reflecting on service national service resource center national service-learning clearinghouse

Reflecting on Service

National Service Resource Center

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

A few words to reflect on

• Experience is not what happens to people; it is what people do with what happened to them.

- Aldous Huxley (with liberties)

• We do not learn from doing, we learn from thinking about what we do.- Northwest Service Academy

Why reflect?

• Gives meaning to the experience

• Relieves tension and re-energizes participants

• Sense of accomplishment

• Integrates service into one's life

• Reality Check

• Acknowledges gained skills

Research shows

• Reflection has some positive impact on the attitudes of the volunteers regarding service

• The lack of reflection has a STRONG NEGATIVE impact

Three stages of reflection

• pre-service: examine own beliefs, assumptions and attitudes

• during service: learn from peers, share observations; ask for and receive feedback; ask questions; and solve problems

• post-service: evaluate impact of service; acknowledge personal growth

Reflection may include

• Reactions

• Feelings

• Observations

• Ideas

Reflection can happen through

• Writing

• Speaking

• Listening

• Reading

• Drawing

• Acting

Reflection should:

• Have an outcome in mind

• Be appropriate for the group

• Happen before, during, and soon after service

• Be directly linked to the project experience

• Dispel stereotypes

• Address negative experiences

Reflection should:

• Increase appreciation for community needs

• Increase commitment to service

• Be varied for different learning styles

• Actively involve the service recipients

• Be facilitated well for maximum participation, creativity, and learning

Resources

• Service Reflection ToolkitNorthwest Service Academyhttp://www.studentsinservicetoamerica.org/tools_resources/docs/nwtoolkit.pdf (490Kb PDF)

• Connecting Thinking and Action: Ideas for Service-Learning ReflectionRMC Research Corporationhttp://servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/132 (1.1Mb PDF)

Feedback

Share your ideas with us!

• National Service-Learning ClearinghouseE-mail: info@servicelearning.orgPhone: 1-866-245-SERV (7378)Website: www.servicelearning.org

• National Service Resource CenterE-mail: epicenter@etr.orgPhone: 1-800-860-2684 x100Website: http://nationalserviceresources.org