Service Learning Definition

Service Learning: Definition
Service learning is a more hands on learning experience that provides a new way for students to comprehend their course material. Students are exposed to personal and academic development that help them improve not only as students but as individuals as well. All services provided are directly related to the course’s ideas. Service Learning differs from ordinary community service by giving the students the benefit of learning while helping a community in need. The community will be benefitting from the service provided as well all while the students are exposed to a more open mind set. Not only do the students provide aid to the community in need, they also are able to visually learn a lesson being taught in their …show more content…
Kent State University, College of Nursing changed their curriculum to include more assignments involving the community, this sparked their interest in service learning. Entry level instructors incorporated more developmental assessments involving communication and critical thinking skills. They created a study in which they observed the critical thinking of beginning nursing students during their service learning time. These studies showed better comprehensive thinking skills in students after service learning. “94 undergraduate nursing students who were all in their first sophomore semester participated. They all were enrolled in their first clinical nursing course.” They were asked to do research on service learning and select a community that would directly involve their learning practices. Students were asked to complete a contract of fourteen hours in service, that would be between the agency and the student. The students were also asked to complete a reflective journal to be better evaluated. When the service learning was completed they were asked to participate in a poster session to present their goals and experiences. They only experienced certain setbacks all having to do mainly with the limited amount of time they had to complete their service. They summarized the article …show more content…
This organization helps students with homework and helps them better develop learning skills to understand the material being taught in their classroom. They have tutors on the spot and require their students to keep a binder in which they must organize all their assignments to keep better track of them and make sure they are completed. As part of an outside learning environment experience the students in this organization visit an elderly day care every Christmas. They are privileged to sit down and converse with some of these differently experienced / knowledgeable people. All mean while the elderly are getting company they probably don’t always have. My friend Briana who was part of this organization told me that they were asked to write a reflection about their experience every time they went to a different day care and she admitted it was always different. She told me that the elderly’s reactions were always priceless and that she got to learn so much from them too. There was an elderly woman that she remembers clearly because she gave her helpful tips on how to do many arts and crafts. She was so touched by how this lady was taking her time to explain every detail to her that it made her change majors. From wanting to be a biologist she decided to differ a bit from this and chose to become a surgeon. This story absolutely fascinated me and I saw that this was in some way related to service