Service learning integrates meaningful community service with academic instruction, emphasizing reflection and personal growth to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
This article explores the impact of service learning on community engagement and discusses benefits for all students, but for preservice teachers in particular. Through service learning, students develop values, ethics, social responsibility, citizenship skills, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, cognitive development and intercultural understanding.
Benefits for all learners
- Practical experience: Service learning offers hands-on experience, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems.
- Personal growth: Students develop empathy, leadership and interpersonal skills through active community involvement.
- Academic enhancement: Linking service activities with academic con- tent deepens students’ understanding and retention of course material.
- Career preparation: Skills gained from service learning, such as team- work, problem-solving and communication, are highly valued by employers.
The state of literacy in Georgia
A staggering number of adults in Georgia are reported to have low literacy skills. This indicates an urgent need to enhance literacy instruction and boost out- reach efforts across the state. Low literacy is a multigenerational problem. Without intervention, low literacy will have long- term negative impacts on Georgia’s workforce and economy.
My reading students, who are preservice teachers, engage in a variety of service learning projects designed to promote literacy and build a stronger literacy community. These projects include reading to elementary students, tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club, organizing a performing arts production for Read Across America Week, collecting children’s books for safe shelters, conducting reading parades at elementary schools, and participating in the school district’s book giveaway project.
- Promoting literacy: By reading to elementary students and tutoring, they provide one-on-one support that helps children improve their reading skills and develop a love for reading.
- Building a stronger literacy community: The reading parades and community outreach events create a festive and inclusive atmosphere that celebrates reading and encourages participation from all community members.
- Enhancing enjoyment of reading: Our preservice teachers’ efforts to make reading enjoyable are evident in every project they undertake.
- Learning and applying reading skills: Participation encourages preservice teachers to put their classroom learning into practice. They learn to apply best practices in teaching reading and gain confidence in their abilities.
Reflections
When asked about the impact of service learning on their perspectives, my preservice teachers shared several profound insights:
- They learned the importance of networking. Through their projects, they engaged with various community members and organizations, understanding that a strong network can provide support, resources and opportunities.
- They realized the complexity and interconnectedness of societal issues. Service learning projects expose them to real-world challenges, highlighting how different problems are often intertwined and require comprehensive solutions.
- They discovered their potential to effect change in the world. Through their involvement in service projects, they saw firsthand that their actions, no matter how small, could have a significant impact.
Conclusion
The most amazing thing to me is how excited the preservice teachers are about service learning. They complete one project and immediately want to produce another. They take the ideas and fly with them. The biggest challenge has been funding. There have been projects we wanted to do but did not have the money for. Like creating a community literacy lab. But one of my colleagues is going to help me apply for grant funding!
Service learning is a transformative educational approach that benefits students, institutions and communities. It fosters personal and academic growth, instills values and ethics, enhances social responsibility, and promotes intercultural understanding. Educators play a crucial role in this process, guiding students and ensuring meaningful community partnerships. Implementing best practices in service learning can maximize its impact, creating a more engaged and socially responsible citizenry.
Cora Bragg Thompson, Ed.D., has dedicated over 40 years to the field of education, fostering a passion for teaching and preparing future educators to be effective teachers with a strong emphasis on literacy.
