An Overview of Service Learning: Building Bridges, Making Connections Dr. Rosalyn M. King, Professor of Psychology and Chair, Center for Teaching Excellence Northern Virginia Community College-Loudoun Campus

Building Bridges, Making Connections: Colleges and Communities Uniting in Partnership Welcome to the Symposium on Service Learning. This PowerPoint presentation provides you with an overview of the concept and structure of Service Learning. Please feel free to take a paper copy of this presentation with you. You will find it on the table with other handouts.

What is Service Learning? A method by which students improve academic learning and develop personal skills through structured service projects that meet community needs. Service learning builds upon students’ service activities by providing them with opportunities to learn by preparing, leading, and reflecting upon their service experiences.

What is Service Learning? Educators facilitate learning by creating opportunities for students to understand and analyze their service experiences in the context of their course work. “Reciprocal learning” – learning flows from service activities – those providing service and those who receive it “learn” from the experience. Student and organization benefit.

What is Service Learning? Students’ active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet student needs. Extends student learning beyond the classroom and into the community. Service learning is related to but does not include cooperative education, practicum, or internship programs.

What is Service Learning? Community colleges in more than 40 states currently offer service learning. Service Learning enhances education and gives students the opportunity to serve in their chosen field of study and increase their civic responsibility.

Goals of Service Learning For students: An opportunity to enrich and apply knowledge learned in the classroom in applied settings. For faculty and college: Move from teacher-centered, to learning centered, to community-centered pedagogy. Shared Ownership: Expanding the classroom into the community and vice versa.

Service Learning Goals and Benefits for Students Learn social responsibility and citizenship skills. Develop an ethic of service. Develop civic awareness. Apply concepts learned in classroom. Connect course and competencies. Reconnect to get people to be civic and civil. Develop personality. Improve self esteem. Gain academically. Gain professionally.

Service Learning Goals and Benefits for Students Enriched learning Documented experience. Skilled development. Transferable credit. Establish contacts and possible future employment. Experience first-hand a potential major field of study. Gain experience which is a prerequisite for many jobs.

Components of …. Effective Service Learning Sufficient Preparation. (Setting objectives for skills to be learned, issues to be considered; planning projects so they contribute to learning.) Performing the Actual Service. Analysis of Experience, Lessons Learned, Sharing and Reflecting on Experience and Implications.

Outcomes of Service Learning Connection of theory to practice. Puts concepts into concrete form and provides a context for understanding abstract matter. Provides an opportunity to test and refine theories and introduce new theories.

Outcomes of Service Learning Appreciation and understanding of social, economic and environmental implications. Appreciation and understanding of moral and ethical ramifications of people’s actions. Learn communication, interpersonal and technical skills.

Outcomes of Service Learning Self-directed learning – inquiry, logical thinking, relationship of ideas and experience. Transference of learning from one context to another – which allows for the opportunity to reflect, conceptualize and apply experience-based knowledge.

Outcomes of Service Learning Improves critical thinking, information retrieval, technical, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, oral & written communication skills. Improves understanding of self and community.

Importance of Reflection Distinguishes SL from other forms of experiential education. Links service experience to course materials, readings and lectures.

Reflective Tools Journals Small or large group discussions Portfolios Photographic Journals In-class presentations Symposiums

Descriptions of Reflection A mirror in which you not only see yourself but the things that surround you. Critical thinking and introspection. A continuous and deliberate process involving analysis, synthesis, disciplined thinking. Involves turning inward, analyzing, fashioning new behaviors, attitudes and values from reflecting.

Descriptions of Reflection Makes consistent and strong connections between service, course topics, content, and objectives. Makes consistent and strong connections between service and substantial affective impact and career understanding. Makes consistent and strong connections between service and understanding one’s larger responsibilities to the community, nation and world.

Evaluation and Assessment Can not be evaluated in the same manner as exams or research papers. Students and faculty assess the usefulness of service learning. Students assess how much they have learned and how their attitudes have changed due to the service experience.

Evaluation and Assessment Relationship of setting and service to course and content. Skills developed from service. Extent of critical reflection. Format and presentation of final paper, project or presentation. Verification of time spent in setting.

Evaluation and Assessment: Products Case Studies Journals Portfolios Self-Assessment Team Based Learning Learning Communities Assessment from organization

Guiding and Reflective Questions for Students What did you learn about the value of the service you performed? What community needs did your service address? Do you feel that your service helped or changed anything in the community? Why or Why not? What have you learned about working and collaborating with others in the community? Do you feel your service helped or changed anything in you? About your career aspirations? What skills did you develop from this experience?

Guiding and Reflective Questions for Students What are the implications of your experience in this setting? Can you transfer this knowledge to your life and other professional experiences? What lessons did you learn? What did you contribute to the experience? Was service learning an effective way to make class material more meaningful? What specific course content from class or your readings relate to this service? What particular theories or concepts from the course apply to your service learning experience? What was the expressed or stated impact of your service on the organization?

Models There are many models to choose from in the Service Learning Curriculum.