Service Learning How is my well being connected to the well-being of others? This deceptively simple question lies at the heart of service learning, a form of experiential education designed to integrate classroom activities with civic engagement in order to generate and deepen student learning. These two forms of learning are then brought together through critical reflection. By engaging with community partners and fellow service learners, students describe what they have learned about a particular social problems (e.g., poverty, homelessness) and discover more about social service organizations, the lives of those they serve, and themselves. Ultimately, service learning is an opportunity for students to see themselves in relation to, and in relationship with, fellow community members, and to appreciate that supporting those in need is the best way to create a more just social order and to make our society stronger. When done well, service learning is thus a reflective and reciprocal activity that has a positive effect upon everyone involved in the activity: it serves the learning goals of the class, it supports community outreach organizations, which benefit from student assistance in addressing structural inequalities, and it provides practical assistance to those in need. In service learning, everyone has the opportunity to be a teacher and a learner. This emphasis on reciprocity thus distinguishes service learning from volunteering (which does not necessarily seek to overcome or change unequal social structures) and internships (which do not include a critical reflection component). The See, Judge, Act method of social analysis and action is a useful template for service learning work. According to this teaching, students should first attempt to “see” the social injustice situation that they will address: this means examining the history of the problem and the systemic reasons for the problem’s persistence. Thereafter, students should “judge” the situation through self-examination (“how do I feel about the problem?”) and consult ethical, philosophical, and religious teachings that can offer further guidance for clarifying their values. With this foundation in place, students can then begin to “act” with intention and purpose by offering both immediate assistance to the vulnerable and adding another voice to the chorus of advocates calling for the reorganization of social structures so that they are aligned with just values and principles.
Dig Deeper Brigham, Erin M. See, Judge, Act: Catholic Social Teaching and Service Learning. Revised ed. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2019. Carelton College. “What is Service-Learning?” May 7, 2018. serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/service/what.html. University of Washington, Center for Teaching and Learning. “What Is Service Learning?” 201, teaching.washington.edu/topics/engaging-students-in-learning/service-learning/. Youth.gov. “Service-Learning.” (n.d.). youth.gov/youth-topics/civic-engagement-andvolunteering/service-learning.
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