Service
Learning
Janet Eyler
Vanderbilt University
We do not learn from doing, we
learn from thinking about what we do.
- Northwest Service Academy
Experience is not what happens to
people; it is what people do with what
happened to them.
- Aldous Huxley
Eyler reflecting on service
Goals of Reflection
Exploring impressions and feelings
Understanding self and place in world
Deep understanding of academic content;
connecting theory with service
Applying learning to practice -- transfer
Challenging assumptions/ transforming
perspectives
Stimulating cognitive development/ problem
solving
Becoming self-aware – metacognition
What Value can Service-Learning Add to
Academic Learning ?
Acquisition of Facts
Deep understanding
Problem solving
Practical application
Transforming Perspectives
Critical Thinking/cognitive development
Life long learning skills
Reflection is the most consistent
quality variable in servicelearning research that is linked to
positive outcomes.
Eyler reflecting on service
Table 1 Comparing Mean Issue Understanding Scores Before and After ServiceLearning: Problem Solving Interviews
Causal
Complexity
Solution
Complexity
Pre
Post
Pre
Control Group-No
Service
1.75
2.00
1.82
1.83
Low Integration
Service-Learning
2.00
2.37
1.94
2.13
High Integration
Service-Learning
2.15
2.52
1.96
2.63
Post
Locus of
Problem
Pre Post
Locus of
Solution
Pre Post
1.83 2.00
1.90 1.92
1.94 2.19..
2.25 2.56
2.26 2.85
2.37 3.15
Scale scores run from 0-4. Based on interviews of 55 students before and after service.
Eyler Service-Learning
Table 2 Comparing Mean Practical Application and Critical Thinking
Scores Before and After Service-Learning: Problem Solving Interviews
Knowledge
Application
Pre Post
Personal
PolitStrategy
Pre Post
Control Group-No
Service
1.92 2.08
2.08
Low Integration
Service-Learning
2.00 2.13
2.19
High Integration
Service-Learning
2.19 2.70
2.12
Application and Strategy Scales run f rom 0-4;
Scale runs from 0-7.
Critical
Thinking
Pre Post
1.75
3.96 3.94
2.19
4.07 4.08
2.96
4.16 4.41
Critical Thinking
Eyler Service-Learning
Kolb’s Model of Learning
Concrete Experience
WHAT?
Reflective Observation
ACTION
REFLECTION
Active Experimentation
NOW WHAT?
Abstract Conceptualization
SO WHAT?
Effective Reflection
Based on Research Interviews with Students
Continuous
Connected
Challenging
Contextualized
Eyler reflecting on service
Your Reflection Map
Before
During
After
Student
Alone
With
Class
With
Community
Partners
From: Eyler, J. (2001). Creating your reflection map. In M. Canada (Ed.) Service-learning: Practical advice and models. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
New Directions for Higher Education Series # 114, 35-43
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
T.S. Eliot
A Positive Learning Experience
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 4
Step 3