Service Learning Reflection Activities

By contemplating your involvement, you can better understand your Service-Learning experience, appreciate what you and others are doing to make a difference, and examine how your experience relates to what you have been studying in class. We understand that you are busy, but take a few moments before the agency orientation, after each visit, and at the end of the semester to consider some of the following questions and issues.

What you think and feel about this experience can be expressed in many ways, including keeping a journal, class discussion and oral presentations. By taking some time to consider and write about some of the following questions after each visit, you will be able to keep an accurate and useful record of your Service-learning as well as fully integrate what you are learning at the site with your learning in the classroom. Make this a true Service-learning experience. Students should address the following questions:

WHAT?

• What do I expect to get out of this experience (purpose/goals/ideals)?
• What did I observe during my first visit?
• What is the agencies mission or goal?
• Are there other agencies in the community that have similar goals or could be connected? What part was most challenging? What part did you find surprising?
• How was I of service?
• What roles am I taking on?
• What about myself did I share with others?
• What did others share with me?
• What does it feel like to come into and leave my different roles (student, server, teacher)?
  

SO WHAT?

• What am I learning about others and myself?
• What impact did today's visit have on me?
• What did I do that was effective? Why was it effective?
• What did I do that seemed to be ineffective? How could I have done it differently?
• What are the relationship between my community service "world" and my other "worlds"?
• What values, opinions, decisions have been made or changed through this experience?
• What has surprised; me about the agency, the people I work with, and myself?
  

NOW WHAT?

• Is it important to me to stay involved in the community?
• How will my efforts working with this agency contribute to social change? my career? What changes would I make in this experience if it were repeated?
• Will I continue to be of service?

(Adapted from a publication of the Madison Leadership Center Community-Service-Learning Program, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA)

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