Magazine
What is OIS Service Learning?
Service-learning, in its most basic sense, is exactly what the term implies — a union of sorts between community service and classroom learning. Within this basic definition, however, lies a world of possibilities, and as it has increased in popularity over the past two decades so too has an understanding of its effectiveness.
Vanderbilt University, a leader in service-learning research, calls service-learning “one of the most significant teaching methodologies” in the modern classroom.
Service Learning at OIS
OIS aims to produce culturally competent, outside-the-box thinkers who are excited and equipped to “positively impact the school, community, nation, and world,” and we believe that a dynamic, integrated, K-12 service-learning program is essential in helping us reach these learner outcomes.
Service Learning Philosophies
The mission of the OIS Service Learning Program is to create an ever-growing community of global leaders who enact positive change through experiential learning and intentional service.Our mission is guided by eight value statements. When acted upon, these precepts provide the necessary motivation and the structure for our program’s aims.
- Learning First: We believe that to serve well, we must first learn well.
- Dynamic Professional Learning: We believe that everyone learns best by doing, even adults!
- Diverse Learning Community: We believe that sustainable service rarely happens in isolation.
- Reciprocal Global Partnerships: We believe in the power of partnerships.
- Curriculum Integration: We believe that proficiency comes from a sustained, intentional, and multi-faceted approach to learning.
- Experiential Learning: We believe in the saying, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn forever.”
- Culture of Compassion: We believe that compassion is like any soft skill — it can be discovered, taught, and refined through intentional instruction.
- Global Competencies: We believe that learning systems are only as good as their learning outcomes.
The learning outcomes for the OIS service-learning program are a set of eight Global Competencies. They were born out of years of experience, the synthesis and contextualization of impactful service-learning frameworks, the OIS SLOs, and, of course, our program’s mission. Our goal is to grow each and every student in these competencies so that they will leave OIS equipped and ready to serve and lead.
Global Competencies
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Compassion
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Cultural Competency
- Content
- Creation
Everything that we do – from professional development to EAGLE Week – is grounded in these OIS Global Competencies. They allow us to assess student and staff growth toward the program’s mission (creating global leaders), and they allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs and projects.
Our Programs
The OIS service-learning team develops, implements, and maintains a series of projects and programs that allow us to fulfill our mission and actualize our vision of a better future. Programs belong to one of two pathways: 1) curriculum integration (during school hours), and 2) co-curricular support (outside school hours).This dual-path approach ensures that we become a service-learning community as opposed to a school that just does service-learning. Check out some of our programs below.
| Curriculum Integration | Co-Curricular Support |
| EAGLE Days | EAGLE Week |
| Elementary and Secondary Clubs | GO! Global International Trips |
| Launch Week Projects | Saturday Serventures |
| Global Competencies Integration | Student-Led Service Projects |
| Positive Behavioral Interventions | International Celebration |
| Professional Development | Service-Learning ASA |
OIS Service Learning Recent Outreaches
The first annual EAGLE Outreach as part of Service Learning was a big success! Different members from the OIS community showed up at The Assembly Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.) on a Saturday morning in October. The objective was to restock shelves with a new supply of food items and prepare and cook a large meal for their lunch service. Even the children were able to serve and meet new friends. Everyone who went was excited to do it again in the future!
Another weekend in October was dedicated to the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) club visiting The Peace Education Center, a refugee school, to provide hygiene supplies and education to the students. OIS HOSA club members covered crucial topics like handwashing, dental care, and preventing the spread of germs. HOSA also organized a series of fun and educational hygiene-related activities and relationship-building games. The members of the HOSA club not only helped educate the children about proper hygiene but also built meaningful connections with the students at the education center. HOSA members understand the importance of service and building connections across different cultural backgrounds.To learn more about Oasis International School and our service-learning program, go to https://www.ois.edu.my/learning/service-learning.
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