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Weblogs transform service-learning reflection.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

In every service-learning project, the component of reflection is an integral aspect of the learning process. Intentional, systematic reflection of the experience must take place for students to make that critical connection between the service-learning experience and the theoretical objectives of the course. In this service-learning project, a blog was utilized for student reflection, giving them the opportunity to share their progress. This transformed the typical reflection between teacher and student into a learning community where the individual student's learning was impacted by other students.

Introduction

According to our university guidelines, service-learning is "a teaching method that uses community involvement to apply theories or skills being taught in a course. Service-learning furthers the learning objectives of the academic course, addresses community needs, and requires students to reflect on their activity in order to gain an appreciation for the relationship between civics and academics." There are seven criteria that the school designates that every course must meet in order to be service-learning, and one of those involves structured student reflection (University of Central Florida, n.d.).

Reflection in Service-learning

Reflection is what transforms experience into learning. Although the implementation of service-learning projects may vary in many respects, and Butin (2003) argues that the quality, conceptualization and assessment of service projects need further multivocality for better definition, the inclusion of a reflective piece is almost universal in every definition. When the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed K-12 schools about the extent of service projects nation-wide, they precluded that a systematic reflection or critical analysis piece must be present in the service project in order to be included in their survey (Skinner & Chapman, 1999). In looking at researched service projects across the curriculum from the elementary level (Werner & Voce, 2002;), high school level (Battistoni, 2004; Berman, 2004), undergraduate level (Blieszner & Artale, 2001; Lohman & Aitken, 2002; Morris, 2001), international level (Cowan, 2003), to teachers who reflected on their own projects (Clark, 2002), every project contained some type of reflection or dialogue as an integral part of the project. The reflection component of a service-learning project is that crux where student activity meets curricular goals. Without a reflection piece, students may never make the connection between class and service.

As Astin et al. (2000) reported on the affect of service learning on students, their research underscored "the power of reflection as a means of connecting the service experience to the academic material (p. iv). It is one of the vital steps in the learning process, so that students learn to monitor their own learning (Eyler, 2002). Students are encouraged to, and utilize their reflections for a diverse set of reasons, from questioning the service project...

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