The Importance Of Service 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).

The critical difference of service learning and the traditional learning style is that students are learning and addressing real needs in the community. Which connect students to the community through meaningful interactions with others, safety, and educational needs. This specific course includes readings, discussions, and activities to support

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.

In the summer of 2014, I started as a volunteer tutor for the Youth Tutoring Program

Before commencing service learning, I had a number of misconceptions towards people with disabilities. Before volunteering, I had a lack of understanding, viewing people with disabilities as dependent and in need of constant help. Another misconception towards people with disabilities was focusing on the person’s lack of ability rather than the individual which consequently resulted in a one-dimensional outlook towards people with disabilities. Reflecting upon these views, I am appalled with these naive and prejudice

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.

Service-learning involves students in community service activities and applies the experience to personal and academic development. It provides students with opportunities to develop civic engagement skills by working with community members. Then, volunteering is any activities that involve spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefits the environment, individual or groups other than. Volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. Community Service is voluntary work intended to help people in the community or its institutions. I have found through the experience that I really appreciate volunteering, so in the future, I will volunteer on my own rather than doing it for a class.

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

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.

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.

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.

It is paramount as educators to sustain a commitment to service learning, as it has the potential for personalised and professional development (Spencer, Cox-Peterson & Crawford 2005). Spencer, Cox-Peterson & Crawford (2005) highlighted the benefits of integrating service learning into pre-service and current teacher education as prudently planned service learning projects contribute to superior teacher learning and growth of primary aged students.

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?

Serving the common good has been one of the most influential classes I have taken since coming to Viterbo. It teaches us the importance of service learning and the impact it has on our community, which we are able to experience first-hand through our own service work. These hands-on experiences are what make this class so beneficial for the Viterbo Students. It gives us the opportunity to see how rewarding a life of serving can truly be. Throughout this paper, I contemplate my own service work, and reflect what service-learning means to me at a deeper level.