REFLECTION Reflection is an important element in service- learning. It is the key to successful learning. Reflection can promote intellectual, ethical and personal growth in students and facilitate this maturation process. But it is often considered as a struggle. Reflection does not have to be a struggle. It is important that students are given an opportunity to reflect before, during and after a service-learning project.
It helps students to shape their course, their service-learning project and handle problems as they arise. Other environments that require pre reflection activities are visits to environmental places like hospitals, animal shelters, homeless shelters and soup kitchens. To ensure students are rightly prepared to these face to face environments is to invite a representative from the agency to the classroom prior to the project, to make them perfectly ready to face issues. The most popular form of reflection is the old stand- by, the Journal. Students reflect upon class mates, teachers journal entries, the most recent contribution; work at the agency or project experience. Classroom discussions can be another most stimulating form of reflection for service-learning-this practice develops critical thinking and communication skills.
Using visual arts is one more effective introduction of reflection in classroom. Reflection is also a great way to connect service-learning project to curriculum to meet academic standards. The more connections between the service and academics the better the reflection activity. The best designed classroom reflection utilizes Eyler, Giles&Schmiedes (1996) FOUR Cs: continues, connected, contextualized and challenging. Develop reflection activities as continuous integrated effort to push learning further. Connected reflection relates directly to curriculum or service-learning.
The Research paper on Running Head Learning Center For Primary Classroom part 1
Running head: LEARNING CENTER FOR PRIMARY CLASSROOM Learning Center for Primary Classroom April 23, 2009 Learning Center for Primary Classroom Introduction Educators often face challenges on how to provide effective instruction for children with diverse needs in special and general education settings. Although learning centers are relatively seldom used nowadays due to various limitations (for ...
Contextualized reflection enables teachers to mildly force students to more meaningful reflection activities adhering to community or curricular context. eg.responsibility as a citizen. Challenging reflections pushes students to address difficult issues and inconsistencies which leads to analysis of service-learning experience. One route to challenging reflection is to present paradoxes. Reflection, a crucial component ensures that the class can benefit from the substantial advantages that service-learning provides. NOTES: J.Eyler, D.Giles&A.Schmiede.A Practitioners Guide to Reflection in environmental service-learning: Student Voices&Reflections (1996)..
