Abstract:

Service-Learning (SL) is a pedagogical approach that integrates learning with community service, addressing real needs of the environment to transform it. At the request of the management team of Joaquín Dicenta Primary School in Madrid, this project aimed to design proposals for the renaturalization of the school's playgrounds. The goal was to make them more welcoming, safe, and educational, thereby enhancing learning, growth, social inclusion, and coexistence. This is especially important due to the Compensatory Education Program and the two Severe Developmental Disorder (SDD) classrooms at center. Additionally, the renaturalization complements the playground revitalization project the school is developing.

The project involved 15 students and 6 professors from the subjects "Landscaping I" and "Small Garden Design Workshops "Plant Elements," and "Hand and Digital Drawing" from the 2023-2024 Master’s Degree in Gardening and Landscaping at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), along with 150 primary students, their 6 tutor teachers, the 3 members of the management team, 200 families, and the rest of the school staff.

This mandatory and evaluable activity, implemented with Learning by Doing, Cooperative Learning, and Project-Based Learning methodologies, allowed the master’s students to apply knowledge in new environments, integrate complex information, formulate ethical judgments, acquire skills to identify and analyze contexts, apply design theories, and conceive landscape projects. This practical approach also aimed to raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improve communication, organization, and teamwork, and promote inclusion and diversity within the university community.

The monitoring and evaluation were carried out through biweekly self-assessments and satisfaction surveys. The impact of learning and service was measured using a rubric with levels (L) from 1 to 4. In basic dynamics, the needs presented were identified by the school management (L2), the service was creative and required high involvement (L4), had a civic sense (L3), and the learning was useful and relevant (L3). In pedagogical dynamics, participation was shared (L3), work was cooperative (L3), reflection was continuous (L3), recognition was public (L4), and evaluation was competency-based (L3). Regarding organizational dynamics, the partnership was integrated (L4), and the service-learning was consolidated in an integrated manner in the Center (L3) and identity at UPM (L4).

Service-Learning projects represent significant educational innovation by integrating academic experience with the real needs of the community. This playground renaturalization project at the Joaquín Dicenta Primary School not only improves the physical environment of the school but also strengthens the link between education, nature, and child well-being.

Keywords:

Service-Learning, Learning by Doing, Cooperative Learning, Project-Based Learning, education, landscaping, child well-being.