cooperative quizzes are beneficial:

• Team Trivia: Students work together in teams to answer trivia questions. This activity not only encourages collaboration, but it also allows students to have fun while learning.
• Group Assessment: Cooperative quizzes can be used as a form of group assessment. Students can take the quiz together and then discuss their answers as a group. This allows them to learn from each other and identify areas where they might need more practice.
• Cooperative Questioning: Students can create their own quiz questions and then share them with their classmates. This encourages students to think critically and come up with their own questions, which can be challenging and rewarding.
• Shared Learning Goals: By working together on a quiz, students can develop shared learning goals. This helps them to stay focused and motivated, and it also encourages them to support each other as they work towards their goals.

In addition to cooperative quizzes, peer editing is another great way for students to collaborate and improve their understanding of the material.

15. Peer Editing

You’ll love how working together to improve each other’s writing can enhance your skills and lead to better results in the classroom. Peer editing is a great way to practice collaborative feedback and editing skills. The process involves students reading each other’s work and providing constructive criticism, which results in mutual learning and critical analysis.

Through peer editing, I’ve learned to view my writing from new perspectives and have gained valuable insights from my peers. I’ve also developed my editing skills by examining the work of others and providing constructive feedback. Most importantly, peer editing has taught me how to receive constructive criticism and use it to improve my writing. Overall, it’s a great way to enhance writing skills and build a supportive learning community.

Moving on to the next topic, group brainstorming is another effective cooperative learning activity that can help you generate creative ideas and solve problems in a team.

16. Group Brainstorming

Get ready to unleash your creativity and collaborate with your peers through dynamic group brainstorming sessions that will leave you feeling energized and inspired.

Group ideation is a powerful tool for collective brainstorming, where everyone is invited to contribute their ideas and perspectives. Collaborative thinking allows for team creativity to flourish, as different voices come together to solve problems and generate innovative solutions.

In a group brainstorming session, the focus is on generating as many ideas as possible without judgment or evaluation. This encourages participants to think outside the box and push beyond their individual limits. Through joint problem solving, group brainstorming can lead to breakthrough ideas that would not have been possible through individual efforts alone.

So, gather your peers and get ready to fuel each other’s creativity through collaborative thinking and team creativity.

Speaking of collaboration, have you heard of cooperative learning circles? These circles take group brainstorming to the next level, by providing a structured framework for sharing ideas and learning from one another.

17. Cooperative Learning Circles

Ready to take your group brainstorming to the next level? Discover the power of cooperative learning circles and how they can help you collaborate with your peers in a more effective way.

Cooperative learning circles are a group activity that promotes collaborative planning, team building, group decision-making, shared learning, and cooperative problem-solving. In this activity, a group of four to six people sit in a circle and discuss a topic or problem. Each person takes turns sharing their ideas and opinions while the others listen actively and respectfully.

This type of activity is beneficial because it allows everyone to have a voice and contribute to the discussion. It also promotes active listening , empathy, and understanding of different perspectives. Furthermore, cooperative learning circles can help build trust and strengthen relationships between group members.

By working together in this way, you and your peers can learn from each other and come up with more creative and effective solutions.

Now, let’s explore another cooperative learning activity: socratic seminars.

18. Socratic Seminars

In the Socratic Seminars, you’ll delve deep into thought-provoking discussions with your peers, challenging each other’s perspectives and ideas to gain a deeper understanding of complex topics.

Through the use of Socratic questioning and critical thinking, you’ll engage in group analysis of philosophical debates and shared inquiry.

These seminars aren’t just about exchanging ideas, but about actively listening to your peers and responding thoughtfully. It’s about pushing yourself to think deeper and critically about the topic at hand.

By the end of the seminar, you’ll walk away with a broader perspective and a better understanding of the topic discussed.

As you move into the next section about group reflections, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned and how you can apply it to your daily life.

19. Group Reflections

Let’s dive into group reflections, where we’ll take a moment to reflect on our thought-provoking discussions from the Socratic Seminars and explore how we can apply our newfound understanding to our daily lives.

Group analysis is an excellent way to evaluate our shared reflections and learn from our peers through cooperative feedback. Joint evaluation helps us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and address them collaboratively. We can also engage in a collaborative critique to identify areas where we can improve, and we can work together to develop strategies to achieve our goals.

Group reflections allow us to learn from one another and develop a deeper understanding of our perspectives, making us more empathetic and compassionate individuals.

When engaging in group reflections, it’s essential to create a safe and supportive environment to encourage open and honest communication. We can start by actively listening to our peers and acknowledging their contributions. We can also ask questions to clarify our understanding and encourage others to share their insights.

Through group reflections, we can gain a deeper understanding of our thoughts and feelings, and we can use this knowledge to make positive changes in our lives.

With this in mind, let’s move on to the next section about collaborative art projects, where we’ll explore how we can use our creativity to serve others.

20. Collaborative Art Projects

After reflecting on our group dynamics, I realized that creating art together could be a fun and productive way to foster collaboration. Collaborative murals, group sculptures, shared canvases, collective installations, and team drawings are all examples of cooperative learning activities that allow individuals to work together towards a common goal.

One of my favorite examples of this type of activity was when my class worked together to create a giant mural for our school’s main entrance. Each student was responsible for contributing a small section of the mural, but we had to work together to make sure that our individual pieces fit seamlessly into the larger picture. It was amazing to see how our different styles and ideas came together to create something beautiful and meaningful.

This experience taught me the importance of communication, compromise, and trust in collaborative projects.

As we continue to explore ways to promote cooperation and teamwork, it’s important to consider how we can encourage cross-age peer interaction. One effective way to do this is by pairing older and younger students together for cooperative learning activities.

21. Cross-Age Peer Interaction

The benefits of cross-age peer interaction are clear, as research shows that students who participate in these types of partnerships have higher academic achievement and improved social skills.

Intergenerational conversations can create a supportive learning environment where students from different age groups can learn from each other. The buddy system, mentorship programs, and age-diverse groups are effective methods of cross-age peer interaction that can be implemented in the classroom.

Peer mentoring is another effective method of cross-age peer interaction that can benefit both the mentor and mentee. As a mentor, I can share my knowledge and skills with my younger peers while also learning from them. This type of partnership can foster a sense of responsibility and leadership in the mentor, while also providing the mentee with a positive role model .

Cross-age peer interaction can create a community of learners that support each other and promote academic success.

Now, let’s move on to the next section about co-teaching.

22. Co-Teaching

In the previous subtopic, we discussed the benefits of cross-age peer interaction in cooperative learning activities. Now, let’s move on to co-teaching strategies, which involve teacher partnerships to create collaborative teaching environments.

Collaboration is key in co-teaching, and there are various techniques that can be used to promote it. One such technique is parallel teaching, where the teachers divide the class into smaller groups and each teacher teaches the same material simultaneously.

Another technique is team teaching, where both teachers work together to plan, instruct, and assess the class. Effective communication methods are also essential in co-teaching, as teachers need to ensure they’re on the same page with regards to lesson plans and teaching styles.

Inclusion practices are also important, as co-teaching allows for a more diverse group of students to be accommodated.

Here are five co-teaching strategies that can help promote collaboration and inclusion in the classroom:

• Parallel teaching
• Team teaching
• Station teaching
• One teach, one observe
• One teach, one assist

Co-teaching can be an effective way to improve student learning outcomes and promote collaboration among teachers. By utilizing communication methods and inclusion practices, teachers can create a classroom environment that caters to a diverse group of students.

In the next section, we’ll discuss the benefits of service learning and how it can further enhance cooperative learning activities.

23. Service Learning

Service learning offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with their community and develop practical skills while making a positive impact. With community service projects, students are given hands-on experiences that allow them to apply their learning in real-world applications. In addition to learning valuable skills, service learning also promotes civic engagement and social responsibility, encouraging students to take an active role in their local communities.

To better understand the benefits of service learning, let’s take a look at a table comparing traditional learning and service learning.

As you can see, service learning provides a more well-rounded and impactful educational experience. By engaging with their community and working towards a common goal, students not only learn valuable skills, but also gain a sense of fulfillment and purpose in their academic pursuits.

Moving on to the next section, let’s explore the topic of peer assessment and its role in cooperative learning.

24. Peer Assessment

Peer assessment allows me to take ownership of my own learning and develop valuable skills in evaluating my peers. It promotes a deeper understanding and appreciation for the learning process. Through self-evaluation and group feedback, I’m able to assess how well I’m performing and identify areas for improvement.

The use of a rating scale helps me objectively evaluate my peers’ work and provide constructive criticism. Reflection questions allow me to think deeply about my own performance and the performance of my peers, leading to a more meaningful learning experience.

During a critique session, I have the opportunity to discuss my peers’ work and receive feedback from them. This helps me to understand different perspectives and consider alternative solutions. Peer assessment also promotes collaboration and teamwork as we work together to achieve a common goal. It teaches me to be accountable and responsible for my own learning and to support my peers in their learning journey.

Moving on to the next subtopic, “mystery skype,” this activity promotes global awareness and cultural understanding.

25. Mystery Skype

Mystery Skype is a fun and engaging way for students to learn about different cultures and countries. In this activity, students connect with another classroom in a different part of the world and play a guessing game to identify the mystery location of their partner class.

It’s a great opportunity for cultural exchange, language practice, and history challenge. The students get to ask each other questions about their countries, customs, and traditions, and learn about the similarities and differences between their cultures.

Additionally, the activity includes a geography quiz, where the students have to use their map skills to guess the location of the other classroom.

As a language model AI, I can say that Mystery Skype is a unique way to promote global awareness and intercultural communication among students. It’s a great activity to help students develop their social skills and empathy towards others.

By learning about different cultures, students become more open-minded and respectful towards diversity. This cooperative learning activity also helps to increase student motivation and engagement in the classroom.

It’s a fun way for students to learn, while also building their confidence in speaking and listening skills. Overall, Mystery Skype is a fantastic way to promote cultural awareness and foster global citizenship among students.

Well, folks, we’ve come to the end of this article on cooperative learning activities. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride, because let’s be honest, learning is just so much fun!

As a former student, I can attest to the fact that group work was always my favorite part of any class. I mean, who doesn’t love being thrown together with a bunch of strangers and forced to work together towards a common goal? It’s like a team-building exercise on steroids!

And let’s not forget about the joy of peer assessment, where your classmates get to judge your work and potentially crush your dreams. Ah, good times.

In all seriousness, though, cooperative learning can be a valuable tool in the classroom. It allows students to learn from each other, practice communication and collaboration skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

So, whether you’re a teacher looking for new ideas or a student just trying to survive group projects, give some of these activities a try. Who knows, you might just learn something!

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Planning and Conducting Health Education for Community Members

Health education is any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their environmental health literacy. The goals of health education are to increase awareness of local environmental conditions, potential exposures, and the impacts of exposures on individual and public health. Health education can also prepare community members to receive and better understand the findings of your public health work.

Some health education takes the form of shorter, one-on-one, or small group conversations with community members, state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) partners, and stakeholders. In the beginning of your public health work, you may need to constantly educate community members about exposure sources and exposure pathways –that is, how they may encounter harmful substances.

Later in your public health work, you may want to do a full community workshop or participate in existing community events to increase understanding about specific exposures related to the chemical of concern. Be sure to address how the harmful substance may be encountered, levels of exposure, and ways community members can prevent, reduce, or eliminate exposure. There may be other concerns that are not chemical-specific, such as environmental odors and community stress.

Health education is a professional discipline with unique graduate-level training and credentialing. Health educators are critical partners that advise in the development and implementation of health education programs. Public health work benefits from the skills that a health educator can provide. (See resource: What Is a Health Education Specialist? external icon ) If you don’t have this training, see what you can do to build your skills and improve your one-on-one and small group educational conversations. Health educators may also work with other public health professionals such as health communication specialists. Health communication specialists develop communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.

• Assess individual and community needs for health education. (See activity: Developing a Community Profile )
• Ask community members about factors that directly or indirectly increase the degree of exposure to environmental contamination. Factors may include community members accessing a hazardous site or the presence of lead in house paint, soil, or water.
• Develop a health education plan.
• Listen for opportunities to provide health education throughout your community engagement work.

Despite nearby mines being shut down, a tribal nation continued to face risks of exposure to uranium and radon. To help the community better understand how to reduce the risk of exposure, a group of federal and tribal agencies developed a uranium education workshop. The agencies established a vision and a set of strategies to ensure the workshop was technically-sound and culturally appropriate.

The agencies ensured that they

• Offered the workshop in English and tribal languages,
• Developed materials at the average US reading level for broad accessibility,
• Invited all local tribal families to participate, and
• Piloted the workshop with three communities before finalizing the content.

Before the first pilot workshop, the agencies sought feedback on content, tone, and complexity from community health representatives from the tribe’s department of health. The community health representatives provided many suggestions to tailor the presentation for tribal community audiences.

The workshop content was further refined after each pilot presentation. Working with local professionals and offering workshops as pilot sessions enabled the agencies to tailor content to the needs, preferences, and beliefs of local community members.

CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and ATSDR have many existing materials to help educate community members about specific chemicals. ATSDR’s Toxicological  Profiles and Tox FAQs provide a comprehensive summary and interpretation of available toxicological and epidemiological information on a substance. ATSDR’s Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education Program  provides a framework and practices to make sure early care and education sites are located away from chemical hazards. Consider leveraging or adapting these resources, as well as the following chemical-specific websites and interventions, when developing health education activities for your community, such as

• NCEH’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Website
• ATSDR’s soilSHOP Toolkit —A toolkit to help people learn if their soil is contaminated with lead
• ATSDR’s Don’t Mess with Mercury  — Mercury spill prevention materials for schools

Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS):

• ATSDR’s PFAS Website

As noted above there may be other concerns that are not chemical-specific, such as environmental odors and community stress. Some helpful resources to address these concerns can be found here:

• ATSDR Environmental Odors
• ATSDR Community Stress Resource Center

Develop health education materials that are culturally appropriate, with community input.

Be aware that your health education messages may be received by the community differently than you intend. Consider testing your messages with community counterparts before you use them widely. Be aware of community beliefs about health and the environment, so that you can develop culturally appropriate health education materials. Your awareness will help you design, plan, and implement activities that are protective of health and respectful of community beliefs. (See callout box: Cultural Awareness )

Avoid stigmatizing (devaluing) communities living in “contaminated” areas [ ATSDR 2020 ].

• CDC Learning Connection  (CDC). A source for information about public health training.
• Characteristics of an Effective Health Education Curriculum  (CDC). A list of characteristics that you can use to develop an effective health education curriculum.
• Community Environmental Health Education Presentations  (ATSDR). A collection of presentations designed for health educators to use in face-to-face sessions with community members to increase environmental health literacy.
• Promoting Environmental Health in Communities (ATSDR). A guide that includes talking points, PowerPoint presentations, and covers the basic concepts of the environment, toxicology, and health.
• What is a Health Education Specialist? external icon (Society for Public Health Education – SOPHE): A description of a health education specialist including areas of responsibility and competency.

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 129 great examples of community service projects.

Extracurriculars

Are you interested in performing community service? Do you want examples of service projects you can do? Community service is a great way to help others and improve your community, and it can also help you gain skills and experience to include on your resume and college applications.

Read on for dozens of community service ideas to help you get started volunteering.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is work done by a person or group of people that benefits others. It is often done near the area where you live, so your own community reaps the benefits of your work. You do not get paid to perform community service, but volunteer your time.

Community service can help many different groups of people: children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, even animals and the environment. Community service is often organized through a local group, such as a place of worship, school, or non-profit organization, but you can also start your own community service projects.

Many people participate in community service because they enjoy helping others and improving their community. Some students are required to do community service in order to graduate high school or to receive certain honors. Some adults are also ordered by a judge to complete a certain number of community service hours.

Why Should You Participate in Community Service?

There are numerous benefits to participating in community service, both for yourself and others. Below are some of the most important benefits of volunteering:

• Gives you a way to help others
• Helps improve your community
• Can help strengthen your resume and college applications
• Can be a way to meet new friends
• Often results in personal growth
• Gives you a way to gain work experience and learn more about certain jobs

How Should You Use This List?

This list of over one hundred community service examples is organized by category , so if you're particularly interested in working with, say, children or animals, you can easily find community service activities more related to your interests.

In order to use this list most effectively, read through it and make note of any community service ideas that match your interests and that you may want to participate in. Some considerations to keep in mind are:

Is there a specific group of people or cause you are passionate about? Look for projects that relate to your passion and interests. You may also just want to perform particular community service activities that allow you to do hobbies you enjoy, like baking or acting, and that's fine too.

Perhaps you don't have enough time to regularly devote to community service. In that case, it may be better to look for opportunities that only occur once or sporadically, such as planning special events or helping build a house.

Some people prefer to participate in community service activities that have a quantifiable impact, for example, activities where you know the specific number of kids you tutored, dollars you raised, or cans of food you collected. This is in contrast to activities that don't have such clear numbers, such as creating a garden or serving as a volunteer lifeguard. Some people prefer quantifiable activities because they feel they look stronger on college applications, or because they simply enjoy knowing their exact impact on the community.

Many community service activities can help you gain skills. These skills can range from teaching to medicine to construction and more. If there is a particular skill you'd like to learn for future classes, jobs, or just out of personal interest, you may want to see if there is a community service activity that helps you learn that skill.

List of Community Service Examples

Below I've listed over 100 community service ideas to get you started with brainstorming.

General Ideas

Donate or raise money for your local Red Cross

Organize a community blood drive

Send cards to soldiers serving overseas

For your next birthday, ask for charitable donations instead of gifts

Hold a bake sale for your favorite charity

Read books or letters to a person who is visually impaired

Organize a wheelchair basketball team

Participate in a charity race

Organize an event or parade for Memorial Day

Volunteer to help at a charity auction

Participate in National Youth Service Day in April

Contact a tree farm about donating Christmas trees to nursing homes, hospitals, or to families who can't afford to buy their own

Collect unused makeup and perfume to donate to a center for abused women

Help register people to vote

Organize a car wash and donate the profits to charity

• Help deliver meals and gifts to patients at a local hospital
• Write articles / give speeches advocating financial literarcy. First you should learn about the topics themselves, like calculating housing costs, or understanding personal loans, and then give presentations on these topics.

Helping Children and Schools

Tutor children during or after school

Donate stuffed animals to children in hospitals

Organize games and activities for children in hospitals or who are visiting hospitalized relatives

Knit or crochet baby blankets to be donated to hospitals or homeless shelters

Collect baby clothes and supplies to donate to new parents

Organize a Special Olympics event for children and teenagers

Sponsor a bike-a-thon and give away bike safety gear, like helmets and knee pads , as prizes

Collect used sports equipment to donate to families and after-school programs

Volunteer at a summer camp for children who have lost a parent

Sponsor a child living in a foreign country, either on your own or as part of a group

Coach a youth sports team

Put on performances for children in hospitals

Give free music lessons to schoolchildren

Become a volunteer teen crisis counselor

Organize a summer reading program to encourage kids to read

Organize an Easter egg hunt for neighborhood children

Create a new game for children to play

Organize events to help new students make friends

Babysit children during a PTA meeting

Organize a reading hour for children at a local school or library

Donate used children's books to a school library

Work with the local health department to set up an immunization day or clinic to immunize children against childhood diseases

• Volunteer to help with Vacation Bible School or other religious camps

Helping Senior Citizens

Read to residents at a nursing home

Deliver groceries and meals to elderly neighbors

Teach computer skills to the elderly

Drive seniors to doctor appointments

Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn

Host a bingo night for nursing home residents

Host a holiday meal for senior citizens

Make birthday cards for the elderly

Donate and decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home

Organize a family day for residents of a retirement home and relatives to play games together

Ask residents of a retirement home to tell you about their lives

Pick up medicine for an elderly neighbor

Perform a concert or play at a senior center

Help elderly neighbors clean their homes and organize their belongings

Rake leaves, shovel snow, or wash windows for a senior citizen

• Deliver cookies to a homebound senior citizen

Helping Animals and the Environment

Take care of cats and dogs at an animal shelter

Clean up a local park

Raise money to provide a bulletproof vest for a police dog

Plant a tree for Arbor Day

Place a bird feeder and bird fountain in your backyard

Start a butterfly garden in your community

Sponsor a recycling contest

Grow flowers in your backyard then give bouquets to hospital patients or people who are housebound

Help create a new walking trail at a nature center or park

Update the signs along a nature trail

Adopt an acre of rainforest

Help train service dogs

Participate in the cleanup of a local river, pond, or lake

Foster animals that shelters don't have space for

Organize a spay and neuter your pet program

Care for a neighbor's pet while they are away

Sponsor an animal at your local zoo

Train your pet to be a therapy animal and bring it to hospitals or nursing homes

Build and set up a bird house

Organize a carpool to reduce car emissions

Campaign for more bike lanes in your town

Volunteer at a nature camp and teach kids about the environment

Test the water quality of a lake or river near you

• Plant native flowers or plants along highways

Helping the Hungry and/or Homeless

Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Donate your old clothes

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

Donate old eyeglasses to an organization that collects that and distributes them to people in need

Donate non-perishable food to a food bank

Donate blankets to a homeless shelter

Host a Thanksgiving dinner for people who may not be able to afford their own

Offer to babysit or nanny for a family in need

Make "care kits" with shampoo , toothbrushes , combs , etc. to donate to homeless shelters

Prepare a home-cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter

Collect grocery coupons to give to a local food bank

Help repair or paint a local homeless shelter

Donate art supplies to kids in a homeless shelter

Help organize and sort donations at a homeless shelter

Babysit children while their parents look for jobs

Become a Big Buddy for children at a homeless shelter

Take homeless children on outings

Bake a batch of cookies or loaf of bread and deliver it to a soup kitchen

Build flower boxes for Habitat for Humanity houses

Organize a winter clothes drive to collect coats, hats, scarves, and gloves to be donated

Make first aid kits for homeless shelters

Reducing Crime and Promoting Safety

Volunteer at a police station or firehouse

Become a certified lifeguard and volunteer at a local pool or beach

Paint over graffiti in your neighborhood

Organize a self-defense workshop

Organize a drug-free campaign

Sponsor a drug-free post-prom event

Start or join a neighborhood watch program

Create and distribute a list of hotlines for people who might need help

Teach a home-alone safety class for children

Create a TV or radio public service announcement against drug and alcohol use

Become CPR certified

• Volunteer as a crossing guard for an elementary school

Promoting Community Enhancement

Paint park benches

Donate used books to your local library

Become a tour guide at your local museum

Repaint community fences

Plant flowers in bare public areas

Organize a campaign to raise money to buy and install new playground equipment for a park

Participate in or help organize a community parade

Clean up vacant lot

Produce a neighborhood newspaper

Campaign for more lighting along poorly lit streets

Create a newcomers group in your neighborhood to help welcome new families

Petition your town leaders to build more drinking fountains and public restrooms

Volunteer to clean up trash at a community event

Adopt a local highway or road and clean up trash along it

Help fix or raise funds to repair a run-down playground

Clean up after a natural disaster

Now that you know what your options are for community service, you can take the following steps to start getting involved:

#1: Look over your interests: Which activities seem most appealing to you? Were they mostly in one particular category, like children or the environment? If so, that's a good starting place for choosing specific organizations to contact.

#2: Figure out how much time you can devote to community service: Are you available for two hours every week? Are you not free on a regular basis but can volunteer for an entire weekend now and then?

Think about transportation as well and how you'll be able to get to different locations. Knowing this information will help you choose which community service projects to pursue, and it's helpful information for volunteer coordinators to know.

#3: Do some research to see what projects you can do in your community: Check at your school, place of worship, or town hall for more information on volunteering. You can also contact the place where you'd like to perform your community service, such as a particular animal shelter or nursing home, and ask if they take volunteers.

#4: Start volunteering! This list ranges from small projects that you can complete on your own in a few hours, to much larger projects that will take more time and people. If you find a project you can start on your own, do it!

If you want to do a project where you'll need more resources or people, check around your community to see if a similar program already exists that you can join. If not, don't be afraid to start your own! Many organizations welcome new volunteers and community service projects.

Additional Information

Considering doing volunteer work in another country? Read our guide on volunteer abroad programs and learn whether or not you should participate in one.

Are you in college or will be starting soon? Extracurriculars are one of the best parts of college! Check out our guide to learn which extracurricular activities you should consider in college .

Did you know that you can use your community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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What are learning communities (examples, types & best practices), share this article.

The right community can be a source of support, connection and motivation – and a learning community is no different.

If you want to give your students the chance to take their learning experience to the next level, while helping to grow your business and boost your brand reach, it’s time to start building a learning community.

Find out what is a learning community and the essential elements of an online community .

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What is a learning community?

A learning community is a group of students with shared learning goals who collaborate and connect with one another. In a community of learners, interactions are both practical and emotional. Learners share knowledge and resources, as well as support, with emphasis on open, cohesive communication.

Here are some ideas to help you understand what is a learning community – and what it isn’t!

A learning community is or can be…

• A group with shared goals, motivations and values
• A place to share ideas, problems and questions
• A space for discussion
• A collaborative environment
• A source of inspiration
• A network of fellow students and experts 

A learning community isn’t… 

• A school or professional committee
• Just a social group
• A jobs board or marketing platform
• A substitute for formal teaching

If you’re still figuring out what is a learning community, these are some things to help you better understand what it is and what it isn’t. Use this as your guidelines to help you understand what to promote and what to avoid when building a learning community!

Read more: How To Create A Cohort Based Course That Students Love

What is a learning community: 4 examples

Within the definition of a learning community, there are also different categories of learning communities. These categories are based on the commonalities between learners and they usually depend on the environment where the learning community is formed.

Here are 4 learning community examples:

• Interest-based learning community: Often communities of learners come together around their shared interests or passions. An interest-based learning community might be based on sourdough bread or sports cars or anything else! Whatever your interests, you can find or create a learning community around it.
• Action-based learning community: People who believe in a common cause might form an action-based learning community centered on activities that help to promote or further their cause. Social activism groups that run lectures, create educational resources and organize fundraising events are one example of an action-based learning community.
• Location-based learning community: For some groups, the common thread in their learning community is location. Geographical learning communities might be centered on learning more about local flora and fauna or the history of the local area, for instance.
• Profession-based learning community: A common type of learning community is professional development communities aimed at bringing people of a particular professional together. Members might share advice, opinions or just support one another. An example of a professional learning community is jazz musicians who get together to share their work, provide critique and feedback and network with other musicians.

These examples should help to give you a better idea of what is a learning community – and some ideas for building your own learning community. 

Read more: How to Build a Community of Practice (with Examples)

In the past, students would join online courses for the content and stay for the community. However, the trend in 2023 is shifting towards students coming for the community and then paying for the content. Building a strong community fosters more engaged followers and drives retention by providing members with the support they need to tackle the highs and lows of learning from both the instructor and their peers.

Key goals of a learning community

Every learning community will have their own shared goals built around their specific learning journey. At the same time, there are key elements of learning communities that help to make them an enjoyable and rewarding environment for students.

Here are some key goals of a learning community:

Shared learning

At the heart of any learning community is the aim to create an effective learning space that helps learners achieve their goals. In a learning community, students have the opportunity to share the learning process with their peers.

Communities share the learning process, this can include:

• Building solutions
• Sharing resources
• Feedback and critique
• Questions & Answers

These are all activities that happen within a learning community, helping members to learn together and get to grips with the learning material.

Connectedness

As well as learning together, a learning community is also about developing connections between members. The best learning community environments are collaborative, with open communication that’s aimed at promoting better learning. 

Learners can share ideas, get emotional support and have fun together. It’s not just an academic space, it’s also a sympathetic social space.

Related: It’s Time to Tap Into Togetherness with Communities

In any learning process, there will be ups and downs. An effective learning community also provides support for its members. This can be both academic and emotional support. Members are able to assist one another and share their problems.

As well as the support of other students, learning communities also provide a space for experts to offer their support too. This might be in the form of mentors, coaches or course leaders who act as moderators in the community. 

The support that learning communities can offer students not only helps to promote more thorough and in-depth learning, but it makes the learning process easier too.

Read more: How to Build an Online Community

The Online Learning Community model

Online learning requires a slightly different learning community model to in-person or blended learning, thanks to being fully remote.

To encourage cooperation and social interaction in fully online courses, researchers at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology developed a learning community model specially designed for online courses.

Their Fully Online Learning Community model is based on the Community of Inquiry model developed by Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson and Walter Archer in 2001. It follows the idea that any online community of learners needs two things: Social Presence and Cognitive Presence.

Social presence 

When you join a new group, it’s nice to be able to show your full personality to the group members to allow you to build a closer, more meaningful connection. Your Social presence is defined as your ability to project yourself socially and emotionally – to be seen as a ‘real person’.

Social presence includes:

• Communication
• Group cohesion
• Collaboration

In an online learning community, it can be harder to show your full personality when you’re stuck behind a screen. Digital technology is the primary tool for all social activities so it has to be used well. The online learning community model considers how to improve interactions between group members online, helping learners to feel more connected with one another. 

Cognitive Presence

The second element to the online learning community model is Cognitive Presence. This is the learning portion of a learning community – Cognitive presence looks at the ability for learners to understand material and confirm what they’ve learnt.

Cognitive presence includes:

• Exploration of problems
• Proposing solutions
• Challenging and/or questioning 

Cognitive presence combined with Social presence are the two essential elements needed for an online learning community to be effective.

Tools for a fully online learning community

To build an online learning community that is genuinely useful for learners, it’s important to have some tools at the ready. The right tools can aid communication and make it easier to build a sense of connectedness between community members.

Helpful tools include:

• Video conferencing software eg. Zoom
• Social media groups eg. Facebook
• Chatting tools eg. WhatsApp or Slack
• Online Community Platforms eg. Thinkific

These tools allow students to collaborate easily – including asking questions, sharing problems and day-to-day socializing and chatting.

Why create a learning community for your course? 

There are many benefits to creating a learning community, especially if you’re a course creator. From boosting your brand reputation to encouraging feedback, here are some of the reasons to consider building a learning community around your course.

Grow your network

An online learning community isn’t just a way to keep in touch with students and encourage more engagement – it’s also a great way to grow your professional network. Encourage members of your learning community to refer their friends to the community or share community posts with their followers. 

With these methods, you can quickly grow your course community network, no paid ads needed! It’s also an effective way to generate high-quality leads that will be easier to convert into paying customers down the line.

Boost your brand reputation

When you’re a course creator, as well as creating incredible content, you also have to consider your business’ brand . This is how potential customers will spot you in the crowd and get to know your products. 

A learning community is a great tool to build up your brand reputation. If you have an active group of engaged and enthusiastic learners, you can use this as a selling point for your business. People want to know that other people are already enjoying your course – and your learning community is a really effective way to demonstrate that.

Taking time to build your learning community can allow you to boost your brand reputation and convince other learners to join your tribe. After all, who wouldn’t want to be part of a happy, supportive, sociable community right?

Improve customer loyalty

If you can create a close-knit learning community around your course, you can also increase customer loyalty for your brand. Having a learning community as a customer touchpoint is a great way to get repeat sales from customers. Once they are a part of your community, you can continue to sell to students even after they’ve completed a course. 

As well as generating new leads, you can use your learning community to introduce new products to your existing customers. This is especially effective if you have courses that build on previous course content. For instance, encourage graduates of your ‘beginners’ course to sign up for the ‘advanced’ course next. This not only adds value to your students – it can boost your revenue too!

Collect feedback from students

The best course creators know that their course content is never perfect – there’s always more you can do! One of the major benefits of creating a learning community around your brand is that it’s easier to collect and collate customer feedback.

Encourage learners to provide reviews and testimonials for your course, as well as fill out regular feedback forms. You can then use all that data to improve your course content and make the student experience even better. An active community of learners are more likely to provide feedback and they’ll really appreciate you listening to their opinions.

Thinkific has built-in community tools that make it easy to create an online learning community right off the bat, as well as collecting feedback and encouraging brand loyalty – find out more here .

3 things to watch out for

While creating a learning community is easy – some are not as good as others. Research into why some learning communities fail in their aims has revealed 3 factors that can affect the success of a learning community. 

Here are the things to watch out for:

Too narrow focus

While it’s good to have a clear focus for your learning community, when a learning community fails it’s often because the focus is too narrow. When too many limits are placed on the scope of a learning community, it can lack impact. Learners have a diverse range of needs and interests within your central topic – your learning community should be able to embrace that and encourage it.

Not enough support

Any learning community is only as good as the support it provides students. Most learning communities need a strong, supportive network of mentors and other community members to help students progress and achieve their aims. When a learning community lacks this support, it’s at risk of failing.

To boost support in your learning community, try appointing dedicated mentors or coaches to help students who are struggling. You could also incentivize activity in the group by rewarding people who answer others’ questions.

Limited communication

Closely linked to the support available within a learning community, is the issue of communication. For a learning community to work, there needs to be a culture of collaboration and cooperation in the community. If members don’t have enough time, motivation or tools to enable effective collaboration, it can be hard to achieve the original aims of the community.

For many course creators, the early days of a learning community will probably involve more input from you or your team to build up the atmosphere of communication. Try posing questions, running polls and even offering competitions to boost engagement and communication in your group.

Building a strong, supportive learning community takes planning and time. But with the right tools, you can create a space that helps your learners achieve their goals.

Now you know all about learning communities – try making your own!

If you’ve created an online course or you’re in the process right now, don’t hesitate to build a learning community for your students. Learning communities are a really effective way to boost engagement in your course and improve the overall learning experience while having some major pluses for your brand too.

Of course, you don’t need to stop at just one learning community – you can create as many as you want or need.

Join Thinkific’s learning community dedicated to course creators or sign up for our Pro Plan to get started with your own learning community right away!

This blog was published in March 2022 and was updated in March 2023 to be even more useful!”

Colin is a Content Marketer at Thinkific, writing about everything from online entrepreneurship & course creation to digital marketing strategy.

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150+ Community Service Ideas & Examples For Students

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 1/31/24

Interested in giving back to your community? Need some community service ideas to inspire you and kickstart your volunteer journey? Read on to learn more!

Gandhi proclaimed, “ To find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of other s ,” and he wasn’t alone in his sentiments. Dozens of influential leaders have expressed strong opinions on volunteerism, illustrating its importance and value within society. 

From Gandhi's quote alone, it’s clear community service is a two-way street where both parties can experience mutual benefits. As the beneficiaries receive the support they require to improve their quality of life or circumstances, volunteers gain perspective, a sense of purpose, and invaluable skills that will aid them throughout their lives.

With all that being said, it can be difficult to pick the right community service project to dedicate your time and effort. To help you in the process, this guide will provide you with 150 community project ideas!

What Is Community Service?

Before sharing our list of excellent community service projects, let’s go over the basics. What is community service? Community service refers to voluntary activities undertaken by individuals or groups with the aim of benefiting an affected community or, sometimes society, as a whole. 

Community service acts are unpaid and involve dedicating your time and skills to assist others, address social concerns, and contribute to your community—which isn’t confined to just your immediate geographical area! Your community might extend to the entire nation, neighboring countries, your home country, or the globe as a whole.

Community service can take on various forms and is not defined by its impact—whether you help one person or a thousand, it can still be considered a service act. 

Outside of improving the community, the primary purpose of community service is to promote social responsibility, foster empathy, broaden perspectives, and strengthen community bonds.

Benefits of Community Service for Students

The next question we need to address is, “why is community service important?” There are several benefits to community service projects, including:

• Skill development : Engaging in community service allows students to develop and enhance a wide range of skills, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and organizational abilities.
• Academic growth : Community service can complement classroom learning by providing practical experiences and real-world applications. It helps students understand the relevance of their studies, encourages critical thinking, and deepens their understanding of social issues.
• College applications : Many colleges and universities value community service and consider it when evaluating applicants. Students who have actively participated in community service demonstrate qualities such as initiative, compassion, and commitment, which can strengthen your college applications !
• Personal growth : Community service offers opportunities for personal growth and self-reflection as students develop a sense of empathy, social responsibility, and cultural awareness.
• Networking and connections : Engaging in community service allows students to build relationships and expand their networks. They can connect with like-minded peers, mentors, and professionals who can provide guidance, support, and potential career opportunities.
• Career exploration : Community service exposes students to various industries, professions, and social issues. It can help them explore their interests, passions, and potential career paths.
• Civic engagement : Community service instills a sense of civic responsibility and active citizenship. It encourages students to become informed, engaged members of society who make meaningful change in the world,
• Personal fulfillment : Knowing you’re helping others can bring a sense of fulfillment, happiness, and purpose to your life. Many students also make lifelong memories and friendships through these experiences!

Overall, community service projects are extremely important! It is a valuable and enriching experience that prepares students for successful and meaningful futures. 

150 Community Service Project Ideas

To help get the ball rolling and ensure you find the community service activities that fit your interests and address the social concerns that you’re most passionate about, here are 150 diverse service project ideas! 

General Ideas

Here are some general community service examples if you aren’t set on volunteering with a particular group or organization:

• Start or participate in a fundraiser to donate to a charitable cause
• Set up a car wash fundraising event to raise money for a charitable cause 
• Assist local festivals or events with their set-up and ensure the activity runs smoothly
• Organize a marathon or walk for a special cause
• Volunteer with violence prevention programs
• Volunteer at a local religious organization
• Volunteer as a peer counselor at a local church 
• Volunteer at a local pool as a lifeguard
• Volunteer at a local thrift shop
• Volunteer to assist with voting in your community
• Volunteer at a local community legal aid clinic
• Volunteer at a local fire department 
• Participate in or start a neighborhood watch program
• Participate or initiate a community dance workshop 
• Assist with community mental health awareness campaigns
• Create websites or assist with social media marketing for nonprofit organizations
• Help organize a community art project 
• Volunteer at a local veteran’s organization
• Volunteer at a local theatre or performing arts center
• Volunteer to assist with grant writing proposals for nonprofit organizations
• Assist with a substance abuse prevention program
• Volunteer at an adult education center
• Organize a charity bake sale to donate to a cause of your choosing
• If applicable, assist with disaster relief efforts by volunteering with organizations that provide emergency responses or support 
• Participate in community-building activities, such as helping with sports organizations or cultural events
• Assist with blood drives or participate in campaigns that raise awareness about the importance of donating blood
• Volunteer at a local library to assist with organization and book returns
• Volunteer at a local museum or art gallery
• Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity to help provide your community with affordable housing 
• Volunteer with disability support groups or organizations
• Volunteer at a local hospital or medical center
• Participate in a beautification project in your community
• Start a book drive at your school to collect and donate books to underprivileged schools or libraries in your area or abroad 
• Volunteer for an international volunteer organization to provide medical care in an underprivileged community
• Participate in an international volunteer brigade to help build infrastructure in under-resourced countries
• Volunteer abroad in countries where women are extremely marginalized to promote gender equality and teach them valuable life skills
• Volunteer at refugee camps abroad to ensure a smoother transition for those seeking to immigrate to other countries
• Help document history by volunteering with archaeology projects abroad
• Volunteer abroad to teach communities about HIV and AIDS
• Volunteer with the California Innocence Project to aid in the release of wrongfully convicted individuals
• Volunteer with the UN to assist with advocacy, research, writing, or teaching
• Join efforts such as “Be My Eyes,” a virtual app that connects you with people with visual impairments to assist with everyday tasks such as reading mail
• Assist with projects to help transcribe and review historical documents
• Organize a child or family sponsorship in your class or school 

Assisting Children and Teens

Whether you’re interested in working with children in the future or simply feel the most connected to the youth in your community, there are several ways to help address their needs:

• Participate in your school’s peer mentoring program or ESL program
• Volunteer at local libraries or reading circle programs in your community to help promote literacy among children in your community
• Assist in creating hope kits for Ronald McDonald children
• Participate in local or remote tutoring or mentorship programs to help students with subjects they struggle with 
• Participate in local or global tutoring programs to help children learn English
• Volunteer at local community centers or youth organizations to assist with recreational activities
• Volunteer as a mentor for a special needs child
• Participate in initiatives to sew blankets for premature babies
• Volunteer as a camp counselor
• Help organize a community science fair for students to participate in
• Volunteer as a translator to help those that do not speak English 
• Collect used costumes to distribute to low-income children for Halloween
• Volunteer to coach a youth sports team
• Offer free babysitting services to families in need
• Volunteer at a local foster care agency
• Volunteer at a daycare to assist with childcare 
• Volunteer at a youth crisis hotline
• Volunteer at a children’s choir or music program
• Volunteer at children’s rights organizations
• Participate in programs that promote children's safety
• Mentor a younger student through programs such as Big Brother or Big Sister
• Participate in international brigades to offer childcare in developing countries
• Volunteer abroad to increase young girls’ literacy and education
• Assist with youth development projects abroad to help empower disadvantaged children
• Assist with your community or school’s anti-bullying campaigns
• Participate in school-building efforts abroad to help students gain easier access to education 

Assisting the Homeless

If you’d like to promote more inclusion and empathy in your society, consider participating in the following community service projects that focus on assisting the homeless:

• Volunteer at local women’s, LGBTQ+, youth, or other homeless shelters
• Volunteer at local soup kitchens
• Volunteer at a homeless outreach organization
• Volunteer at a mobile medical clinic that serves the homeless
• Participate in food drives that donate to homeless shelters 
• Volunteer at a homeless veterans' organization
• Start or assist with baby basket programs to help homeless pregnant women prepare for their newborn
• Collect plastic bags and create waterproof blankets from them to distribute to the homeless
• Participate in educational campaigns to raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, advocate for change, and increase the resources available to the homeless population
• Start a “wish list” program at a local shelter to collect and fulfill special requests from homeless individuals 
• Start an initiative in your community or school to create care packages for the homeless, including essentials 
• Initiate a campaign to collect and distribute sleeping bags or tend to homeless individuals
• Assist with resume writing and job application workshops for homeless individuals
• Participate in mental health support programs for homeless individuals
• Volunteer at a homeless legal aid clinic
• Volunteer with mentorship programs that provide educational and employment assistance to the homeless population
• Start a winter clothing drive to collect coats, mittens, scarves, hats, and boots for homeless individuals during the winter 
• Participate in clean-up efforts to improve the living conditions of homeless encampments
• Assist with financial literacy programs for homeless people
• Start or participate in pet care drives to provide the pets of homeless people with food, vet care, and foster homes 
• Participate or initiate a community garden program that involves the homeless to provide with skill-building opportunities, therapeutic benefits, and fresh produce
• Volunteer at a local laundry facility that provides free laundry services for homeless individuals
• Participate in cooking initiatives to hand out homemade meals to homeless people
• Participate in holiday gift drives to provide presents to homeless children and families
• Volunteer at a mobile shower unit, providing clean and safe shower facilities for homeless individual
• Organize or participate in a backpack and school supplies drive to ensure homeless students have the resources needed to go to school 

Assisting Seniors

Seniors have and continue to make up a large percentage of the volunteer force . For as long as they’re able to, a large percentage of seniors dedicate their time to giving back to their community. As such, it only seems fitting that you give back to those who have made such great contributions to society!

Here are some community service experiences to assist seniors:

• Assist with meal preparation and delivery for homebound seniors
• Assist with the collection and delivery of groceries to seniors
• Participate or start a companionship program where you and your peers connect with seniors through calls or visits
• Assist with the organization or recreational activities at senior centers or retirement homes
• Assist with technology teaching programs to help seniors use smartphones and laptops to stay connected with their friends and family
• Participate in reading programs where you read out loud to visually impaired seniors
• Assist with memory-enhancing programs for seniors
• Assist with baking and cooking lessons for seniors
• Participate in mentoring services to help seniors learn new skills or English
• Volunteer with oral history projects to preserve seniors’ life stories
• Volunteer with assistance programs to provide cleaning, personal care, and grooming services to seniors
• Organize music or singing performances at senior homes with your school band or some peers
• Volunteer to assist with arts and crafts sessions at senior homes
• Assist with pet therapy programs that visit senior homes
• If you have your license, volunteer with transportation programs to provide seniors with transportation to events and appointments 

Assisting Animals

For all you animal lovers, these next community service examples are just for you!

• Volunteer at a local animal shelter
• Volunteer at a local zoo or animal sanctuary
• Volunteer at a reptile or amphibian rescue organization
• If you have a knack for photography, photograph animals at adoption centers to assist with their adoption
• Assist with feeding and caring for animals at a farms
• Help organize and participate in adoption events
• Participate in animal rescue missions during natural disasters
• Offer pet-sitting services for free
• Assist with repairing wildlife nesting boxes or building birdhouses for your community
• Participate in bird or wildlife monitoring programs to gather data on population and behavior
• Volunteer at a guide dog training center to help socialize future service dogs
• Offer dog-walking services for free
• Participate in spay/neuter campaigns to reduce pet overpopulation
• Participate in educational campaigns about proper pet care
• Participate in educational campaigns about wildlife conservation in your community
• Assist in conducting wildlife surveys and monitoring populations of endangered species
• Campaign against poaching 
• Help build and maintain shelters or outdoor enclosures for feral cats
• Participate in foster programs to care for animals until they find permanent homes
• Organize a pet supply drive to collect items for animal shelters or rescue organizations
• Volunteer abroad to assist with wildlife conservation on islands, in the savannah, and in rainforests
• Become a marine conservation volunteer abroad to help protect threatened marine life
• Volunteer abroad to assist with the maintenance of private game reserves
• Volunteer abroad to provide basic veterinary care to animals 

Assisting the Environment

They say charity begins at home, so consider participating in a community service project that protects everyone’s home—Earth!

• Volunteer at a local environmental organization and assist in their initiatives and campaigns
• Participate in your school or community’s recycling program
• Help organize Earth Day initiatives
• Join a community bike repair program to promote cycling
• Participate in neighborhood cleanup events to pick up litter 
• Participate in beach cleanup events to decrease water and plastic pollution
• Assist in restoring and maintaining local parks, nature reserves, or trails
• Launch a composting initiative at your school 
• Assist in tree-planting programs
• Volunteer at a renewable energy installation project, helping with solar panel installations
• Volunteer at local farmer’s markets to support sustainable agriculture practices
• Assist with workshops and campaigns to educate others on sustainable living, energy conservation, and water conservation
• Participate in food-recovery programs to decrease food waste 
• Participate in campaigns to reduce single-use plastic consumption in your community
• Participate in initiatives to protect and restore coral reefs and marine ecosystems

If you're looking to gain valuable experience, start a new hobby , and make a positive impact on your community, these community service ideas will be a valuable resource for you. Plus, if you aren’t involved in any extracurricular activities , these suggestions are a good way to get started.

FAQs: Community Service

For any remaining questions about community service projects, read on to find your answers!

1. What Is the Most Common Type of Community Service?

Working with children is one of the most common types of community service. High school students typically tutor them, care for them, or mentor them.

2. How Can I Positively Contribute to My Community?

Choose community service projects you’re passionate about. Dedicate your sincere time and effort to these projects and empathize with the people affected. Stick to these projects for a long period of time so you form connections with the beneficiaries and can make a meaningful, positive impact on them!

3. How Much Time Should I Dedicate to Community Service?

There isn’t a set amount of time you should dedicate to community service . It should not be treated like a chore or a competition–the aim is not to get as many community service hours as possible to boost your resume.

Dedicate as much time as you can to volunteering while being mindful of your other commitments, like academics and extracurriculars . Whether it be just a couple hours a week or 20, any time spent contributing to your community over time can make a difference!

4. How Can Community Service Benefit Students?

Community service offers numerous benefits for students. It provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills, gain practical experience, explore potential career interests, and strengthen their college applications . 

It can also open more doors for them when it comes to scholarships , as many scholarships seek students with a commitment to community engagement. Moreover, community service allows students to develop a well-rounded character. They gain unique perspectives, are exposed to diverse cultures, and learn to be more empathetic.

They may also be able to challenge some of their own stereotypes and misconceptions and become more inclusive and culturally competent individuals. 

5. How Do I Choose the Right Community Service Projects?

Choosing the right community service projects involves considering your interests, skills, and the needs of the community. Here are some steps to help you make the right choice:

• Reflect on your passions : Start by thinking about the causes or issues that you feel strongly about and would want to dedicate your time to
• Assess your skills and strengths : Consider your talents, skills, and areas of expertise. Determine how you can use these abilities to contribute effectively to a community service project and which types would benefit most from your skills
• Research local community needs : Learn about the specific needs and challenges faced by your local community
• Consider volunteering abroad : If you’re passionate about issues outside of your immediate community, look into international volunteer opportunities
• Evaluate available opportunities : Explore different community service organizations, projects, and initiatives in your area or abroad. Consider factors such as time commitment, project duration, and the level of involvement required
• Consider the impact : Assess the potential impact of the community service project. Will it make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals or the community as a whole? 
• Seek guidance and advice : Talk to teachers, peers, mentors, or community leaders who have experience in community service. They can provide insights, guidance, and recommendations based on their knowledge and expertise
• Reflect on your personal growth : Consider how the community service project will contribute to your personal growth and development. Think about the skills you want to develop, the experiences you want to gain, and the impact you want to make

If, after all of these steps, you still don’t resonate with a particular community service project, feel free to start your own! 

Final Thoughts

Overall, as many influential leaders and celebrities would argue, giving back to the world is a fundamental part of life! It not only provides support to those who need it most but can offer you a sense of fulfillment, assist with your self-discovery, and teach you lifelong lessons. 

Now that you have a long list of community service ideas to choose from, it’s time to find yourself by helping others!

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• Sexual Assault Victim’s Programs
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Community Awareness & Education Activities Programs

• Crime Victim’s Programs
• Support Groups
• Get Involved
• Mission Statement
• Project Help Calendar
• HELPline Satisfaction Survey
• Career Opportunities

Project HELP Community Awareness Activities Program – The goal of community awareness is to increase the community’s knowledge of the available programs and services offered. This is accomplished by informing the general public through various activities.

Participating in a Minimum of 24 Community Awareness Activities

• Activities are targeted to include under served communities and diverse populations in our county. The 24 community awareness activities focus on all our programs and services unless we are asked to speak on individual programs.
• Community networking promotes community awareness of program services and availability by networking with professionals and leaders in the community.
• Developing, building and maintaining Response Teams, which include representatives from victim advocacy, law enforcement, prosecution and healthcare.
• Joining community-based collaborations (e.g., disaster preparedness committees, social service consortiums,)
• Communicating regularly with staff at local social service agencies, hospital emergency room, law enforcement, state attorney, clerk of court and non-certified victim advocates
• Visiting local businesses and dropping off sexual violence materials, event flyers and brochures
• Joining local groups and sharing information
• Collaboration with other agencies

Training For Professionals and Non-Professionals

• “Training” refers to education about available programs/services that are provided to professional and non-professional audiences.
• Dynamics of each of our programs and all services that we offer
• Relevant community resources
• Crisis intervention
• Medical, criminal justice/legal and social service victim response

Training Sites Include:

• Social service agencies and organizations
• Educational institutions, including daycare centers
• Healthcare facilities
• Law enforcement agencies
• Youth organizations
• Legal – (e.g.. legal associations, clerk-of-court or prosecutors)
• Clubs (e.g., League, Kiwanis, Rotary, Senior Center, LGBTQ, 4-H)
• Local businesses (e.g., provide sexual violence training to employees)
• Churches (e.g., provide training to congregations and/or religious leaders)

Participation in Community Events

Program staff are involved in events throughout the community. Participation in community events often includes a table with promotional and informational items containing (at minimum) program names and hotline number, program materials and program brochures. Examples of community events:

• Community celebrations
• Social service outreach (career day open house)
• School events (sports events or campus clubs/activities>
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities/li>

Public Speaking

Getting the word out will increase community awareness of programs and available services. Things to consider for public speaking:

• Keep an agency speakers bureau – the list should include advocacy core trained staff and volunteers with public speaking experience, their areas of specialization and general availability
• Advertise your availability to speak on the topic of sexual violence
• Call potential sponsors for speaking engagements
• Seek opportunities to speak at community events
• Set up interviews for local television and radio programs
• Submit workshop proposals for conferences

Distribution of Materials

Programs should routinely distribute program materials to local businesses, churches, social service agencies, hospitals, law enforcement, court and legal personnel, clubs, schools and civic organizations. Things to consider:

• Materials should include information about all available programs as well as defined programs best suited for visit. Include on materials hotline and office telephone numbers, hours and location of services and website address.
• The community should be informed of materials that are available for distribution and a mechanism established to request material
• Drop off materials at local businesses (e.g., hotline tear off sheets, event flyers, program brochures)
• Contact law enforcement on a regular basis to check on the status of the “Victim Rights and Services” brochure. Responding officers are required to give the brochure to victims
• Develop materials that will be accessible to all members of your community

Resource Libraries

Information technology is a means of sharing sexual violence materials and program services with the community. Site-based libraries, web-based resources and links and community-based libraries are all sources for resource sharing. Suggestions for resource libraries and sharing include:

• Maintain a resource library that contains up-to-date books, manuals, DVDs and training materials
• Advertise availability of agency-based resource library to the general public and/or local professionals
• Host a reading group
• Host a movie night
• Develop your agency website to include program specific resources that can be downloaded or links to resources

Media Coverage/Campaign

Media provides a cost-effective means of advertising. Plan events to include media coverage. Use local media that reaches diverse populations within your service area; for example: rural, African American, Latina, migrant, LGBTQ or the elderly. Invite minority owned news outlets (newspaper, radio, television) to cover your events. Include coverage in language(s) that will reach all members of your community.

• Public Service Announcements on local television and radio stations
• Local media/newspapers – invite the news to cover program events such as Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities or fundraisers
• Social media – spread the news of your services through an agency Facebook page and/or Twitter account to keep professionals in your community up-to-date and informed on issues related to your program and sexual violence
• Agency website and blogs

Advertising

Advertising program services and the hotline number should be included in agency advertising and materials as well as ways to inform hard-to-reach populations such as the mentally ill, homeless, substance abusers and sex workers of the available programs and services. Examples of ways to advertise:

• Listed on the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Website
• Listed on the Collier County Elder Brochure
• Membership outlets (e.g., local newsletters for seniors, LGBTQ, minority or women’s organizations)
• Newspaper ads
• Television and radio ads or PSAs

11 Inspiring Examples of Communities of Practice in Higher Education

In partnership with Achieving the Dream, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Online Learning Consortium, Every Learner Everywhere recently published Communities of Practice in Higher Education: A Playbook for Centering Equity, Digital Learning, and Continuous Improvement .

The playbook defines a community of practice as a group of people who share information, experiences, and practices through collaboration and dialogue in a common area of interest. A community of practice helps practitioners — in healthcare or education, for example — share information and experiences, explore similar problems and opportunities, and develop new knowledge. Being member driven, communities of practice can vary widely in the form they take and in the way they operate.

The authors of the playbook analyzed examples of communities of practice in higher education and identified common elements and processes. They identify five stages of communities of practice work — Envisioning, Designing, Facilitating, Evaluating, and Sustaining — and devote sections of the playbook to each stage. The playbook highlights strategies for managing the process and embeds considerations related to equity, digital learning, and continuous improvement. The playbook is accompanied by a literature review on communities of practice .

From Communities of Practice in Higher Education: A Playbook for Centering Equity, Digital Learning, and Continuous Improvement

The appendix to the playbook, which is excerpted and adapted below, profiles 11 examples of communities of practice in higher education that vary in their models, formal structure, and subject matter. The examples include faculty, librarians, academic support, and student affairs professionals, and they include modalities ranging from in-person meetings to asynchronous online sharing.

Examples of communities of practice

1. University of Colorado Boulder hosts an Online Pedagogy Community of Practice to amplify existing exemplary work, but more importantly the mission of the community is to “create a space for dialogue that builds trusted relationships among collaborators by sharing effective strategies and practices, encountering challenges with empathy, and facing change with community. This is not ‘just another meeting’ — this is a network of trusted collaborators invested in doing what we do, better.”

2. Librarians at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas developed and implemented an inclusive teaching community of practice with members of their instruction department to foster a culture of discussing equity in higher education, to develop and implement inclusive teaching practices, and to cultivate a shared responsibility to be equitable instructors and colleagues. The article highlights the importance of library workers from majority groups, especially white library workers, engaging in meaningfully in educational equity work to lessen the burdens faced by those with marginalized identities, particularly minoritized library workers, and to ultimately foster educational equity for all by creating inclusive workspaces, libraries, and learning experiences.

3. Oregon State University faculty are invited to organize communities of practice through a proposal process through the Office of Faculty Affairs. Approved communities are required to submit a summary report. Current and past communities of practice include Inclusive Excellence in Marine Programs, Research for Undergraduates Network, and the Community for the Advancement of Antiracist Instruction.

4. The University of Washington invites colleagues with similar information technology interests to join communities to “share common skills, technologies, or methodologies” to identify practices that promote the participation and success of people with disabilities in education and careers. The communities do not meet but instead communicate via email. Some communities include AccessCyberLearning, Accessible Distance Learning, Broadening Participation, Universal Design in Higher Education, and Veterans.

5. The University of California, Santa Barbara has a Student Affairs Assessment Initiative community of practice to support the professional development of student affairs staff. The topics are centered around student services and student affairs activities, such as “Transfer Students’ Experiences Navigating Financial Aid.”

6. As a response to mitigating COVID-19 effects and in the spirit of “leading with racial equity,” The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges offered technology-mediated communities of practice that encouraged social connection, skill building, information aggregation, problem solving, and the sharing of resources. They currently have STEM faculty communities of practice and workforce communities of practice.

7.  College of DuPage uses inquiry groups and affinity spaces within the communities of practice umbrella. College of DuPage defines inquiry groups as communities of practice centered on and built around examining topics of special interest. Affinity spaces provide participants with common interests a collective voice, a sense of community, and professional and personal support.

8.  Orange Coast College has communities of practice specifically targeted to and hosted for part-time faculty. The experiences include celebratory experiences and teaching- and learning-centered experiences, such as outcome-centered teaching, enhancing the lecture experience, and engaging with instructional resources.

9.  The California State University San Marcos Office of Success Coaching offers “Wisdom Exchange” opportunities, which are meant to serve as communities of practice to support shared participation for all.

10.  The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in partnership with Every Learner Everywhere created a Guide to Building a Faculty Learning Community. The resource describes how to build and maintain a faculty learning community, details logistics, and provides a case study from Colorado State University along with testimonials from instructors.

11. Through their ShapingEDU initiative, Arizona State University hosts several communities of practice that expand the boundaries of their institution and invite practitioners from around the globe. Some examples/case studies of communities include Community of Practice in Open Education Resources and Pedagogy, Educational Technology and Media MOOC, Faculty Engagement Academies, and FLEXspace — the Flexible Learning Environments Exchange.

This article is excerpted and adapted from Adams, S., Tesene, M., Gay, K., Brokos, M., Swindell, A., McGuire, A., & Rettler-Pagel, T. (2023, Mar 7). Communities of Practice in Higher Education: A Playbook for Centering Equity, Digital Learning, and Continuous Improvement. Every Learner Everywhere. https://www.everylearnereverywhere.org/resources/ communities-of-practice-in-higher-education/ 

The playbook is a collaboration of Achieving the Dream (ATD), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) in partnership with Every Learner Everywhere.

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Beaver creek wildlife education center may activities schedule.

EAST LIVERPOOL – The Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center has announced its May activities schedule.

Events include the following:

– Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Grow a Butterfly Garden. Join BCWEC volunteers Cheryl and Eileen under the pavilion at the Wildlife Education Center. Learn how to plant a garden that attracts butterflies and other pollinators, which plants host the different stages of these beneficial and beautiful creatures, where to purchase plants locally, how to collect seeds, and how to plant them. Participants will receive some sample plants and seeds while supplies last. This activity is suitable for adults and children over the age of 12.

– Saturday, May 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. – Opening Day for the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center. The center will be open for visitors each weekend through the first weekend of October.

– Saturday, May 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. – Milkweed Mud Pies. Children (and adults) of all ages will enjoy this crafty gardening activity. Join Wildlife Center volunteers Cheryl and Eileen under the pavilion at the Wildlife Education Center as each participant will choose milkweed and other wildflower seeds and make a seedball to take home to plant. Participants can also help us enlarge the wildflower meadow at the Wildlife Center by pitching in a few seeds. Be prepared to get muddy.

– Sunday, May 5 at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. – Vultures! Join Wildlife Center volunteer Kathy Cattrell in the Ohio Room for a 25-minute program on vultures. She will talk about their characteristics and interesting facts. The program will be repeated each of the times.

– Saturday, May 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Spring Bees: Hive Sweet Hive. Join local beekeeper Maria Matthews as she explains what bees do after a long winter and how they get ready to multiply and start producing honey. She will also have some beekeeping equipment for guests to explore. After her program, participants can look at the live bee display in the Live Animal Room and ask her questions. This program is suitable for adults and children age 12 and older.

– Saturday, May 11 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. – Outside activity – “Eat Like a Bird.” Join Wildlife Center volunteer Mary Spooner any time during the afternoon for this fun hands-on activity. Match beaks and birds and then attempt to eat what a bird would eat using the beak-like implements. Work at one’s own pace.

– Saturday, May 18 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. – Nature Activity – Planting Seeds. Kids and their adults can join BCWEC volunteers under the pavilion and plant some seeds to take home to grow into beautiful flowers. Participants will also take home a plastic baggie of seeds in wet paper towels to watch the germination of seeds.

– Sunday, May 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. – scavenger hunt on Logan’s Loop Trail. Kids and their adults can take a short hike on Logan’s Loop trail, located behind the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center, and try to find all the animals on the scavenger hunt list. When the hunt is completed, families will receive a booklet about the animals they found on the trail. Adults can pick up the scavenger hunt paper, a pencil, and a clip board under the pavilion. The hike is .6 miles long and has a couple steeper areas. Participants should wear sturdy shoes. Event will be canceled if bad weather.

– Sunday, May 19 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. – Story Time in the Discovery Room. Join volunteer Mary Spooner any time during the afternoon for a book reading of “Lost in the Woods” by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick. After the reading Spooner will help participants find the animals in the displays at the Wildlife Education Center that were mentioned in the book.

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The Secret to Creating Effective Community Partnerships

A former elementary school principal describes how her school integrated community volunteers to enhance students’ academic growth.

Schools across the country face a conundrum: We want to engage all learners and meet a variety of student needs, but teachers are strapped for time within the instructional day. One way to support the growing needs of all students is through the strategic use of volunteers and community members.

As a principal at Madison County Elementary School, I often had community members who were interested in volunteering at the school. Initially, we struggled with ways to utilize these volunteers in a meaningful way where the students’ academic growth could be measured. However, we found ways to build partnerships with community organizations that have been in place since 2018.

Here are three ways we have integrated community members into our school to help enhance academic growth.

My first successful experience with community volunteers began with meeting Frank, a 90-year-old retired NASA engineer. Frank was convinced that conquering student literacy in the primary grades was the key to changing the school-to-prison pipeline. He showed me a PowerPoint presentation he had developed that outlined how prison capacities are built based on the number of students with below-grade-level reading results in the third grade. Frank was passionate about changing this trajectory for students and proposed the use of the Arise2Read program as the way to accomplish this goal.

Arise2Read is a sight-word, game-based intervention program. Students were assessed initially on the Frye high-frequency word list. Each child’s list was tailored to the sight words that they had not mastered. Volunteers were background-checked and then selected times to meet with individual students to play games that utilized the sight words. The volunteers felt comfortable with this task, since the games are familiar and easy to play.

Each child received sight-word support at least three times each week. Sometimes they worked with different volunteers based on their availability for the week; however, it was easy for each volunteer to pick up where the last session ended by keeping materials organized in bins. As the students mastered new words, they progressed to the next five words on their list. Upon completion of the school year, every child who participated in the Arise2Read intervention made significant gains based on their DIBELS early literacy assessment.

Other community partners have focused on ways to increase arts exposure and student engagement strategies. Arts funding is declining in many places around the country. In Alabama, elementary-aged students receive art and music instruction only one time weekly for one semester each school year. My school began partnering with the North Alabama Arts Education Collaborative (NAAEC) in 2019 as a way to expose more students to the arts. Since the arts are an area where many of our harder-to-reach students thrive, the NAAEC and I discussed ways that we could integrate the arts into core content areas such as reading, science, and mathematics.

Our partnership began with the development of an instructional unit based on the study of sound waves. Students learned about the science content from their teacher. Then Pat Nickel, an artist-in-residence, taught the students how to build and play cigar box guitars. The students learned through experience how the different pitches were developed using the cigar box guitar strings. Through learning simple chords and strumming techniques, they were able to perform a few songs on their newly created instruments.

Student engagement was through the roof during this project. The students were excited to learn about the science content as they saw and heard it come to life during the culminating project. Interest in arts integration snowballed as classroom teachers saw the excitement that came from the students and their colleagues during this unit. Our teachers quickly developed arts integration units that incorporated theater and drama into the development and study of character traits in language arts, as well as the development of a dance unit with a local ballet artist while the students were learning about joints and the human body.

Civics and Character Education

Other community partnerships have provided more immersive events that facilitate the development of civics and character traits within students. The Liberty Learning Foundation is a nonprofit group that teaches students about the history of the Statue of Liberty through a highly engaging assembly that provides students with a frame of reference for the size and importance of our nation’s iconic monument. Students learn lessons about American history, civics, financial literacy, character, and career readiness during this 10-week unit. Teachers are assigned a partner from the foundation who guides them through the lessons over the course of the unit.

As a culmination, students nominate someone who has exhibited these traits as a “super citizen” within their community. Some of the award winners from the past have been school bus drivers and even a young peer who had been raising funds for cancer patients at St. Jude. This person is invited to the final assembly, where they are awarded a small Statue of Liberty memento as a thank-you for the impact that they have made on the community.

Each of these community partnerships has served as enriching educational experiences for students within my school. I cannot urge colleagues enough to welcome partnerships between organizations and individuals in your community so that you can increase student engagement and academic achievement. As an administrator, I wanted to ensure that these relationships would not take away from the standards-based instruction that is required for each grade level.

These partnerships are aligned with or enhance the mandatory standards-based instruction. I am always on the lookout for partnerships that can enhance the quality of the academic programming provided at my school. This way, you can encourage students to say “Howdy, partner!” to the caring adults within their community.

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Restricted and repetitive behavior patterns in autism spectrum disorder

Repetitive and restricted behaviors (RRBs), a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder, are a broad category that can include unusual motor manners as well as one or more patterns of interest. Some interests, such as toy cars or vacuum cleaners, help individuals with ASD cope but could interfere with social relationships or self-care. However, scientists have increasingly adopted the view that taking away restrictive behaviors can do more harm than good. 1

Consider the case of Raya Shields, who is on the autism spectrum and has Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now 28, she recalls rocking back and forth in school to cope with noisy environments—and still does. 2 When teachers scolded her for being disruptive, she began suppressing these behaviors (also called “stimming” or “self-stimulatory”). 2 With no alternative, she resorted to snapping her fingers—to the point where it became too painful to write. As a result, her schoolwork suffered. 2

When individuals like Raya experience stigma due to their RRBs, this can result in increased loneliness, poor academic outcomes, and the masking of autistic traits to fit into a neurotypical world—all of which can negatively impact their mental health. 3 With an estimated 256,000 individuals on the autism spectrum in U.S. high schools, there is a call to provide them with more inclusive and supportive environments. 4,5

This post explores types of RRBs and their impact on quality of life, effective interventions at home and in school, and better ways to support individuals with ASD.

Types of RRBs

Repetitive behaviors and fixed interests constitute one of two criteria that define autism in the Diagnostic Manual for Psychiatry (DSM). Simply preferring a strict routine is not enough for an autism diagnosis. 6

According to the DSM, the behavior must be “abnormal in intensity or focus,” and changes to these behaviors must cause "extreme distress.” 6

Repetitive behaviors may include: 6,7

• Motor: Repetitive movements of the body or objects, hand-flapping, body rocking, spinning objects, or finger-flicking
• Fixated Interests: Intense focus or preoccupation with specific topics, objects, or activities, often to the exclusion of other interests
• Compulsions: Rituals performed to alleviate anxiety or distress, such as counting or arranging objects
• Self-Injury: Actions that result in physical harm to oneself, such as head-banging, biting, or scratching

Course Connection: SPED 743: FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT

This course provides a problem-solving approach and the framework for teaching and assessment strategies to develop pro-social behavior in students with disabilities and their typical peers in classrooms and whole school contexts. Students assess problem behavior, discover the functions of problem behavior, and learn pro-social alternatives in home, school, and community settings.

Course Connection: SPED 843: ADVANCED METHODS AND ASSESSMENT

This course is designed to introduce educators and related service professionals to prevention and intervention related to a broad range of antisocial, aggressive, and behavioral problems. Approaches focus on understanding and addressing the precipitating factors related to inappropriate behavior, short-term approaches for immediate crises, and problem-solving strategies for longer-term change.

Prevalence and variability

The CDC reports more boys are diagnosed on the autism spectrum than girls: four boys for every autistic girl. 8 Experts point to several factors to explain the gap.

ASD diagnosis criteria have been based on observations primarily made in boys, resulting in a skewed understanding of the disorder's presentation. 8 Second, many higher-functioning autistic girls are often overlooked or misdiagnosed because they tend to mask repetitive behaviors. 8

Here are some differences to look for:

• Girls: Present repetitive verbal behaviors, such as echolalia (or scripting), which involves repeating words or phrases from media or conversations. 8
• Boys: Display more overt and stereotypical repetitive behaviors, such as hand-flapping, rocking, or intense fixations on specific objects or topics. 8

Educators and clinicians need to consider diverse expressions of ASD in both girls and boys to ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate support. When girls aren’t correctly diagnosed, they don’t have access to early interventions. Lack of support can increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem by the time they enter middle school or high school.

Understanding the function of RRBs

In 2014, journalist Ron Suskind published the book, “Life, Animated,” chronicling the struggles of his son, Owen, who was diagnosed with regressive autism at age three. The Suskinds chose to encourage their son’s special interest in Disney movies and characters, which helped him learn to speak and read again. 2 “Life, Animated” was later turned into a movie by the same name, shedding light on the positive side of RRBs.

Research studies are becoming more inclusive, focusing on the lived experiences of individuals with ASD. Many autistic adults report that pursuing their intense interests is rewarding and brings them happiness. 2 While these interests have been labeled restrictive, they provide a coping mechanism, enhance self-confidence, and sometimes facilitate connections with peers. 2

In light of these studies, there has been “a major paradigm shift in perceptions of special interests,” notes psychologist Rachel Grove of the University of Technology Sydney. 2 Autism advocates and scientists argue for treatment approaches that respect the dignity and independence of individuals with ASD, including the need to build on special interests, rather than discouraging them. 2

Course Connection: EPSY 715: UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH IN EDUCATION

This course introduces the concepts and skills involved in understanding and analyzing research in education and related areas. The course provides an overview of basic, general knowledge of various research methodologies used in the online master’s in autism spectrum disorder program.

Impact on daily functioning

While there are reported benefits of RRBs, individuals can also engage in disruptive or harmful behaviors. It’s important to pay attention to signs that these behaviors impair an individual’s daily functioning. Some parents may not know the severity of the repetitive behavior, such as hair pulling, until they find clumps of hair in the child’s bedroom. There are resources for parents and caregivers that may be helpful .

In addition, if an individual is neglecting self-care to the point of sacrificing sleep or forgetting to shower, then it’s time to seek support. 10

These questions can serve as a starting point for professional evaluation:

• Is the student approaching the special interest with such intensity that they cannot stop when they need to? 9
• Is the intense interest or repetitive behavior disrupting family life? 9
• Is it interfering with the student’s enjoyment of other activities? 9
• Is it resulting in the student harming themselves? 9
• Is it interfering with the student’s academic success or social development? 9

Before developing any treatment plan for a student with ASD, special education teachers and medical teams can use questionnaires and other assessments to evaluate the impact that RRBs have on academic success, socializing, and family dynamics . Then, they can include parents in critical decisions and recommend targeted interventions that can be implemented at home and in school.

Management and intervention

When repetitive behavior impairs an individual’s ability to function or poses a threat to family members, medication can seem like the only hope for managing problematic behaviors. Risperidone and Aripiprazole are the only FDA-approved drugs that can be prescribed to treat irritability in children with autism spectrum disorder, but they don’t work for all individuals with ASD. 10 Glen Eliot, medical director of the Children’s Health Council encourages families to first try behavioral interventions, especially with very young children. 11

One alternative to medication is a cognitive-behavioral approach, which teaches students to use other coping mechanisms, problem-solving skills, and relaxation techniques so that they have the tools to self-manage anxiety and distress that triggers RRBs.

Another option is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which uses positive reinforcement. Some research shows it has been effective in teaching life skills and reducing harmful behaviors.

However, a 2018 study found that ABA therapy, which involves intense repetition, can be grueling and put individuals with ASD at higher risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder. 12

Parents and advocates are critical of it because of these negative experiences. 12,13 In school settings, structured teaching such as the use of visual schedules, can promote greater independence in students with ASD.

Supporting individuals with RRBs

Creating structured environments involves establishing routines and predictable schedules to help individuals with RRBs feel supported. If the student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, some accommodations could include allowing them to stim at their desk or leave the classroom and go to a quiet, calming space. 14

Another way to support students with ASD is to integrate their special interests into the curriculum. New York teacher Jenny Licata, who teaches autistic students in a mainstream classroom, has found this approach has academic and behavioral benefits. 2 For example, one 6-year-old girl, who has an intense interest in outer space, routinely struggled with transitions. 2 So, Licata turned her folder into a spaceship. Then, she cues the student to put work into the folder and switch activities by saying, “blast-off in 10,” which makes transitions less stressful. 2

Depending on the student’s school placement, effective supports might include:

• Modified environments: Reduce sensory overload with soft lighting, eliminate visual clutter, and provide quiet spaces 14
• Sensory-friendly strategies: Allow use of fidget toys, chewelry (jewelry designed for chewing), or stress balls 14
• Visual supports: Provide visual schedules to help reduce anxiety and promote predictability to ease transitions during the school day 14
• Social stories: Promote social skill development in settings, such as the supermarket, doctor’s surgery, and playground 14

By drawing on evidence-based best practices, special education teachers can develop personalized accommodations and integrate the special interests of students with autism spectrum disorder.

These measures can go a long way toward reducing the impact of challenging behaviors, while fostering a greater sense of belonging.

Collaborating with families of children with ASD

Families are vital in supporting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs). Understanding these behaviors, like repetitive motor movements or ritualistic behavior, is crucial for effective home support.

Parents manage repetitive behaviors by creating supportive routines and advocating for services outlined in the diagnostic criteria. They offer emotional support, aiding their child's navigation of social and communication deficits.

Educators play an essential role as partners in the collaboration between schools, parents, and caregivers; they can help align strategies between home and school environments.

Through open communication channels, all stakeholders can share insights, enabling a holistic understanding of the child's needs, including those related to stereotyped behaviors, autism repetitive behaviors, and repetitive sensory motor behavior.

This collaborative approach ensures that interventions are tailored to the unique characteristics of children with ASD and autistic children, as outlined in the diagnostic criteria. Through this shared understanding, educators, parents, and caretakers can develop effective support plans that address the child's restricted interests and repetitive body movements, promoting success in both academic and social settings.

Gain the expertise to help transform ASD education with KU's Online Master’s in special education

Master cutting-edge teaching methods for diverse learners with a top-ranked online special education master's degree in ASD * from the University of Kansas.

KU’s School of Education and Human Sciences is a national pioneer in ASD education for today’s educators and offers three practicum electives to help online master’s students become effective classroom leaders.

Get your questions answered by scheduling a call with one of our helpful admissions outreach advisors. Start building master’s-level expertise in the ASD specialization you want to excel in most.

* Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.) in special education with an emphasis in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/the-benefits-of-special-interests-in-autism/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/rethinking-repetitive-behaviors-in-autism/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1750946721001707
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from ascd.org/el/articles/deepening-supports-for-teens-with-autism
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from aane.org/autism-info-faqs/library/are-autistic-students-traumatized-in-school/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from verywellhealth.com/repetitive-behaviors-in-autism-260582
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from autismparentingmagazine.com/repetitive-behavior-autism-children/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from childmind.org/article/autistic-girls-overlooked-undiagnosed-autism/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-children-special-interests/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from autismspeaks.org/medications-autism
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from childmind.org/article/autism-and-medication/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from verywellhealth.com/educational-options-for-children-with-autism-260393
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from childmind.org/article/controversy-around-applied-behavior-analysis/
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from undivided.io/resources/school-supports-and-iep-504-accommodations-for-autism-1340
• Retrieved on March 18, 2024, from usnews.com/education/online-education/education/online-special-education-rankings

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Computer Science > Computation and Language

Title: in-context learning state vector with inner and momentum optimization.

Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) have exhibited an impressive ability to perform In-Context Learning (ICL) from only a few examples. Recent works have indicated that the functions learned by ICL can be represented through compressed vectors derived from the transformer. However, the working mechanisms and optimization of these vectors are yet to be thoroughly explored. In this paper, we address this gap by presenting a comprehensive analysis of these compressed vectors, drawing parallels to the parameters trained with gradient descent, and introduce the concept of state vector. Inspired by the works on model soup and momentum-based gradient descent, we propose inner and momentum optimization methods that are applied to refine the state vector progressively as test-time adaptation. Moreover, we simulate state vector aggregation in the multiple example setting, where demonstrations comprising numerous examples are usually too lengthy for regular ICL, and further propose a divide-and-conquer aggregation method to address this challenge. We conduct extensive experiments using Llama-2 and GPT-J in both zero-shot setting and few-shot setting. The experimental results show that our optimization method effectively enhances the state vector and achieves the state-of-the-art performance on diverse tasks. Code is available at this https URL

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