How does service learning help the community

Below are some general tips to consider as you begin:. What is Service Learning or Community Engagement? What is Service Learning or Community Engagement?. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Discipline-Based Model In this model, students are expected to have a presence in the community throughout the semester and reflect on their experiences regularly.

Capstone Course. Capstone Course Model These courses are generally designed for majors and minors in a given discipline and are offered almost exclusively to students in their final year. Service Internship. Service Internship Model This approach asks students to work as many as 10 to 20 hours a week in a community setting.

Undergrad Community-Based Action Research. Action Research Model Community-based action research is similar to an independent study option for the student who is highly experienced in community work. Advocacy can take the form of students writing letters to government officials, demonstrating in a picket line or educating others about possible policy changes.

Political science and criminal justice classes often feature more advocacy work. Why is Service Learning Important? How Do I Benefit as a Student? Through service learning, students: Learn more about their relationship with the communities they engage with Learn more about their capacity for serving others Refine their decision-making abilities and acquire other career-related skills Better understand the meaning of responsible citizenship Grow in their awareness of cultural differences Explore Elmhurst University The Elmhurst University Service Learning program matches students who feel a responsibility to serve the community with opportunities to help.

Want to learn more? Request information today! Fill out my online form. How Do Student Loans Work? Enter the terms you wish to search for. Portal Webmail Directory Canvas. Why Service Learning is Important. Promotes equity: By facilitating heterogeneous grouping, service-learning allows students from a variety of backgrounds, ethnic groups, strengths and abilities to work together on real problems that provide unity and purpose beyond the classroom. It also has been found to provide extrinsic motivation for at-risk students, help special-education students develop concrete skills and competencies which often enable them to work alongside their nondisabled peers, and provide a holistic approach that can help immigrant students learn English language and culture.

Fosters appreciation for cultural diversity: Service-learning helps foster in students a greater understanding, appreciation of and ability to relate to people from a wide range of backgrounds and life situations. It provides opportunities for youth not just to reach out to others but also to understand the value of differences among individuals and communities.

Promotes changes in school culture: Service-learning can have a profound effect on the school culture because it creates new relationships between schools and communities. At the same time, the community itself becomes a learning environment that benefits from the schools that its tax dollars support.

Service-learning also can create more collaborative relationships among teachers, administrators and other school personnel.