What is Service Learning?
Service Learning combines community service with academic instruction focusing on:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Values clarification
- Social and personal development
- Civic and community responsibility
Other definitions:
The National and Community Service Act of 1990 defines Service Learning as student participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences:
- That meet actual community needs and that are coordinated with the
school and community;
- That are integrated into the students' academic curriculum and provide
structured time for students to think, talk, or write about what they
did and saw during the actual service activity;
- That provide the students with opportunities to use newly acquired
skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities;
- That enhance what is taught in the university by extending students' learning beyond the classroom and into the community and help foster the development of a sense of caring for others.
