Service Learning Reflection

Why is reflection so important?

Reflection is at the heart of service-learning - doing service without reflecting is “like eating without digesting.”

• Explore service and the meaning behind service experiences
• Focus on learning from the community and environment
• Helps connect coursework with “real life”
• Helps clarify goals and values
• Highlights strengths and areas needing improvement
• Evokes constructive evaluation of the effort, the school, and the community

How do we do the reflection?

Reflection should be ongoing – it should happen before, during, and after engaging in service. It can be formal or informal, and can be facilitated through a variety of activities.
Most professors direct students to reflect on the service experience in writing. Some ask their students to give short presentations to the rest of the class, or to meet for regular discussions about the experience. Journaling is also a popular assignment.
Nearly every student must write a summary paper at the end of the service experience in which they deal with the following items:

1. How the service experience helped the student learn the course material;
2. What the student learned about him/herself;
3. What the student learned about the world beyond the classroom, the world in which he/she had the service experience;
4. What the students intends to do in the future about the issues highlighted by the service experience.

For more detail, see our Reflection Guidelines.