What words or images do you associate with service learning? I initially linked it to helping in a soup kitchen, picking up trash, and other "work for free" and service-heavy ideas.
While service learning certainly is akin to other service-related concepts, it's a lion of its own and I'd like to take you through a few definitions (from this book) that will clarify what service learning is and how it's unique from other kinds of service.
Volunteerism: activities carried out by individuals of their own free will that benefit others and that are not compensated.
- The emphasis in volunteerism is placed on service, not learning.
Community service: a contribution of time and labor to address human and community needs. It may be based on a mandated requirement or extrinsic reward.
- The emphasis in community service is on service, not learning.
As you can see, the terms we easily associate with service learning are similar in concept but very different in application.
Service learning: a strategy for learning course content and developing social consciousness.
- Themes in the world of service learning are: collaboration with the community, reflection on service, active learning, explicit connections between service and the curriculum, and the development of students' civic and social responsibility.
In short, service learning at its best is a perfectly balanced melding of a hands-on lesson from the curriculum that betters the community through the students' service.
No comments:
Post a Comment