PRE-SERVICE REFLECTION (Reflection #1)
(REFLECTING ON WHY AND WHAT)
- What is the community issue you hope to address?
- What is your organization’s mission or purpose? How does this relate to your personal and professional interests?
- How could working on this issue (or with this organization) help you understand course information?
- What are you most looking forward to about this Service-Learning experience? What are you most eager to learn? What strengths do you bring to this experience?
- What are your hesitations? What might be a challenge to your learning? What kind of support might be helpful from the instructor?
MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION (#2):
(LEARNING FROM/ABOUT OTHER PERSPECTIVES)
- What expectations did you have about the people or community you’ll be working with?
- How might these expectations influence your interactions?
- What commonalities and differences have you noticed between yourself and those you are serving?
- What strengths have you observed in the individuals or community members you are working with?
- How do you think you are perceived by the people you are working with?
- What potential misunderstandings or miscommunications could arise, and how might you address them?
MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION #3:
(APPLICATION OF COURSE CONCEPTS) Tip: ask these frequently during the semester.
- Describe a specific interaction or situation from your service experience. How does it relate to concepts discussed in your course?
- Identify a course concept and explain how it applies to your service experience.
- Reflect on a theory or idea from your coursework. Did your service experience support or challenge this concept?
LATE SEMESTER REFLECTION #4:
(REINFORCING AND TRANSFERRING LEARNING)
- dentify and discuss three areas of academic growth or skills you’ve developed through your service experience.
- How has your thinking evolved regarding the community issue or your academic discipline?
- Describe a moment during your service that significantly impacted your perspective. What did you learn, and why is it important?
- Based on your learning, what actions will you take differently in the future?
Based on Ash, Sarah L., and Patti H. Clayton. “Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning.” (2009).