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Standard reflection questions (recommended)

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 assumptions do you have about the people you will encounter? Where did those assumptions come from?
  • How might your assumptions influence the way you interact with people?
  • What similarities do you share with the people you are working with? What differences?
  • What are their strengths? What can you learn from them and their strengths?
  • How do you think you are perceived by the people you are working with?
  • What might be potential miscommunications?

MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION #3:

(APPLICATION OF COURSE CONCEPTS) Tip: ask these frequently during the semester.

  • Describe an interaction or situation from your SL experience, then relate it to course concepts OR
  • Describe a course concept, and describe how you can apply it to your service learning experience OR
  • Explain a course theory/idea/practice. Did your experience support or contradict it?

END OF SEMESTER REFLECTION #4:

(REINFORCING AND TRANSFERRING LEARNING)

  • Identify and discuss three areas of academic growth or skills and attitudes you have developed through your experience? OR
  • How has your thinking shifted? Have your assumptions changed about the people, community issue, or the discipline?
  • When did you have your aha moment, and what brought it about? Why is this important?
  • What will you do differently because of this learning?

Based on Ash, Sarah L., and Patti H. Clayton. “Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning.” (2009).