Service Learning Opportunities Essay
Service Learning Opportunities Essay Introduction
Service learning is regarded as a method of learning, teachning, and reflecting, frequently focusing on youth service in a given community. It is considered to lie in the philosophy of experimental education as it integrates meaningful community service with reflection and instruction aiming at enriching the learning experience. In this regard it teaches civic responsibility, encourages cicic engagement, as well as strengthening communities aiming at the common good of the whole community. Service learning takes into consideration elements of experimental learning combining them with community service opportunities (Gordon, 2007). In this regards it involves curricular connections which emphasizes the need of academic ties that are clear and based on existing disciplinery skills. It as well involves student voice which offers the students the opportunity to select, design, implement, as well as evaluate their service activity. This encourages their relevancy as well as sustaining their interests.
Reflection as applied in the field involves structuring opportunities created to think, talk as well as write about their services. This ensures that the students are aware of the impact their work has. With community partnership, the students engage in services to a given community. Authentic communication needs involves the community memebers being involved in determining the significance as well as depth of the services rendered. Assesment involves feedback systems that provide valuable information regarding the positive outcomes of the service to foster sustainability and replication (Carey, 2008). In light of this argument, this paper seeks to address service learning in the sense that it focusses on the impact that my participation in service learning opportunities had had in enhancing my knowledge.
My service learning opportunity andits impact in enhancing my knowledge
My service learning opportunity involved participation in a local cultural club that opperates within our community. The cultural club is involved in local cultural issues which involves preserving the cultural history of the community. In this perspective the club enages in cultural shows that address the cultural elements of the community. Participation in this community agency involved learning the cultural history of our community as well as engaging in cultural presentations where we presented thesecultural elements to the community. This participation was of significant importance basedon the fact that it enhances understanding regarding the cultural elements of our community that influence the way we relate with each other. Consequently, the participation had significant impact in enhacing my verbal and non-verbal communication techniques. Communication is a process that facilitates human interaction involving the exchange of information from one party to another. Human communication involves the process of understanding the means used in the communication process (Gudykunst, 2003).
The process involves three components: verbal, non-verbal, and symbolic.
The service learning opportunity enhanced my communication in the sense that it involved presenting the acquired information to the genral public while the knowledge gained in light of our cultural beliefs as well influenced my communication patterns. The service learning opportunity enhanced my knowledge in the sense that it gave me adequate knowledge in regards to the way our cultural beliefs and norms influencethe way that we communicate with others in the community. This is particularly in regards to the way communication involves elements such as respect. The argument in this is the fact that the knowledge that was acquired from this experinece with our cultural norm andbeliefs influences the way we communicate with our peers and our elders. Participating in the service leraning opportunity enhanced my verbal communication though the projects that involved presenting cultural knowledge to the public. The knowledge gained from the participation in regards to the cultural elements of communication enhanced my non-verbal communication skills by enhancing how respect is displayed throun non-verbal communication means (Carey, 2008). The underlying argument in this is the fact that the participation in the service learning opportunity gave me a natural ability to communicate better than before. This is basedon the fact that is gave me the understanding of elements of communication that are vital when interacting with different people in the community.
For instance, in communication with the elderly in the community, the cultural knowledge that I gained enabled me to understand how communication elements cane be used to express respect. This is in regards to the cultural elements of respect that were embeded in the elements of non-verbal communication. The understanding of ones cultural heritage as well helps in building ones self esteem which enhances verbal communication skills. Participation in the service learning opportunity enhanced my knowledge in the sense that it helped me gain vital information regarding my culrural heritage with influences my communication skills. This is in regards to the fact that the cultural knowledge gained influences the way that we communicate with other by expressing communication elements that express respect for one another (Gordon, 2007).
Conclusion
Service-learning is an important tool for expanding education outside the classroom. Tackling learning objectives in the community and beyond can produce striking results during your course and can change how students view and react to course content. The underling significance that service learnng has on the individual in question is the fact that it influences the way that they interact with the society. This is based on the fact that it enables them acquire adequate experience with the community giving them the opportunity to practically apply educational knowledge in their interaction traits. My service learning opportunity involved participation in a cultural club which enhanced my knowledge by influencing the way that I communicate with others. this is in the sense that I gained knowledge that influences my communication skills in light of expressing respect through both verbal and non-verbal communication skilss. The underlying argument is the fact that experience of participating in the service learning opportunity gaveme a natural ability to communicate better than before.
