Service learning is defined as "any carefully monitored service experience in which a student has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience." (National Society for Experiential Education, 1994), (Canton). We find this in the article “Service-Learning—Every Body Wins!” by Alan Canton. From here we also learn that there are various elements which comprise a service learning project. Throughout this course, students learn what those elements are, and how to apply them to creating their own service learning projects. One of the main components of completing a service learning project is understanding the differences between a for-profit and not-for profit organization and their marketing …show more content…
Service learning projects are intended to assist students in applying classroom concepts to the real-world through service. The projects connect with the objectives of the students undergraduate degree specifications. Service learning should be looked at as an opportunity for students instead of a requirement. These projects allow students to not only engage in the community, but also understand the material being presented in their courses through real-life scenarios. According to Canton, “service-learning requirement are often viewed as one of the most open, most empowering of all the graduation requirements…service learning is a way to become more engaged: with yourself, your community, and your society” (Canton). This point of view is an excellent way to explain the importance and necessity of service learning components in classrooms, and that it is in fact not “forced …show more content…
Service learning projects provide students with the opportunity to learn by practical application. Canton gives us several examples of the benefits service learning offers. These projects allow students to improve written, oral, and problem-solving skills. They allow the opportunity for active learning, and provide real life-experiences relating to classroom topics. Students get to understand community issues, and civic responsibility. These projects cause students to make decisions on ethical issues based on their values. Organizational skills are developed, which can be used in many different occupations. Learning skills such as initiative, independent reasoning, and independent learning are gathered. Not to mention, there are also a vast amount of benefits to the community, which the student should advocate for. Students help provide agencies with the resources for problem solving. Furthermore, students are able to assist in meeting several of the human resource needs throughout their community. There are a multitude of reasons the service learning project will help students achieve their career goals. Service learning projects are looked up highly on resumes by prospective employers. By learning to apply classroom concepts, students are becoming more aware of to use this information in the work force. Another significant point is that, this kind of project allows students to make connections
Service; there are many different things that come into mind when you think of the term service. I use to think of the term as, in something needs to be serviced, something needs to be done or helped. PSL has changed my view on the term service and that their are many different things about service, its not just helping. Throughout my service experiences and resources I have learned its not about helping at all. Naomi Remen, author of In the Service of Life states “serving is different from helping. Helping is based on inequality; it is not a relationship between equals.” Serving is all about having that connection with someone and going in with an open mindset.
Throughout this course my paradigms of what a nonprofit organization have been challenged as we have considered the major aspects and leadership challenges of these organizations. Having worked with for profit and nonprofit organizations in the past I was quite confident that I had a clear understanding of the distinctions between the two. I had worked in organizations that regularly used volunteers to accomplish their mission and felt that the management of these processes were simplistic. Despite these misconceptions, I found that I was able to learn a tremendous amount through our reading, peer interactions, group projects and equally important, my volunteer service as part of this course.
The functional area of service-learning is currently emerging as an acknowledged department at an institution of higher education. The theoretical roots of service learning go back to John Dewey, and the early twentieth century. However, current research on service-learning pedagogy dates back only to the early 1990’s. Best practices for the field are still being created as more and more new offices are springing up on campuses throughout the United States and institutions internationally. The reason this functional area is becoming ever popular is due to the positive impact it has on students and most all educational outcomes.
Waldstein, F. A., & Reiher, T. C. (2001). Service -learning and students' personal and civic development. [Electronic Version]. Journal of Experiential Education, 24(1), 7-13.
important issues, gain new perspectives and provides learning experiences for volunteers as well as individuals from underserved groups. Because of the numerous benefits, college students should enroll in the Service Learning courses or service learning based programs. These programs allows students to move away from the dualism versus unity point of view and focus on reciprocity and provides the skills necessary to approach future service experiences with a service learning perspective.
There were several connections made between my service learning experiences and themes addressed in class. Some of the connections were about human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and equity. My service learning took place in a nursing home and the applicability of human dignity became abundantly clear. Teachings of solidarity and equity were directly exemplified. Social ties hold people together and are able to support the people who don’t have the power to help themselves. Subsidiarity is also a relevant issue; decisions for helping the elderly is best when done on the lowest level—the people who directly work with the elderly and know what troubles faces them.
Mahatma Gandhi once recited that, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Service projects help in projecting the giving that people do for the community.
I really think that having the service learning-project in the Unity and Diversity class is great. In class we have talked about minorites and disadvantaged groups, and volunteering in the minority places has everything to do with our class. The suggestions I have for revising the requirements of the service-learning component in a future class would be to require more theories and concepts into our papers. I think you should require more terms in our papers, so that we look more into our books and notes. Other than adding more concepts into the paper I don’t think anything else should be changed.
Following participation in an Engaged Department Institute sponsored by Campus Compact, a service-learning requirement was instituted for all majors in the department studied beginning Fall 2002. All faculty were encouraged to incorporate service-learning in their courses. A training session on service-learning was the centerpiece of a departmental retreat in January 2002. In order to develop closer relationships with community agencies, the department hosted a faculty-partnership luncheon the following fall semester. Potential community partners were invited to meet with faculty in an effort to forge new relationships with the University. In order to institutionalize service-learning, all recruitment advertisements specifically mention service-learning and all new hires are expected to include service-learning components in their courses. As a consequence of these efforts, this department has gone from teaching only a few courses with service-learning components to offering twenty five different classes (thirteen courses) by Fall 2002.
A service learning experience is designed to enhance a student 's growth in personal and social development and to obtain an understanding of community involvement. For my service learning experience, I volunteered at Change Point Center. In this reflection paper, I will discuss in depth information about the services that Change Point provides, my goals while I was there,and what I ultimately learned from this experience.
Nonprofit and for-profit businesses have multiple similarities and differences. For-profit organizations are very different from non-profit organizations because the driving goal of a for-profit organization is increasing its revenue whereas a non-profit organization will not go out of business if it suffers financial loss or does not have a bottom-line. The marketing process also differs, with the biggest differentiating factor of profit marketing is to encourage customers to buy and while the nonprofit marketing purpose is usually to encourage people to give. This means that the return on investment differs between the two. Although the principles of marketing remain the same, some of the methods must, of necessity, be different. Because of the intense involvement in the community as well as support from government, agencies non-profit firms should not compete in the same markets as for profit companies nor in anyway position their organization in any way to give the impression that their efforts could be commercial based (Nelson, 2002).
There were quite many relations made between my service learning experiences and themes addressed in the course. Some of the connections were about human self-respect, unity, and fairness. The social ties hold people together and can support the people who do not have the power to help each other. It was interesting for me to employ my skills and knowledge I learned in the classroom to serve those who need help.
Community service: What a wonderful opportunity for students! A chance for our younger citizens to learn responsibility, experience the satisfaction that comes with helping others and to acquire new skills.
Community projects are well known for giving students the opportunity to be able to express them selves and learn new tasks and responsibilities. Although, through out my community project path I found myself finding the right lace to learn and achieve the goals as well as the responsibilities and the role of the experience. Yet, the project wasn’t an easy project because I had to deal with different case mangers and different clients. However, through trying and working on my goals, I was to develop my learning experience in term of making healthy relationship with my clients.
Project Citizen is a project that seventh-graders do annually. The students take one problem and find a way to solve it. The goals of Project Citizen are straightforward. There are four steps to Project Citizen. First, the students need to identify a problem in the school or community. Then, they research that problem. The students need to finish about twenty tasks, each related to a category of school safety. Next, they evaluate possible solutions to that problem. The solutions are put into a research paper, which is what this paper is. After that, they develop public policy ideas. These are put into a group presentation and later presented to a larger audience. The four keys to being successful in Project Citizen are to work hard, work as a team, research well, and stay organized.