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An Overview of Service-learning
Editor’s Note: Much of the following discussion is excerpted from a
“Service-Learning” Web site created by recent graduate Sarah Johnson and her
mentor, Maureen Porter, assistant professor in the School of Education’s
Administrative and Policy Studies Department (ADMPS). Additional information
can be obtained from this site:
http://www.pitt.edu/~lincs.
Service-learning
has no simple definition. Community service becomes “service-learning” when
deliberate connections are made between the service provided and classroom
learning. Careful planning and reflection are viewed as central to the
process.
According to the National and Community Service
Act of 1990, service-learning is a method:
- Under which students learn and develop
through active participation in thoughtfully organized service
experiences that meet actual community needs.
- That is integrated into the students’
academic curriculum or provides structured time for a student to think,
talk, or write about what the student did and saw during that service
activity.
- That provides students with
opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life
situations in their own communities.
- That enhances what is taught in school
by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the
community and helps to foster the development of a “sense of caring for
others.”
Experts believe service-learning is a “powerful
tool.” Service helps students become active learners and develop a sense of
citizenship and civic responsibility. As volunteers in their communities,
students at the primary, secondary, or college levels can, simply put,
locate themselves and their studies within the greater society in which they
live. “Many of our nation’s schools and colleges,” Porter argues, “are
promoting not only the importance of classroom knowledge, but also the
importance of citizenship and community involvement as well. This is
service-learning.”
As a teaching tool, service-learning emphasizes
interactive teaching methods, by which theories and ideas are applied and
explored in “real world” settings. Community service can bring classroom
learning out of the abstract, and put students’ new knowledge to use in
practical situations. Service-learning also can give students a sense of
fulfillment as they actively take part in affairs affecting the community.
10 Good Practices for
Combining Service and Learning
An effective program:
- Engages people in responsible and
challenging actions for the common good.
- Provides structured opportunities for
people to reflect critically on their service experience.
- Articulates clear service and learning
goals for everyone involved.
- Allows for those with needs to express
their concerns.
• Clarifies the responsibilities of each person and organization
involved.
- Matches service providers and service
needs through a process that recognizes changing circumstances.
- Expects genuine, active, and sustained
organizational commitment.
- Includes training, supervision,
monitoring, support, recognition, and evaluation to meet service and
learning goals.
- Ensures that the time commitment for
service and learning is flexible, appropriate, and in the best
interest of all involved.
- Is committed to program participation
by and with diverse populations.
Lasting connections
Within a service-learning framework, instructors and administrators can find
new ways to connect teaching and service to the surrounding community.
Through careful planning and implementation, faculty, undergraduates, and
community members all can benefit from the establishment of new
relationships with one another.
Other sources consulted
“The University in Civic Engagement: Service in Our University’s
Mission,” report on the Spring Senate Plenary, March 21, 2001, prepared and
submitted by the Community Relations Committee, University Senate,
University of Pittsburgh. Available at: http://www.pitt.edu/~copc/senateplenary.pdf.
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