Educating the Educator: Reflections Post Service-Learning Projects

NATIONAL ACTION RESEARCH CONFERENCE (NARC) 2014

Educating the Educator: Reflections Post Service-Learning Projects

Maznah Hj IbrahimPusat Citra Universiti Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysiamaznah@ukm.edu.my

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Service Learning Projects• Definition: Service learning is a

form of experiential learning where classroom instruction is reinforced by community service (Hunter and Brisbin, 2000).

• The theoretical background of service learning - based on David Kolb’s action reflection theory.

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Animal Guardian: Zoo Volunteers at Zoo Negara

We Love We Care: Farm in the City, Sri Kembangan, Selangor

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Reflection and Teaching in Action Research

“Great teachers know when to make decisions quickly and when to step back and reflect.”

– Anonymous•  Reflective thinking is normally associated with

John Dewey (1933 and 1938) and it is also often associated with critical thinking.

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Definition: Reflection• Lucas (1999) summarizes that ‘reflection’ is a systematic

inquiry into one’s own practice to deepen one’s own understanding.

• Reflection or ‘critical reflection’ relates to an activity or process in which an experience is recalled, considered and evaluated.

• Reflection is a response to past experience and involves conscious recall and examination of the experience as a basis for evaluation and decision making.

• Educators who constantly do reflection on developing their practice may reach a higher standards of performance.

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Reflection Strategies Richards and Lockhart (1994) suggested six different techniques for capturing the opportunities or events for reflections in the classroom teaching :• Teaching journal with written accounts of teaching strategies.• Lesson reports with accounts written in the lesson plan.• Surveys, questionnaires and interviews.• Audio and video recordings.• Peer observations.• Action research

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Action Research Design: Service Learning Projects

identify activity to achieve learning

outcomes

implement service learning projects

use service learning projects

- with community

partners

Reflect and evaluate

The Findings

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Direct Service Learning Projects:Direct and Personal Contact

• Direct service learning projects have the ‘attractions’ - as these projects give students direct and personal contact with the people in need.

• Students find this type of service most rewarding - they receive immediate feedback during the process of helping the communities.

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Learning Experience Enhanced• Service learning literature

demonstrated that students engaged in service learning projects receive ‘benefits or exposure’ in two areas: (a) their learning experience is enhanced

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Be more responsible citizen• and (b) they are likely to be

more responsible citizen throughout adulthood (Basinger and Bartholomew, 2006).

• …they are now more aware regarding the different ‘class or status’ in the society…

Supervising service learning projects is a learning experience to the educator as well. It is more important for educators constructing service learning projects to take attention on the needs of both students and community partners. Regardless service learning project is one teaching approach that show teaching and learning could be ‘anywhere’ and there are always a ‘lively and friendlier’ learning environment outside the rigid walls of the classrooms.  

Conclusion

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