As I indicated in the last post, student reflection is a key element of SL. It can take place at the beginning to have students begin to reflect on what is to be learned from the service. It can be done in the middle to reflect on the project to that point. It can be done at the end. Some even advocate doing it continuously throughout the course of the semester. The choice is up to you to do what you feel is best for your students as long as you regularly monitor the students’ feelings and opinions about the SL project.
Just keep in mind that the objective of reflection is to draw out and reinforce student learning. It should require students to use critical thinking skills to learn from their service experience. It can also help students to analyze core concepts of your course, evaluate their service experiences and form opinions in the context of the curricula or learning objectives. Keep these tips in mind when structuring reflection activities:
§ Be clear about goals and expectations regarding reflection.
§ Get students to write in journals while performing the service to be able to collect their thoughts at the end when self-reflecting.
§ Give the students specific questions to answer at occasional or strategic points during the semester.
§ Build a team to ensure safe space for youth to do group reflection.
§ Find time to allow everyone to share and verbalize their feelings even if its takes time.
§ Allow ample time for reflection, even a few extra seconds can help most people to organize their thoughts. Having students write first, then share, helps those less-inclined to join in the discussion.
§ The best reflection is not necessarily always planned reflection, be flexible and prepared to capitalize on "teachable moments."
§ Directly relate reflection to service being done.
§ Reflection should occur continuously.
A series of questions that can be used to select when constructing reflection questions for your students includes some of the following that were developed by Marcy H. Schnitzer, Placement Coordinator, at The Service-Learning Center at Virginia Tech.
1. What have you been doing as part of your service?
2. Does what you are or have been doing meet your expectations about your service
experience? If so, how?
3. What are or have been the most satisfying parts of your service experience?
4. What are or have been the most difficult parts of your service experience?
5. What are or have you been learning? Why is your service needed?
6. How is your service relevant to the readings and discussions in class?
7. What have you learned or what are you learning from your service experience?
8. Do you feel that service makes a difference? If so, how?
9. Now what? What should others do about it? What are you going to do about it?
10. How will this service experience be valuable to you in the future?
11. If you were trying to get more student or community involvement in your project, how would you present the project to them? What would you say to them to make them want to get involved?
12. If you could provide a future service-learning student with one piece of advice, what would it be?
I hope that the post dedicated to student reflection to those teaching with SL or thinking about it. In the next series of posts dedicated to SL I will give insights on student assessment.
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