Reflection On The MGT 200 Service Learning Project

The leader must be sure to take the group dynamics into consideration. It is important to make everyone involved feel that their needs are important. For the project to be a success, everyone participating must feel as if they are contributing and that they are being valued equally.

A Service Learning project is one of the project requirements to complete the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through Ferris State University (FSU). My Service Learning experience was completed at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in November, 2014. This paper includes details of the facility along with the contact information for the coordinator of the project. A description of my role as a volunteer, critical reflection of my experience, and a synthesis of the Service Learning are also included.

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.

Before deciding where I wanted to do my service learning, I knew I wanted to do something that had some relevance to my degree that I will be receiving in healthcare management. I was eager to gain more experience and become more knowledgeable of how an organization operates as it relates to healthcare management. I was able to secure an opportunity to volunteer at the Dallas Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital. After completing the required VA forms, I got partnered with Mr. Alonzo Price Jr. who is a Management Analyst in Ambulatory Care, which is the department that oversees the Primary Care Providers.

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.

The service learning project, Say Boo! To Bullying 5k, 10k, and 1 Mile Costume Crawl event was held at St. Bernard’s Health and Wellness Center on October 31, 2015. According to Borunda, Davis, and Rinaldo, service learning is defined as “an experienced-based pedagogy that serves a community needs” (2015, p. 115). The event benefits the My Generation Foundation and Autism Association of Northeast Arkansas. The purpose of this event was to educate the families and citizens about the available resources for children and adolescents that have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms. The event provided a powerful message to the community for the individuals who have a disability. For instance, the runners that participated in

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

I chose to attend the touring session because I had a class from 11:00 am to 12:15 Pm. It was my first time leading a tour, and it was a good experience for me as a first-year college student because from that event I have learned how to lead a group and give a good information about the building/places we been together with the high school students as a group. That even also made me to consider the places I hadn’t been before, but I heard about them. Participating in that event was a very amazing because I was able to make a connection with the high school students. During the event, I felt like I am getting connected with the community I am living in because

Prior to the service learning my hands on experience was limited to activities and recreational therapy in assisted living environments. I wanted to explore other facets of the field. For that reason, the Senior Reach program was chosen to gain knowledge about senior interventions and community health operations.

The service learning opportunity I participated in was going on a class trip to the National Museum of Dentistry on Wednesday July 15, 2015 in Baltimore, MD. This museum portrayed the history and evolution of dentistry. It also included exhibitions from different fields of dentistry such as dental hygiene and forensic dentistry. This museum allowed me to see the history of dentistry, and appreciate the study of dentistry and the oral cavity.

Service learning is something that will be beneficial for me as a future educator. Service learning provides me the opportunity to take what I’m learning in the classroom and implement it. I had the opportunity to experience this at Watson Elementary school with Ms. Sherri Mccune. Ms. Mccune works with K-2 students who are struggling in the areas of math and reading. When I began my service learning Ms. Mccune, explained how she uses IEP’s with many of her students. According to Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education textbook, IEP’s our, “ Is the legal document that describes the educational services a student receives” (Hallahan, Kauffman & Pullen, 2012, p.28). Ms. Mccune explained to me how she has to meet with all of her students parents and go through a plan of action for their child. I found this to be beneficial for me as a student to learn from her while she was working on one. When I learn in a classroom I like to apply what I’m learning, so I can fully understand what is being taught.

The service learning project for ForKids organization was organized to analyze the existing data and information concerning the performance of the beyond-the-bell (BTB) tutoring program. During the semester-long project working for ForKids, I observed and now better understand the best practices of nonprofit organizations. Additionally, although most best practices are universal in nature, there must be considerations for the unique characteristics of a nonprofit organization such as organization culture and the community it serves.

The hospital environment is filled with an incredible variety of behaviors and attitudes. During my time for the service learning project, there were few that stood out to me. As previously noted, I was able to see the diffusion of responsibility among other volunteers when there were more working on the same shift. Additionally, I saw a very large amount of apprehension in the patients, especially among some of the patients being transported for surgery surgery. Their movements, posture, and tone of voice all spoke for how afraid they were and how significant this point in their life is. This has taught me to simply be more aware of how I’m carrying myself when in the presence of these individuals. It is incredibly important to carry yourself

Service learning projects are good ways to get involved in your community. They can range from any type of community service or deed. Calumet High School can make a list of hundreds of things to do. I feel that it's best to keep some close to home and then the school can branch out to other communities. Our school should hold clothing drives, soup kitchens, and a clean-up committee. How cool would it be to help your community out?