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“Service, combined with learning, adds value to each and transforms both.”
“Service, combined with learning, adds value to each and transforms both.”
Porter-Honnet & Poulsen
Service-Learning is a philosophy that believes in the reciprocal relationship between the services rendered by us for our community and the learning that occurs as a result of the service. Our learning will enhance any future services we partake in and that in turns enhances our learning again in a cycle.
There are 5 parts in the Service-Learning cycle that would take various forms based on the 3 different types of service (click to find out more). Descriptions of the different cycle stages can be found below. Do click on the relevant links to find out more as well.
References: Community Tool Box, University of Kansas; A handbook on service learning (National Youth Council, 2000)
Reflection
Reflection
Reflection is at the core of the entire service learning cycle and occurs throughout the cycle. We would need to reflect on our experiences to acquire a deeper understanding and apply it to future experiences.
Investigation
Investigation
The Investigation stage firstly involves the gathering of information about the issue of interest and subsequent analysis to identify a community need and uncover possible causes.
Next, the research on actions by organisations already in place will be conducted to help us decide how to plan a service for the chosen community need.
Preparation
Preparation
The preparation stage firstly involves the establishing of the service objectives and learning objectives of the service learning project. For planning purposes, goals should be split down into much more specific steps. Remember that it's better to keep your focus on a relatively narrow, manageable group of issues, rather than letting yourselves try to cover too much ground, and lose strength in the process.
Next, developing an action plan will help you find out ahead of time where the major difficulties may lie, and to avoid surprises. In addition, planning will help you to clarify your goals, clarify the steps that will take you to your goals and increase your chances of success.
Action
Action
During the action stage, we would be carrying out our service. It is important that we make critical observations and document our service experiences so that we can reflect upon and learn from them.
Demonstration
Demonstration
In the demonstration stage, we would be analysing if we have achieved the service and learning goals set in the preparation stage and possible contributing factors that led to our success or lack thereof.
We would also identify what we have learnt in the service and apply these learning points to future situations.
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