Service Learning : Teaching And Learning

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

In the document titled, In the service of what? The Politics of Service Learning, authors Kahne & Westheimer, discuss “the moral domain, service learning activities and the two different assumptions regarding political socialization”. Particularly what it means to be a citizen (Kahne & Westheimer, 1996). They describe social sustainability projects as being able to meet students’ needs for “personal relevance and a sense of membership in a community”. One way this can be achieved is by encompassing volunteerism and compassion for the less fortunate and vulnerable individuals in our communities. It is with this definition in mind along with the vision of Bronwyn Sheehan founder of The Pyjama Foundation, that allow me to see the robustness of

In participating in service to others, I learned that service to others is very important. Always work hard, and do your best while helping others. Hard work pays off, for an example, when we helped with the homecoming game, the 1970 class of Rivercrest paid for us to eat at Mi pueblo. Always give your service to others whenever you have the chance

“Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (Learn and Serve America National Service-Learning Clearinghouse). This assignment gave students the opportunity to go outside of their comfort zone, which is typically the classroom and see what the “real world” is like. As Gandhi would say “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” (Gandhi). I believe that this project really allowed us to appreciate what we have because many people are not as fortunate. During this service learning project I had certain expectations going into the project, but in the end, my results were not exactly as I expected.

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.

Some social problem and issues that I may encounter in this service learning is lower income children are not getting enough funding for their school; therefore, there are not enough teachers or staff to teach the kids. Classroom may be overcrowded which can lead to the lack of affection teachers have for their students. For example, teachers are too busy taking care of a big group of student that they don’t have time to pay attention to each student individually. As an elementary education major, I’m planning to volunteer at the Boys and Girls club because this club is a nonprofit club. They are

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.

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.

Involvement in service learning opportunity further develops students’ responsibility as future advanced practice nurses to think critically, prioritize, engage in cost-effective resource utilization, and act in a culturally sensitive manner. These actions and abilities are important to the delivery of care to patients with diverse cultural backgrounds during international experiences.33 Upon returning to the academic setting, the NP student engages in case study construction and discussion, peer education, and self-reflection. The latter is a critical part of them developing cultural

Q1.2) Part of service learning is forming a connection to the local community and thinking about ways to better the community in which one resides.

This volunteer experience has changed my view on service learning. I now realized there different levels of service. Although in class we read about the different kinds of services, I did not quite understand the difference until I analyzed my own service learning. This experience was definitely more of a charity act, since I feel like I helped a bigger organization with their goal, and they essentially made the difference with a bit of my help. I feel like I am just a small part of the big plan to help those with intellectual disabilities. After this experience I was able to compare it with previous volunteer work and this experience felt a lot less personal. Previous to this I volunteered at Sunrise Hospital and there I was able to tend to patient’s needs. I was actually able to connect with them by speaking to them about what they were going through and sharing my thoughts with them.

As a teacher, I will be more civically engaged by not only continue my involvement in the community, but also by teaching my students to become more involved through service learning lessons. Service learning can be an important tool as an educator because the students can learn the academic content while also participating in a service project of their own. Service learning also helps strengthen the student’s knowledge of their assignment because they can apply their knowledge to real life situations. With service learning activities, students will also discuss people in need, and what they can do as student. They learn to think creatively and come up with new solutions to