Midterm Reflections and Service Learning

Social justice service-learning asks those engaged in service to uncover the root causes that perpetuate the needs addressed by their service sites (Mitchell, 2007, p. 105)

Post an entry to your WebBlog titled “Reflections On My Service Learning Experiences” that synthesizes your service learning experiences with other ED253 learning experiences. This post is an exploration of what you have been thinking and learning about in ED253. Concepts that are introduced and studied in class can be in dialogue with your reflections on your service learning experiences. (~250 words and credit for service learning).

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Background

Real world experience for students through service to the community is important for many reasons including the need to bring important social services to the community especially where there are recognized gaps in underfunded government programs.

Another reason for service experiences is to enhance the learning, understanding and empathy of students engaging in service. It is assumed by many that through service, students often expand their critical awareness of societal inequalities and further their commitments to social justice and to take action in the world to effect real change.

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Problem

At the same time, scholarship in this area has demonstrated that service learning experiences can actually make worse the cultural, economic and political biases of college students participating in service. From your perspective, please consider how this could happen.

Pedagogically, one means of addressing this is through self-reflection. Indeed, we do not learn so much through experience as we learn through thoughtful and engaged reflection on that experience. For this assignment, I invite your thoughtful and engaged self-reflection on your service learning experiences and the circumstances of those experiences, i.e. people, places, things, activities, etc.

(~250 words and credit for service learning).

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Selected Readings for Further Consideration

Santiago-Ortiz, A. (2019). From Critical to Decolonizing Service-Learning: Limits and Possibilities of Social Justice-Based Approaches to Community Service-Learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 25(1), 43–54.

Latta, M., Kruger, T. M., Payne, L., Weaver, L., & VanSickle, J. L. (2018). Approaching Critical Service-Learning: A Model for Reflection on Positionality and Possibility. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 22(2), 31–55.

Mitton-Kükner, J., Nelson, C., and Desrochers, C. (2010). Narrative inquiry in service learning contexts: Possibilities for learning about diversity in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(5), 1162-1169.

Cairney, K., & Breen, A. V. (2017). Listening to Their Lives: Learning through Narrative in an Undergraduate Practicum Course. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(3), n3.

O’Meara, C. (2017). “I Reassessed Who I Am.” Critical Questions in Education, 8(3), 261–274.

Mitchell, T. D. (2008). Traditional vs. critical service learning: Engaging the literature to differentiate 2models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14, 50– 65.

Pompa, L. (2002). Service-learning as crucible: Reflections on immersion, context, power, and transformation. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 9(1), 67-76.