Service-learning

A Service Learning Project at Batam organised by MaxPac Travel for Catholic Junior College students. January 15, 2009. Tay Yong Seng.

Service-learning is an educational approach that balances formal instruction and direction with the opportunity to serve in the community in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience.

Service-learning offers students immediate opportunities to apply classroom learning to support or enhance the work of local agencies that often exist to effect positive change in the community.[1] The National Youth Leadership Council defines service learning as "a philosophy, pedagogy, and model for community development that is used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards."[2]

According to author Barbara Jacoby, "Service-learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities for reflection designed to achieve desired learning outcomes."[3]

Typology

As defined by Robert Sigmon, 1994:

In this comparative form, the typology is helpful not only in establishing criteria for distinguishing service-learning from other types of service programs but also in providing a basis for clarifying distinctions among different types of service-oriented experiential education programs (e.g., school volunteer, community service, field education, and internship programs).[4]

Examples of service-learning typologies

Service-learning, as defined by Robert Sigmon, "occurs when there is a balance between learning goals and service outcomes."[5] As follows, there are various methods of hands-on learning that fall into this category, these include:

The purpose of service learning is, in essence, to, "equally benefit the provider and the recipient of the service as well as to ensure equal focus on both the service being provided and the learning that is occurring." Volunteerism, community service, internships, and field education all exemplify, in some way or another, the core value of service learning, as all of them benefit the student as well as the one they served to an equal degree, the only difference being how material the benefit is. These methods, also tend to focus on ensuring that the student not only serves, but learns something, whether it is people skills, work experience in their future field,[8] or a change in how they view themselves and others.[9]

Learning

Janet Eyler, in the book "Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?", outlines the different ways student learn through service-learning. First there is interpersonal learning, in which students re-evaluate personal values and motivations by channeling a passionate interest to service-learning projects, as well as build a connection and commitment to the community. The second form is academic material that is taught through practical application and reflective instruction, so that it may be practiced outside classrooms and test-taking. Janet Eyler explains, "it is the product of continuous challenge to old conceptions and reflection on new ways to organize information and use the new material." Thirdly is cognitive development where students are challenged to use critical thinking and problem solving skills in a context that provides additional information and experience for student evaluation, because service-learning deals with numerous problems in complex situations. The fourth form is transformation within the students, which "is about thinking about things in a new way and moving in new direction—creating a new picture without relying on the old lines." Finally, service-learning focuses on effective citizenship and behavioral issues, and this helps the students better understand social issues relevant to their own community. Learning in all these ways makes service-learning effective to those serving as well as those being served, and "learning begins with the impact service-learning on the personal and interpersonal development of the students."[10]

According to Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, there are numerous benefits to the Service-Learning approach. It provides experiential learning that connects personal and interpersonal development with cognitive and academic advancement, providing opportunities for personal connections and ultimately transformation. Those serving may encounter certain social problems for the first time, thus transforming their view on the world. Beyond that, students may be transformed in the way of developing better problem solving skills to address those problems about which they now know. A Service-Learning experience may be the catalyst in the life of a student to dive into the complexities of the social issues they have encountered and to seek to develop innovative solutions.

Service learning combines both experiential learning and community service.[11]

Reflection

An essential feature of service-learning programs, reflection is a period of critical thinking performed by the student. For many advocates of the pedagogy, reflection may symbolize the learning that occurs in the student. Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles provide an example of this opinion in their book, "Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?" when they state: "learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection, not simply through being able to recount what has been learned through reading and lecture."[12] Also, the National Service Learning Clearinghouse considers reflection to be a "core component" of service-learning.[13]

Some higher education programs require a reflection component in their service-learning classes. The University of Minnesota is one such institution that includes required reflection activities with its service learning classes.[14]

Reflection may be done individually or as a group activity. Wartburg College in Indiana published a list of reflection activity suggestions on their website. These included various types of journaling, brainstorming as a group, using quotes, writing essays and papers, structured class discussions, and class presentations among other ideas.[15]

Effective service-learning programs also include required written reflection. Not only does writing permanently record a student's service-learning experience, but it also provides a helpful tool for continued reflection long after the program has been completed. Written reflection assignments also require students to stop, think, and articulate their learning. This evaluation is of incredible value to students.[16]

Service

High quality placements are a key to the success of a service-learning program. This requires the service learning establishment to have a broad network of connections within the community. Students need to have a positive connection with the establishment they're serving in order to maximize their learning.[17]

Diversity is also a component of a successful service-learning program. By working with people of different ethnicities, lifestyles, and socioeconomic statuses, a student's learning and tolerance will increase. By serving in a diverse learning environment, student are more likely to reduce stereotypes and increase their cultural appreciation. This can help a student learn how to more effectively serve a broader array of people.[18]

Effects

Based upon various studies, students who participate in Service Learning Courses or Projects seem to encounter a multitude of benefits. The book Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? discusses the effects of Service Learning upon students, as well service learning in general.[19]

Diversity awareness

Service-Learning offers a unique opportunity for students to experience and appreciate different cultures, which in turn reduces many negative and unnecessary stereotypes derived by inexperienced students. The appreciation of different cultures in service-learning happens because of the interaction that often occurs while completing a service. A survey on students who participated in service-learning finds that, "63 percent reported interacting with those receiving services at least fairly often, 60 percent reported frequent interaction with other volunteers, 51 percent felt that professionals at the placement site often took an interest in them, and 57 percent reported that they had frequent chances to work with people from ethnic groups other than their own."[20]

One of the desired outcomes of service-learning has been, "the creation of positive interactions."[20] While a traditional higher-education class might do little to encourage socialization or the breaking down of social barriers among students who rarely interact, service learning brings students of many different backgrounds, beliefs, and aspirations together to serve together for a common cause. Service-learning offers the opportunity for people to share their unique views on the services they are performing and the problems their service address during the reflections that often take place in a service-learning class.

People often only distinguish the differences between other cultures and communities and their own. These perceived differences often influence the decisions made when interacting with people of other cultures. Service-learning provides the opportunity for students to not only appreciate other cultures, but to appreciate the fact that people of other culture are, "just like me."[21]

Effects on community partners

Much of the research on the effects of service-learning is focused on what students learn through their service to the community; fewer studies have been conducted on the impact of service-learning on the communities where the students serve.[22] Several studies that have been done on this topic measure the impact of service-learning on the community organizations with which college students volunteer, seeking to understand the organizations' perspectives on service-learning.[23][24][25]

One positive impact of service-learning on these organizations is the presence of more volunteers, which enables the organizations to accomplish more[26] and to serve more clients.[27]:5 Students can use specific skills they possess to benefit the organization,[28] and can be a source of new ideas, energy, and enthusiasm.[29] Through partnering with a college or university, the organization can gain access to new knowledge and opportunities to connect with other organizations that have partnered with the same school.[30]

Critiques

There have been objections to this including service-learning in education. Towson University Professor John Egger, writing in the Spring 2008 issue of the journal "Academic Questions", argued that service learning does not really teach useful skills or develop cultural knowledge. Instead, Egger maintained, service learning mainly involves the inculcation of communitarian political ideologies.[31] Tulane Professor Carl L. Bankston III has described his own university's policy of mandating service learning as the imposition of intellectual conformity by the university administration on both students and faculty. According to Bankston, by identifying specific types of civic engagement as worthy community service, the university was prescribing social and political perspectives. He argued that this was inconsistent with the idea that individuals in a pluralistic society should choose their own civic commitments and that it was contrary to the ideal of the university as a site for the pursuit of truth through the free exchange of ideas.[32]

However, these organizations face challenges in working with the students. Communication with faculty is often inconsistent, so organizations do not always understand their roles and the roles of the faculty in students' service projects.[33] Some organizations' representatives stated that faculty assigned students projects that were not allowed in their organization.[34] Often the demographics of students do not match well with the demographics of the clients they serve, which can make it difficult for the students to relate to the clients[27]:11 or create an uncomfortable situation for the clients.[35] The academic calendar students follow tends not to work well with the organizations' schedules, since students' volunteering schedules are interrupted for holiday breaks, finals, and other activities.[36] Also, the small number of hours students are required to spend volunteering can cause problems for organizations and their clients. Some organizations require more hours for volunteer training than students are required to volunteer,[37] and making a personal connection with clients only to break it off soon after can be more hurtful than helpful.[38]

Representatives of community organizations where service-learning students volunteer expressed interest in working with colleges and universities to change service-learning programs so that they work more smoothly for the organizations. Their suggestions included establishing more consistent communication between faculty and organizations, creating longer-term partnerships between colleges and community organizations, and ensuring that the students and their projects are matched well with the organizations they serve.[39][40]

Comprehensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL)

Engineering education

Many engineering faculty members believe the educational solution lies in taking a more constructivist approach, where students construct knowledge and connections between nodes of knowledge as opposed to passively absorbing knowledge. Educators see service learning as a way to both implement a constructivism in engineering education as well as match the teaching styles to the learning styles of typical engineering students. As a result, many engineering schools have begun to integrate service learning into their curricula and there is now a journal dedicated to service learning in engineering.[42] Recent work has also proposed that the use of open-source appropriate technology could be useful for integrating service learning into the engineering curricula.[43][44]

Language education

Service learning can be used in all standard disciplines and recently has been explored for use in improving language instruction. A recent study found that integrating environmental issues with foreign language study provides significant opportunities for students to increase their language proficiency, develop their understanding of concepts related to the environment, and become more involved in a global community through a virtual service learning project.[45] Similar work has found that students can contribute to sustainable development while improving their language skills.[46]

Christian theology

The Christian scriptures, and especially the teaching of Jesus, emphasis the importance of service in numerous contexts, thus the concept of Service Learning fits very naturally with Christian philosophies of education. Some college students, when reflecting on their service-learning experience, regard religious aspects as some of the most important. In the book, "Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?" Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, Jr. wrote, "Although fewer students chose spiritual growth as an important outcome of service-learning—20 percent selecting it as among the most important things they learned and 46 percent selecting it as very or most important—it was important to many students…Some saw service as a definite opportunity to fulfill their religious commitment." [47]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Knapp, Timothy D.; Bradley J. Fisher (2010). "The Effectiveness of Service-Learning: It's not always what you think". Journal of Experiential Education. 3 33: 208–224.
  2. ↑ K–12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice National Youth Leadership Council. Retrieved from on November 11, 2008
  3. ↑ Jacoby, Barbara (1996). Service-Learning in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices. ISBN 978-0787902919.
  4. ↑ Furco, A.(1996) Expanding Boundaries: Serving and Learning, Florida Campus Compact.
  5. ↑ Furco, Andrew (October 2011). ""Service-Learning": A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education" (PDF). The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL for GLOBAL and DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION RESEARCH (0): 72. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Furco, Andrew (October 2011). ""Service‐Learning": A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education" (PDF). The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL for GLOBAL and DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION RESEARCH (0): 74. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Furco, Andrew (October 2011). ""Service‐Learning": A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education" (PDF). The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL for GLOBAL and DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION RESEARCH (0): 75.
  8. ↑ Furco, Andrew (October 2011). ""Service‐Learning": A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education"." (PDF). The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL for GLOBAL and DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION RESEARCH (0): 71–76.
  9. ↑ Eyler, Janet; Giles Jr., Dwight E. (23 April 1999). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass. p. 25.
  10. ↑ Eyler, Janet; Giles, Dwight (1999). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?. Jossey-Bass. p. 16.
  11. ↑ Perez, Shivaun, "Assessing Service Learning Using Pragmatic Principles of Education: A Texas Charter School Case Study" (2000). Applied Research Projects. Paper 76. Texas State University. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/76
  12. ↑ Eyler, Janet; Giles, Dwight (1999). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?. Jossey-Bass.
  13. ↑ <http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/he_facts/he_reflection>
  14. ↑ <http://www.servicelearning.umn.edu/info/reflection.html>
  15. ↑ <http://www.wartburg.edu/cce/cce/assessment%20and%20reflection/SL-Reflection%20Activities.pdf>
  16. ↑ Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles (2007). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp. 171-177
  17. ↑ Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles (2007). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp. 167-170
  18. ↑ Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles (2007). Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp. 177-178
  19. ↑ "Where's the Learning in Service-Learning (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series): Janet Eyler, Dwight E. Giles Jr., Alexander W. Astin: 9780470907467: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  20. 1 2 Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles (2007). Where's the Learning in service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp.26.
  21. ↑ Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles (2007). Where's the Learning in service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp.31.
  22. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 47. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  23. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 48. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  24. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 31. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  25. ↑ Vernon, Andrea; Ward, Kelly (1999). "Campus and Community Partnerships: Assessing Impacts and Strengthening Connections". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 6 (1): 30. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  26. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 35–36. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  27. 1 2 Barrientos, Perla. "Community Service Learning and its Impact on Community Agencies: An Assessment Study" (PDF). www.sfsu.edu. San Francisco State University. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  28. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 49. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  29. ↑ Vernon, Andrea; Ward, Kelly (1999). "Campus and Community Partnerships: Assessing Impacts and Strengthening Connections". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 6 (1): 33. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  30. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 36. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  31. ↑
    • John Egger, "No Service to Learning: ‘Service-Learning' Reappraised,' "Academic Questions" 21: 183-194
  32. ↑
  33. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 55–56. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  34. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 37. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  35. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 54–55. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  36. ↑ Vernon, Andrea; Ward, Kelly (1999). "Campus and Community Partnerships: Assessing Impacts and Strengthening Connections". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 6 (1): 33. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  37. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 39. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  38. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 52. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  39. ↑ Sandy, Marie; Holland, Barbara A. (Fall 2006). "Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships". Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 13 (1): 34, 37, 40. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  40. ↑ Tryon, Elizabeth; Stoecker, Randy (September 2008). "The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning". Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 12 (3): 56–57. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  41. ↑ Robert, G. Bringle; Julie A. Hatcher (March–April 1996). "Implementing Service Learning in Higher Education". Journal of Higher Education. 2 67.
  42. ↑ International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering
  43. ↑ Joshua M. Pearce, Teaching Science by Encouraging Innovation in Appropriate Technologies for Sustainable Development, Proceedings of the 11th Annual National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Conference, pp.159-167, 2007.
  44. ↑ Joshua M. Pearce, Appropedia as a Tool for Service Learning in Sustainable Development, Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 3(1), pp.47-55, 2009.
  45. ↑ Eleanor ter Horst and Joshua M. Pearce, "Foreign Languages and Sustainability: Addressing the Connections, Communities and Comparisons Standards in Higher Education", Foreign Language Annals 43(3), pp. 365–383 (2010).
  46. ↑ Joshua M. Pearce and Eleanor ter Horst, "Overcoming Language Challenges of Open Source Appropriate Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa", Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 11(3) pp.230-245, 2010.
  47. ↑ Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?. 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, California 94104: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers. 1999. pp. 36, 37. ISBN 0-7879-4483-1.

Further reading

External links

American service learning programs

Asian service learning programs

Canadian service learning

Jewish service learning

Service-learning curriculum

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