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Success in Service-Learning
What Makes a Service-Learning Program Successful?
In order for Service-Learning to be successful, it must contain the following:
- RECIPROCITY ~ The service and learning must be worthwhile and valuable
for both the student and community. There must be reciprocity between the
server and those served.
- REFLECTION ~ Intentional, systematic reflection of the experience must
take place in order to accomplish rational harmony in community service
experiences. Reflection within the context of the service experience encourages
introspective examination of other aspects of the student's life.
- DEVELOPMENT ~ Service-learning occurs in different stages: serving to
enabling to empowering; observation to experience to leadership.
- MEANINGFUL SERVICE ~ Service tasks need to be worthwhile and challenging
in order to strengthen students' critical thinking.
- DIVERSITY ~ A priority is placed on involving a broad cross-section of
students working in diverse settings and with a diverse population within
the community.
Principles of Good Practice in Community Service-Learning Pedagogy
From Praxis I: A Faculty Casebook on Community Service-Learning, by Jeffrey
Howard (1993). Ann Arbor, MI: Office of Community Service-learning Press,
University of Michigan.
1. Academic credit is for learning, not for service.
2. Do not compromise academic rigor.
3. Set learning goals for students.
4. Establish criteria for the selection of community service placements.
5. Provide educationally sound mechanisms to harvest the community learning.
6. Provide supports for students to learn how to harvest the community learning.
7. Minimize the distinction between the student's community learning role
and the classroom learning role.
8. Re-think the faculty instructional role.
9. Be prepared for uncertainty and variation in student learning outcomes.
10. Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course.
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