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What Is Service Learning

Service-learning combines community service activities with structured academic preparation and reflection to benefit both students and communities. It aims to deepen students' understanding of course content while developing civic responsibility. Service-learning provides real-world experiences that allow students to apply classroom knowledge and synthesize material in meaningful ways. Reflection is a core component, linking student experiences to academic learning.

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Dhanneshwary Shanmugam
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135 views

What Is Service Learning

Service-learning combines community service activities with structured academic preparation and reflection to benefit both students and communities. It aims to deepen students' understanding of course content while developing civic responsibility. Service-learning provides real-world experiences that allow students to apply classroom knowledge and synthesize material in meaningful ways. Reflection is a core component, linking student experiences to academic learning.

Uploaded by

Dhanneshwary Shanmugam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning is also known as community service-learning, academic service-learning, community-


based learning, community learning, and experiential learning. Ultimately, the goal of these types of
learning is to involve students in a wide range of activities that are of benefit to others and use the
experience generated in communities to advance curriculum goals. These goals include: gaining a
deeper understanding of the course/curricular content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and
an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.

Service-learning opportunities address concerns Service-learning puts the practicality of


that are identified and articulated by the community. complex ideas at your fingertips. In more
Service-learning combines these community-based
cases than not, your comfort level and
service activities with structured preparation and
comprehension levels are stretched when
reflection opportunities. Reflection is sometimes
described as the hyphen in service-learning; it is the dealing with real people and real world
link that ties student experience in the community to problems.
Student, Political Science
academic learning (Eyler & Giles, 1999, p. 171). Community Alliance for Global Justice
Proponents of academic service-learning feel that the
real-world application of classroom knowledge in a community setting allows students to synthesize
course material in more meaningful ways and offers direct application of theoretical models.

Qualities of Service-Learning

Integrative Reflective
The service-learning experience goes beyond The process of reflection is a core component of
traditional ideas of classroom learning, practicum service-learning. Service-learning practitioners and
training, or off-campus volunteering. Service- researchers alike have concluded that the most
learning holistically integrates class learning effective service-learning experiences are those
objectives, faculty guidance, and community that provide structured opportunities for learners
perspective and priorities. When engaged in to critically reflect upon their service experience.
genuine service students participate as both Structured opportunities for reflection can enable
learners and community members. Students learners to examine and form their beliefs, values,
demonstrate success both academically and opinions, assumptions, judgments and practices
interpersonally. related to an action or experience, gain a deeper
understanding of them and construct their own
meaning and significance for future actions
..it is one thing to read about food scarcity, but (Moon, 1999, as cited in Connor & Seifer, 2005).
interacting with people who do not have food on
a daily basis makes the issue much more real.
Student, English
Northwest Harvest
Contextualized Strengths-Based
Service-learning provides students a unique Service-learning draws upon existing community
opportunity to access knowledge and expertise strengths and resources, and honors community
that resides in the context of community. There is members and organizations as co-educators of
opportunity to connect the knowledge of a students. Communities are never built from the
discipline, as explored in class, to the knowledge in outside in. A strengths-based approach focuses on
practice, as evidenced in communities. Learning the capacity and expertise that exist in every
experiences in community settings immerse community, rather than on what is absent. By
students in the unpredictable and complex nature shifting away from a deficit mentality, students
of real world situations. Working alongside learn partnership strategies to identify and develop
community members and experienced each communitys unique strengths.
professionals, the opportunity to construct learning
and responses can be immediate and uncontrived. The experience I had was truly
life-changing. The inspiration I
obtained for my professional future
is monumental.
Student, Social Welfare
Wellspring Family Services

Reciprocal Lifelong
The service-learning relationship offers all parties Service-learning is learning that sticks. By
involved some measure of benefit; it is a two way synthesizing theory and practice, this educational
street. Students give time, talent, and intellectual method provides a distinctive, meaningful, and
capital in order to gain deeper understanding of influential life experience. Students build
course material and the nuanced nature of social relationships, solve problems, value a sense of
issues. Course instructors modify their teaching community, and gain self-awareness. Service-
practice to include service-learning and are learning is beyond memorable; it can influence
rewarded with deeper student engagement of ones career path and enhance civic responsibility.
course material. Community members and Service-learning extends learning beyond the
organizations invest time as co-educators, and in academic term; it lays the foundation for continual
turn accomplish more toward their mission and personal growth throughout the students
goals through the work of students. academic experience and beyond.

Resources
University of Washington Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center http://depts.washington.edu/leader/
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse http://www.servicelearning.org/
Campus Compact http://www.compact.org/

References
Connors, K. & Seifer, S. (2005). Reflection in higher education service-learning. [Fact sheet]
Learn and Serve Americas National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.
Eyler, J. & Giles, D.E. (1999). Where's the learning in service-learning? San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Moon, J. (1999). Reflection in learning and professional development. London : Kogan Page Limited, Stylus
Publishing, Inc.

This document is the result of a learning community hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) , University of Washington, 2012.
Contributors: M. Clevenger-Bright, K. Hays, L. Henricksen, D. Hlebain, J. Maglalang, M. Packard, K. Pursch Cornforth, D. Raftus..

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