Service Learning: A Boon To Professional Development?
- kirandeesh kaur
- Sep 9, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
History-
John Dewey, a proponent of educational reform, firmly believed that knowledge and learning are the two valuable assets that could address a problem in the most efficient manner possible. According to him, students should learn through experience and then apply meaning to their learnings. Interaction with the surrounding environment is significant for a student to learn about different responsive methods that are available to counter a problem that arises out of the blue.
In the 1960s, social upheavals pressed hard on universities in the United States with regards to social relevance and the types of children they produce. They were asked to be responsive to the democratic and civic needs of the society and be productive in their efforts of addressing the poor. Following this, community service was inculcated into their curriculum as a prerequisite to graduation.
Furthermore, an undertaking as such questioned the students’ ideologies of them being forced to commit to service. The proponents of service and volunteerism were often rebuked by educators. Students embracing service as a fundamental purpose of education lacked motivation in the public sphere and yet was seldom uplifted by the response emanating from the private one.
In the early 1900s, Arthur Dunn, while addressing a classroom in Indianapolis, instructed students to identify problems stagnating their society and deliver specific solutions in response to them. As a member of the Social studies committee, Dunn went on to cite the first-ever description of service-learning. The breakthrough occurred nationally in 1990 when George Bush signed the Community Service Trust Act which was re-enacted in 1993 by Bill Clinton. It defined service learning as a method that encourages learning and development within students through active participation in thoughtfully organized service, that can foster civic responsibility, meet the needs of the community, and is collaborated with schools. Since then, several initiatives have been adopted by schools across the nation to make their learning service-oriented.
Future or not?
In 1998, several surveys were conducted that notified various problems revolving around the concept of service-learning.
Difficulty in the incorporation of the methodology into the curriculum- The curriculum should embrace the significance of the concept by analyzing the benefits it can have. Application of theoretical models will enhance the understanding of pedagogy by making it more meaningful, enable the broader application of discipline and an uplifted sense of civic duty.
Lack of a coordinated approach- Those programs that are extremely essential and beneficial for students must be the only ones considered for implementation. General research on the topics filtered followed by a specific one must be undertaken to narrow down the selection of programs. Teams must be set up within the institution consisting of students that are interested in the specific service-learning program the team regulates headed by one of the members. A director must be appointed by an election in the institution or any other means who can garner maximum affirmative responses and can coordinate between various teams allocated different programs and report on a daily or weekly basis as per the requirements.
Burnout of pre-service teachers for service learning- The concept of service-learning extends its array of benefits to those who undertake to teach(faculty). The advantages of the same must be properly conveyed to the members of faculty like increased participation in community roles and strengthening of relationships between academic institutions and communities to heighten their interest. In addition to these, extra money must be allocated as funds for several service-learning programs and some amount must be given to the faculty, applauding their contribution. Advertising of such posts must be done on a preferably broader scale to maximize the applicants and direct appropriate recognition towards the method.
Diversion of attention from social policy to volunteerism- The visibility that is delegated to volunteerism by the national figures has replaced that of social policy. They have allegedly substituted appropriate Governmental action that could have been taken if volunteering had not evaded its path. To address this concern, the Government must be adequately notified about the root level situation that talks about lack of recognition and adoption still prevalent with regards to service-learning and that the impact of such learning is not as overwhelming as that of implementation of Government policy (nationwide).
Focus on development of skillset rather than need- Need is defined by what students have to offer rather than what is desired by the impoverished. Therefore, there is required a shift of focus from amelioration to a change in social structures, from prevention to absolute cure. Research must be initiated that understands the root cause of the problem- like if it is about electrical supply needs of a household it shouldn’t be merely restricted to one but that of the entire area in the vicinity. This way one will be able to eradicate the problem like it never arose.
Diversion from agency agendas- It has been reported in several cases that sometimes due to utilization of time more for service learning, there is a slight digression from the ulterior motives of the agency that incorporated service-learning. To sustain that, there has to be a proper division of time and service-learning should always be an addition to the total time granted to the faculty for work. There can be appointed an advisory board that addresses such concerns and prevents more time utilization into service-learning and conducts regular meetings that remind the entire faculty of their major motives, not undermining the significance of service-learning in any manner.
The psychological impact of the service on little children- The students undergoing service might engage in a casual relationship with the children they happen to interact during the course, which may not be ‘casual’ for the children involved. This might lead to criticizing agency practices and their motives in near future. To prevent ethnocentrism and racism from obstructing the path, students must be advised to build relationships only at the condition of maintaining them strong in the future as well. This can be added as one of the clauses to a binding agreement that is provided to the students at the beginning of the course, the violation of which in any form would penalize or defer the violator from engaging in service-learning.
Conclusion-
Service-learning is a great corroboration to provide meaningful education to the targeted section of people only if it is implemented properly. In the upcoming years, it must learn to accept its limitations and structure itself in a manner that it can nurture its strengths and compensate for its weaknesses. One of the major challenges incurred is its ability to not be able to deliver the same level of critical analysis, rigour and expertise that is there with learning, which can be done by addressing the legitimate interests of the stakeholders. There has to be a suitable means of ensuring continued program improvement.
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