Service Learning Misconceptions

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.

Service Learning is learning through experience to gain sociological observation, concepts, and theories so I decide to do my service learning hours in one of the two high schools that is part of the Oceanside Unified School District. The name of the school is called El Camino High School. El Camino High School is a high school that is located at 400 Rancho Del Oro Drive in Oceanside, California. It has over 3,000 students currently attending. The school’s mascot is the “Wildcat” and their colors are gold and red. El Camino High School is a public school that is part of a system of free public education that is maintained at a public expense for the education of students who are part of that community or district. El Camino High School is a place is a public school where students are coming out of middle school and are

For the Service Learning Assignment, I decided to volunteer at Northwind Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. My current interest is working in the medical field that deals with babies. The service learning placement that best fit my schedule was Northwind Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. This organization works with mostly senior citizens that need special care at all times. There were times where individuals that were not senior citizens that came there because it is not strictly a nursing home. The residents are not able to care for themselves and need constant supervision to ensure their safety. Some of the resident may require physical therapy. My responsibilities was to interact with the different residents on each visit and complete

Assistant Professor of Education, Dan Butin, asserts in his essay " Service- Learning is Dangerous" that service-learning is dangerous because it forces the focus of education outside of the classroom and challenges pre-existing notions of what higher education entails and how it is structured. He suggests that it should be more than just a course, but should be the course itself. He also contends that service-learning is able to provoke the student to question who they are and what they believe. It is able to combine conventional education with life experience for a more rounded approach to educating.

I have had the opportunity to volunteer for the All Major Career Fair. I have volunteered many times before, but never had the opportunity to do a career fair. I have found through the experience that I need to volunteer more often. Before I volunteered for this career fair, I have not volunteered in a while. Whenever the Kennesaw State has another career fair I will definitely take the time out to volunteer on my own.

For my Community Service Learning placement, I am volunteering for PAAL, which is a program for children and youth with physical and intellectual impairments. Their vision is to offer individuals who otherwise may not get the chance, an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of physical activities.

In her article entitled " Using service learning to teach classic learning theories ", Sheafer (2014) tells us about a research project of a psychology course at the LeTourneau University which required 19 enrolled students to participate in service learning assignment. Service learning is an educational approach that contributes to the learning of students through involving them in providing an organized voluntary services to the community. The project aims at letting students see empirically verified service learning concepts and related learning theories in actions and reflect on their experience with applying them to real life situations. The project included a three-hour community service followed by a survey of services provided as well

“Service Learning is a form of practical experience that enhances learning in all areas of a nursing program, and the experience of service learning reinforces the moral and civic values inherent in serving others (Ferris State University School of Nursing, 2015, p. 1). Consequently, to enhance my learning I completed my service learning at the Interprofessional Wellness Clinic, which focuses on diabetes education at Ferris State University. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to reflect in detail about my service learning experiences and how this service learning helped me achieve the nursing BSN program outcomes.

Throughout my service learning, I have mainly experienced working with children, at all different levels of skill set. There are several children in my classroom, who have Individualized Education Programs (IEP). I have worked with most of these particular students in small groups. One student I have spent a quality amount of time with is recovering from a serious brain injury. Although, my assistance has also been provided to all the students through teaching lessons and reading to the classroom. Thus, my service learning experience, has consists mainly of differentiating approaches, in order to provide support to students with a vast range of ability.

My service learning was based on the campus sustainability. The most important thing that I learned from doing this community service project was that people really do care about our school, our campus, and they do care for others. From the very first meeting, the students that participated during this project had a lot to say about how we, as students and teachers, should always help clean up our school. By helping keep Dillard clean, it shows not only cleanliness, it also shows that we care about this school. Well I cannot speak on everyone's behalf, but I know most student would love to come to a school that is clean and appreciated.

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.

Switching teachers, students, and even the academic level of students makes for both an interesting and somewhat difficult transition in terms of service learning. Unlike Mrs. Gawriluk’s classes, which throughout the day honors or advanced placement, Mrs. Casanova’s classes are regular Government in the morning and regular Economies in the afternoon. The rapport I have with the students is also a bit lacking, as I have only ever meet the students once during an observation under my internship class. As such, I have not been able to have group interactions with the students, and the students are more hesitant to seek help from me within the classroom. As only one notable example of me answering a student’s question comes to mind; the question itself was based on my opinion of UCF, not even on the content within their class. Beyond this change, Mrs. Casanova is a young, first year teacher that did not graduate without a full Education degree. While I had expected to see this teacher’s newbie like style to come out, I however, have been pleasantly surprised to see Mrs. Casanova doing more or less what Mrs. Gawriluk does within her class. This of course is due to the PLC in which she and another teacher are in with Gawriluk, and the support the school gives to new teachers. This Empowering of school culture comes into play within these PLC groups, as teachers who are regular, first year teachers are paired with veteran, AP or honors teachers. This helps get rid of the stigma first year teachers may have about teaching regular kids, as the strategies and support they receive are tailored to higher achieving students.

Over the years, perceptions towards disability have been significantly changing as result of the long pathway the disable community has taken fighting for Civil Rights, inclusion and against discrimination. Unfortunately, this last one has not been totally accomplished yet. Barriers to social integration still exist in the society. Perhaps the greatest barrier is not the disability itself; is the attitude of people.