Benefits Of Service Learning Programs

It is also a “boundary spanning” activity in that it requires active involvement from people both within and outside of the classroom context, often resulting in participant contributors who represent a variety of generations, ethnicities, social groups, and experience levels (Billig and Furco, 2002, p.vii). Service-learning is designed to reduce the boundaries between an institutional campus environment and the community around it. It is designed to connect learning to real experience through service and reflection (Ball and Schilling, 2006; Becker, 2000). As a baseline to facilitate this development, service-learning is distinct from other types of community service and civic engagement experiences in that the service-learning experience must not only have a service and reflective component but also be clearly tied to the curriculum through learning objectives and theoretical underpinnings (Bloomquist, 2015; Pritchard, 2001). As Barbara Holland, former Director of the U.S. National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, shared, “Service-learning is all in the hyphen. It is the enrichment of specific learning goals through structured community service opportunities that respond to community-identified needs and opportunities.” (Kenworthy-U’Ren, Taylor, and Petri, 2006: 121).

Service Learning is an educational strategy set in place to enlighten students with instruction and experience, in addition to improve learning , teach responsibility, and support the community. Service learning is vital to the development of the student, given that it intertwines academic and personal development together. It is aimed to enhance a student’s learning in all aspects of life.

After some research and deliberation, I chose Habitat for Humanity (HFH, 2016) for my service project. There were several reasons that Habitat for Humanity appealed to me. The first reason is that I consider HFH to be a worthy cause is that I appreciate that it’s for a lower income family that would not otherwise be able to afford a home. The facts that the beneficiaries are expected to help build their home or other HFH homes with sweat equity, they’ll pay a mortgage, combined with the way it’s set up so they won’t be able to just sell as a short term flip, gives me the impression that it’s not a freebie entitlement program, but a program that promotes responsibility with some life changing results.

I did not know what service-learning was until I read the articles assigned for class. The articles along with going to the Harpers Ferry Job Corps orientation really showed me what it was all about. The reading and the class presentation have challenged my first thoughts by giving me a better understanding of what service learning is. Service-learning goes a couple of miles further than community service. Service-learning allows students to help the community, as well as learn about something. For example, my Education class is going to be tutoring students at Job Corps. Our class is providing the Harpers Ferry community a free service of tutoring to those who need it while hopefully my peers and I will gain a solid understanding of what it would be like to teach one-on-one. Service-learning has three main components: community service, instruction, and reflection. Those components work well together and make service-learning seem like the perfect answer to helping education grow into a more progressive way. However, students need to have a high responsibility, they have to take the initiative, as well as make choices. If students do not do that, the success of service-learning will be lacking.

The purpose of this service-learning project was to educate and provide evidence based knowledge to associates that work at ShopRite in Flemington, N.J. on easy ways to identify, selected foods, which are beneficial to a similar looking body part. For example, the kidney beans are beneficial to the kidneys except if someone has kidney disease. My aim was to increase the knowledge of ShopRite associates so that they will be able to identify and more importantly recall quickly while shopping what foods are good for what parts of the body. The importance of associating foods that looks like body parts help keep learning simple, fun and informative. The best way to learn is to engage in an activity where learning does not appear to be the objective. Accidental learning can ‘stick’ so that when individuals are trying to incorporate healthy eating options into their diet recalling it will be simple.

The purpose of the service learning activity is to experience community service and feel more connected to the community, Edgewater. When I am able to reach out to my community members, specifically older adults, I believe I will be able to address their needs as well as contribute myself to provide them the essential services they want/need in their surroundings. Also, as a part of the course “Aging in America,” my goal is to be familiar with the different aspects of Aging in America such as demographics, aging and ageism, gerontology, and healthcare workforce. Upon completion of this service learning as well as this course, I want to be able to demonstrate the aging process, describe the theories of aging, and appreciate the multidisciplinary

When writing an essay, article, or really any kind of writing that has the express intent of being read by other people, one must ask a great many questions and remember to do a great many things. What group of people or who is my intended audience? This sets the tone and level of professionalism for the entire piece. Is my central idea well thought out? Is my writing clear and easy to understand? One must of course cite ones sources. One shouldn’t have any grammatical errors in ones work. The list goes on still. The essay “Service-Learning and Academic Success: The Links to Retention Research” by Dan Simonet did numerous things right by keeping many of the aforementioned questions in mind and has a variety of writing strategies that could

I was assigned to work for America Learns at an elementary school in Roxbury for my service learning placement. America Learns works with students from kindergarten to third grade, the program is structured to offer both tutoring and an additional activity each session. The activity is intended to teach the children critical thinking skills, diversity and cultural awareness, and experiential learning, as well as help to improve basic reading skills. Twice a week each tutor works with a student through the entire program, both homework help, and the activity. The goal is that throughout the weeks of the program the tutor and student will build a relationship that benefits both parties involved.

College students need a practical environment to apply theories they learn in classes to real life experiences. Service-learning courses that have increased dramatically, as Kathy O’Byrne, the director of the UCLA Center for Community Learning said, created this engaging opportunity for the UCLA students. Cited in their website, “the Center supports courses and programs that stress the importance of global citizenship, diversity, leadership and social justice” (uei.ucla.edu). Based on my experiences in Santa Monica Boys and Girls Club (SMBGC), service learning is a valuable and fruitful commitment that provides benefits to each party that gets involved within the site. More precisely,

If I could do a service learning project I would do an adoption event for cats and dogs, I chose this because a lot of people love animals and I think a lot of people would love to help with this sort of event. Also there are a lot of animals out there that need homes and they absolutely do not deserve to be put down so it’s really important. I think personally talking to people would be the best way to get them involved, possibly having a presentation so more people can focus on you and listen to what you have to say would also work.

Service learning helps me prepare for college with developing the traits of social involvement with others, organization, a consistently good behavior, and global awareness. These themes are commonly shown throughout 6 different articles involving service learning.

Initially, it was my understanding the article would discuss the positive impacts on a student after completing a service learning outside one’s home country. In regard to “hard questions,” I assumed the author would address challenges that arise while working with individuals that live in a different culture from our own, speak a different language from our own, etc. I thought the “impact” mentioned in the title was dealing with the student who was venturing out to complete the service work, and not the recipient of the service learning.

The article addresses the significance and true meaning of service learning and how it should apply to your educational experience. Service learning is a complicated concept because it is closely related to volunteering and general community service activities. The main difference appears to be a direct application of education in the service experience. A volunteer contributes for the betterment of the group they are supporting and maybe for the benefit of their human experience. Service learners should be contributing to the group for which the service is provided while benefitting and complimenting their academic process and evaluating the impact of the service on the learning experience.

Service learning is important because it teaches people the value of volunteering, while helping the community grow as one. It makes young kids idol adults how are not narcissistic but rather modest. In the article, “Teaching and Learning Operant Principles in Animal Shelters: Perspectives from Faculty, Students, and Shelter Staff”, students were able to relate their wisdom on service learning by volunteering in the animal shelter. The more the students volunteered, the more knowledge they were able to present about psychological terms. This means that if students are able to relate their education to the real world, their success in school would drastically increase. Volunteering benefits the society by shaping people to be more confident

The Service-Learning (S-L) is a collaboration between the student health workers and the community which aims to build a healthier population. Included in its goals are shaping the student health workers into responsible individuals upon achieving self-reliance to become role models and servant-leaders in a healthier community, and to develop the new levels of knowledge, attitude, and skills of each health learner.