Service Learning Project Analysis

In the assigned article entitled “Why Service Learning” by Bruce W. Speck, it provides great insight as to why we need to engage in service learning. This article focused on the questions that were like the reasoning behind service learning and how does it benefit the student. One definition in the article that stood out to me was service learning being defined as a pedagogy that fosters the development of skills and knowledge needed for participation in public life. This was prevalent because it allows the student to network with others outside of the community while giving back. Service learning was created to get away from the traditional way of learning while implementing a new learning system.

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.

Service learning is a process of associating students with the community in significant service activities integrated with facilitated experience to their academic and personal development. College students can change the world in many ways. The best way to give back is through service-based organizations Such as, joining a cause, especially on campus, there are plenty of clubs and organizations to choose from. This assignment makes me nervous because this will be the first time I have gone to an educational event without a peer leader/instructor. Attending the senior health fair, I was most excited about meeting all the seniors and education them as much as I can. There are many things I can gain from this experience, such as communication skills and become more outgoing.

My service learning experience with the non-profit organization, Off the Front has contributed to my professional development and prepared me more for the business would by enhancing my leadership and communication skills. At every bike repair location, I enhanced my leadership skills by leading other volunteers on what they should work on depending on their level of skills on bike repairs and if they wanted to learn something new, and I knew how to do a repair on the bike, I would gladly teach them. It also enhanced my communication skills by knowing how to communicate to other volunteers and that each individual may require a different communication style and leadership style. It also helped me improve my writing and analysis skills. My writing skills has enhanced by being able to write my service learning marketing plan with my group and making smooth transitions since we got different part. Using my analysis skills to evaluate four years of Off the Front financials through Forms 990 and created balance sheets for years 2013-2016 and broke down the salaries amount by each staff.

All in all, service learning is an effective type of learning. My service-learning experience elaborated what I learned in class. It was a good opportunity for me to interact

For my service-learning project I wanted to volunteer at an elementary school, but I couldn’t do it because I had to work as a volunteer in a retirement house. I’m preferred to look after children than elderly. First place that I chose was Villa Park but senior who live there are Spanish, they couldn’t speak English, so I decided to choose South Pasadena Convalescent Hospital as my place to do this project. I remembered how nervous I was when I went to hospital for the first time. I worried about their diseases that could be contagious. But during the past four weeks working at there, I had a great experience that I would never imagine.

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

A service-learning project would be amazing to have in Crawford County High School. New things are what make a great county. This county needs a service-learning project. The service-learning project that Crawford County High School needs is to tutor younger children.

In addition, students must learn to delve into difficult tasks that may be new and uncomfortable. This also helps develop discipline and responsibility because it may warrant a desire to quit. However, for those who commit and adhere to the sometimes arduous task, the rewards are plentiful. By assigning students a challenging task to complete within the community, service learning “expands the relevance of material by demonstrating how our actions can help others and positively impact society” (Simonet 3). Students who are forced to critically analyze and look beyond the immediacy of the service-learning project will recognize the life-long benefits of it. Gaining and implementing these newly acquired skills all while maintaining other duties demonstrates discipline and responsibility. I experienced this first-hand during my service learning project. Not only was I confronted with the hardship of keeping up with the tasks involved with the campaign, but also my other schoolwork. In addition, by recognizing the impact of my work and the importance of continuing this type of service throughout my life, I am developing discipline. Service learning is especially important in regard to garnering and honing responsibility and discipline in the academic realm. Service learning provides educational opportunities outside

Service learning is an up and coming method of teaching in many universities across the country. Community service and volunteering are very similar to service learning, so similar in fact that people tend to get them confused or believe that they are all the same thing. Although, they are similar to service learning projects, they are not at all the same. Service learning projects are educationally based projects that are not only beneficial to the community in which students and educators are working in, but it is also beneficial to the students and educators who are working with the community (McDonald & Dominguez, 2015).

For my groups community service learning project we had a bake sale with brownies, cakepops, and cookies and donated the money earned to central iowa shelter and services for women and people to be able to buy everyday necessities. We picked this project because we wanted to donate to homeless women to be able to buy necessities for everyday life (tampons,pads,etc). And we decided to have a bake sale around the school to make money.It is important to me because not everyone is available to buy necessities they need and have advantages so i want to give to those that don't have those certain privileges.

Service Learning. Yorio and Ye (2012) defines service-learning as “is an experience-based approach to education and learning that has a set of diverse learning outcomes” (p. 9). Although service learning is connecting classroom learning with community projects, it differs from community service which is simply voluntary work intended to help people

Service learning represents a new paradigm within higher education. Service learning, as defined by Jacoby (1996), is “a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote learning and development” (p. 5). Service learning combines community involvement with academic instruction and provides students with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of course content by having them actively experience the subject matter being studied. As Applegate and Morreale (2006) noted, “Service learning is what happens when students are afforded the opportunity to practice what they are learning in the disciplines, in community settings where their work benefits others” (p. x).

Service-learning is the act of serving using acquired knowledge and/or skills in order to better one’s community or organization. This teaching method brings together serving one’s community while also using the skills and knowledge accumulated previously. Sitting in a classroom can only teach an individual so much on a subject. Lectures tend to be tuned out and exams don’t measure knowledge or skill level, just who can memorize information better than others. In service-learning, individuals gain experience through getting their hands dirty and using those skills and concepts they learned in a classroom setting in a more real life setting. For all of these reasons, I do believe that service-learning is in fact an important teaching method.

Honestly, I was not exactly sure what to expect of this service learning project in regard to the diversity of the community and the cultures of the people that I would be working with. I knew that the area was mostly populated by low income families. I feel that I gained a greater understanding of people who are in a different financial social standing than I am. It also opened me up not only to the vast differences but also the similarities between their lives and my own. Because of my volunteering experience I am more likely to promote civic engagement to others. I feel that it provides an opportunity to become closer to the community in which we reside. Getting out there and socializing and sharing experiences with people who you may never have had contact with in your average day provides for personal and community growth.