DDS – Die Deutsche Schule: Issue “We Must Have the Confidence in Them that They Can Change Something”

Service-learning – learning through civic engagement is a teaching and learning method that combines academic learning with civic engagement. Its core aims are to strengthen students’ democratic competence and to enhance classroom teaching. The article introduces the pedagogical concept, shows examples from all types of (K12-)schools, provides insight into scientific studies on eff ectiveness and describes, along the six standards for quality practice, what is important for implementing service-learning and what kind of challenges are involved.

Keywords
service-learning, learning through civic engagement, democratic competence, participation, self-efficacy, action-oriented teaching