what does a service learning course entail

Service-learning is characterized by a deliberate connection between academic curriculum and community service. Students’ service is a component of course curriculum and becomes a vehicle for learning course material. Students reflect on their service, relate it to coursework, and evaluate what they are learning.

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What is service learning and why should we use it?

Nov 25, 2019 · Service Learning is an educational approach where a student learns theories in the classroom and at the same time volunteers with an agency (usually a non-profit or social service group) and engages in reflection activities to deepen their understanding of what is being taught. It is a cycle of theories, practices, and reflection tools to broaden knowledge and critical …

What should be learned through service learning?

Service-learning is a teaching methodology that enables students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to meaningful service to the community. Through structured critical reflection activities, students analyze their service experience as it reciprocally applies to their academic and career development.

Does service learning really help?

Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that connects academic curriculum to community problem-solving. Today, elementary, middle, high, and postsecondary schools across the nation participate in service-learning with the support of federal, state, district, and foundation funding. Studies show that, in the past, more than 4 million students from more than 20,000 …

How to succeed with service learning?

Dec 10, 2019 · “service-learning is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense …

What do you expect from service-learning?

What are the five components of service-learning?

What are the 3 components of service-learning?

How do you prepare for service-learning?

What are the 4 actions of service-learning?

What are examples of service-learning?

What is the difference between volunteering and service-learning?

What are essential factors of service-learning?

What is a good service-learning project?

What are the characteristics of service-learning?

What is service learning?

Service-learning is a teaching methodology that enables students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to meaningful service to the community. Through structured critical reflection activities, students analyze their service experience as it reciprocally applies to their academic and career development.

How does service learning benefit students?

Service-learning benefits students by: The goal of service-learning is for students to gain a greater understanding of content knowledge while becoming socially embedded citizens. Critical reflection is a key component and distinguishing feature of a service-learning experience.

What is community service?

Community service is volunteering to fulfill an unmet community need. Participants may learn from their experiences, but not in a formal manner. The primary emphasis is on service, not learning. Internships focus on the acquisition of job skills.

Is volunteering an unpaid activity?

Volunteering is worthwhile unpaid activity. Community service is volunteering to fulfill an unmet community need. Participants may learn from their experiences, but not in a formal manner. The primary emphasis is on service, not learning. Internships focus on the acquisition of job skills.

What is service learning?

Service-learning places an emphasis on addressing community concerns and broad determinants of health. In service-learning, there is the integral involvement of community partners - service-learning involves a principle-centered partnership between communities and health professions schools. Service-learning emphasizes reciprocal learning - In ...

What is episodic volunteer?

An episodic volunteer program. Logging a set number of community service hours in order to graduate. Compensatory service assigned as a form of punishment by the courts or by school administrators. Only for high school or college students. One-sided: benefiting only students or only the community.

What is structured reflection?

Structured reflection is integrated into the curriculum to foster connections between their service, the curriculum of the class, and its impact on their personal values and community engagement.

What is CCPH in health?

From Community-Campus Partnership for Health (CCPH): Service-learning is a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Students engaged in service-learning provide community service in response to community-identified concerns and learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and their roles as citizens.

What is service learning?

Service-Learning. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that connects academic curriculum to community problem-solving. Today, elementary, middle, high, and postsecondary schools across the nation participate in service-learning with the support of federal, state, district, and foundation funding.

When was service learning first introduced?

Definition. The term “service-learning” was defined in Federal legislation for the first time in the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (as amended through December 17, 1999, P.L. 106-170; Section 101 (23) and reauthorized through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009):

What is Global Youth Service Day?

Global Youth Service Day (link is external) Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning.

What is the sense of connectedness?

A sense of connectedness includes. feeling valued by community members; feeling responsible for the welfare of the community; having pride in one’s community; and. a high tendency to take action for the benefit of the community. 15. Service-learning can promote social-emotional skills.

What is service-learning?

Many folks often ask , “What is service-learning?”. The easiest way that we can explain it is that service-learning connects service, community collaborative and partnerships, and teaching and learning together:

Tools used to facilitate service-learning

Service-learning uses five stages to guide learning. There are many instructional tools that students can use to guide their learning. See our free resources on our website: www.servelearn.co

What is service-learning and what does it look like in a learning environment?

Service-learning allows opportunities for learning and ongoing reflections, which is structured as part of a unit/course. Depending on the school, its students and their needs this could focus on intellectual, social, civic, ethical, moral, spiritual, intercultural or personal outcomes for students.

Service-learning objectives

Jacoby and Howard point out that service-learning assists students in learning complex subjects and to gain a deeper understanding of fundamental principles that need to be applied later. It is particularly effective for achieving learning objectives that involve [5]:

What is service learning?

Service learning is all about experiential learning — that is, learning through experience, but by way of community service. Universities partner with local groups and organizations that are willing to have students as a part of their programs. The service is usually in line with what the student is learning, and that learning is incorporated ...

Is service learning a work study?

Service learning is not your typical education, or your typical internship, and it’s not work-study either. Service learning differs from other traditional types of experiential learning because it is service-based, but also fits the learning needs of the student. In this way, it works to further both the community and the student’s education.

Should students engage in research before service learning?

Either before or during the service learning, students should engage in research. This can be as simple as researching the area they will be service learning in or the organization they will be with. Or it can be as extensive as an entire research project based on the topic of their service learning.

What is the most important aspect of service learning?

Reflection. One of the most important aspects of service learning is reflection . Students engaged in service learning opportunities should reflect often on their experiences, how they relate to what they are learning in class, and how they relate to their own values and plans for their future.

What is the most effective part of service learning?

One of the most effective parts of service learning is the structured reflection provided by teachers. Students should be given time to think critically about their experience and build opinions, values, and goals based on these reflections.

Is service learning the same as volunteering?

Service learning is not to be confused with volunteering, and it is also distinct from an internship. Where community service and volunteering are valuable, they are service-based and community needs based. Service learning also incorporates the educational needs of the individual completing the service learning.

How does service learning benefit faculty?

Faculty Benefits. Faculty benefit from service learning by feeling an overall sense of accomplishment and pride from their students doing good in their community. It is also rewarding for faculty to see students apply class learning to the real world, and vice versa.

What are service learning courses?

As part of a service-learning course, students participate in direct, indirect, research-based, or advocacy-based service-learning projects (described below) on projects that address a multitude of issues. Some service-learning courses at Suffolk have included: 1 An education course that has Suffolk students tutor in Boston Public schools, learning and practice teaching pedagogies they study in their courses. 2 An environmental studies class that develops protocols that monitor water and sediment quality in Dorchester to learn about environmental sustainability best practices. 3 A sociology class that provides service with local healthcare organizations, learning about the effects of current health care policy and how different populations experience the healthcare system in the United States. 4 A public service class that researches resources, stakeholders, and programs that support local families to help improve their socioeconomic status. Students use their research to make recommendations to local organizations and community leaders on how the programs and stakeholders can be more effective. 5 A creative writing class that teaches creative writing to students from low-income neighborhoods in the Boston area to better learn creative writing techniques and how to improve their local communities.

What is reflection in service learning?

Reflection. Reflection is a crucial component of the service-learning experience and works as both a vehicle to process the experience and apply academic work. Students, faculty and community members share reactions, stories, feelings and facts about the service and the issues, which help to place the experience into a broader context.

What is public service class?

A public service class that researches resources, stakeholders, and programs that support local families to help improve their socioeconomic status. Students use their research to make recommendations to local organizations and community leaders on how the programs and stakeholders can be more effective.

What is direct service?

Involves student engagement with the client population on an interpersonal level. The engagement is performed at the site of service. Examples of direct service include tutoring, reading to the elderly, coaching a youth activity in a low-income area.

What are some examples of direct service?

Examples of direct service include tutoring, reading to the elderly, coaching a youth activity in a low-income area. Indirect Service-Learning. Students fulfill a community need identified by a community partner without engagement with the client population.

Why is student voice important?

Community and student voice is essential to build bridges, drive change, and solve pressing problems. Academic courses which include service and campus community service programs must ensure that the voice and needs of the community and students are included in the development of programs and service placements.

What is thoughtful action?

Thoughtful Action. Thoughtful action means that the service that is being done is necessary and valuable to the community itself. Meaningful action benefits both the community and student in that both feel that the service makes a difference in a measurable way and is a productive use of time and resources.

Indirect Service-Learning: Not always visible

Working indirectly with individuals and organizations to address a community issue or need.

Direct Service-Learning: Usually visible

Working directly with individuals and organizations to address a community issue or need.

Advocacy Service-Learning

Planning, conducting, and/or creating awareness initiatives and events to address a community issue or need.

Research-Based Service-Learning

Collecting, analyzing, and/or implementing qualitative and quantitative data to address a community issue or need.

Resources

Suffolk University. (2017, August 01). Modes of Service-Learning. Retrieved October 16, 2018, from https://www.suffolk.edu/campuslife/3382.php

Source's Preferred Definition of Service-Learning

Important Elements of Service-Learning

• From the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: 1. A form of experiential education 2. Addresses human and community issues and needs 3. Learning occurs through active participation in thoughtfully organized service 4. Includes structured reflectionlinking experience to learning 5. Coordinated in true collaboration with the community 6. Links to ...

See more on source.jhu.edu

Types of Service-Learning

What Service-Learning Is Not

References