Service Learning Reflection

Question 1

1.1.        What is Service Learning?

Service learning= is a form of curricula rise community engagement in higher education and a form of experiential learning. But not all experiential learning can be termed community engagement or service learning. It is a way of thinking about education and learning (philosophy) with an accompanying teaching tool or strategy (pedagogy) that asks students to learn and develop through active participation in service activities to meet defined issues of the community organisations. This is a reciprocity in exchange between students and the community, the service undertake is decided on in collaboration with the community. It is integrated in student’s academic curriculum and provides structured opportunities for them to think, talk and write about their experiences when they reflect during the service activity. It aims at enhancing and extending what is taught in higher education so that students develop a sense of caring for others and a sense of more critical citizenship. Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.

I am reflection on the service learning we had at our campus UMP with the Mareleng primary school pupils

We were hosting a carnival for the Mareleng Primary School on the 5^th of April 2016 as university first year students in the UMP Siyabuswa campus. We woke up in the morning preparing games that the children will be playing and we made the place look attractive for the children’s attention so that they could come to my group, group 16. We decorated the place with the big flier we had with attractive colours which was eye catching. The learners were accompanied by their teachers at about 09; 30 in the morning their teachers helped them to cross the tar road.

GROUP 16

The games we were playing were developing learner’s internal and external systems. We watched how they were socialising with others and their cognitive developments because the games we were playing required them to think hard and critically so. The aim is give those memorable events and help them learn through playing, that’s the best way children learn just as the theorist Howard Gardner states about Multiple Intelligences of children about how they learn. He said that children learn through seeing, listening, singing etc.

1.2.        Do you think service learning is a valuable pedagogy to include in teacher education programme?

Yes. It gives the more practical work of how they should do things when they qualify as teachers they will have needed experience. Students gain academic knowledge and skills, increases student’s self-esteem, promotes personal development and enhances a sense of social responsibility and personal competence.

Examples;

1.    To socialize teachers in the essential moral and civic obligations of teaching, including teaching with ‘care’ fostering life-long civic engagement. To enhance teacher’s ability to reflect critically on current educational practices and their own teaching.

2.    To develop preserve teachers, the dispositions and abilities needed to easily and fully adopt educational reforms such as authentic assessment, teaching with integrated thematic units, focusing on higher order thinking skills and making improvements in school schedules and climate, accelerates the process of learning how to perform a variety of roles needs to meet the needs of students.

Question 2

2.1.        DATA= it is a four step reflection process made up of description, analysis, theorizing and action. We normally use it to reflect on certain events or practice. But as a student I am required to ask help from a lecturer.

Step 1: describe what happened

Step 2: analyse why it happened

Step 3: theorize to improve your practice

Step 4: act to test your theory in practice

2.2.        We had a service learning at our campus which was a carnival. We invited the Mareleng primary school grade r pupils and had fun with them for a few hours. The children seemed to be enjoying the games we prepared for them as they were following instructions and participating at their level best. The carnival was meant to develop learners internal and external systems, it was to see the different skills and interests that the learners had. I think the learners enjoyed themselves as I saw all of them doing different kinds of activities from the 18 groups of student teachers we have in our campus where my group is group 16. Each group had a set of different games varying, in my group we had prepared 4 games for the learners and each game was educational to help learners one way or the other.

The 1^st game we had as group 16 was the balance act game in which we gave the children a spoon and place an egg inside it. They were supposed to run a certain distance without the eggs falling down. Once the egg fall the child has lost a team member will have to come to his/her rescue and touch her by then she will be able to move forward and finish with the game. If the learner reaches the assigned distance she will win and be awarded with a medal.

Balance act game

The 2^nd game was scoring into a tin (scoring game), we used recycled materials like big beans tins and those round balls obtained after using a roll-on. That way their aiming skills and concentration skills were developed they learned while they were playing somehow they did not see that they were learning. They were so excited to find out that we prepared for them coming to our school and the games we played with them were challenging and required children to be physically and mentally active.

Scoring game

The 3^rd game was guessing the animal. We had 4 pictures of animals, a picture of a dog, cow, chicken and cat. The pictures were in A4 papers each and we demonstrated to the children how a certain animal sounded like how it walked how many feet it had. The children had to guess which animal that was each point a learner got he/she obtained a present which was a medal.

The 4^th game was balloon balancing game whereby we gave each learners a balloon to place it on their heads and run a certain distance with them. The one who’s balloon will be on the head for a long time is the winner of this game.

Balloon balancing

The reason we have service learning (carnival) is to understand well our class topic and gain hands-on experience as student teachers as we will soon become teachers and be able to work with children. We explore our values and beliefs we also get an opportunity to act on them. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are developed. Service learning happens to help grow our understanding of diverse cultures and communities, we get to learn more about social issues and their root causes. It improves our ability to handle ambiguity and be open to change, became more flexible. The children gained additional human resources needed to achieve their goals. New energy will be injected to them. It assist to prepare pupils to be leaders of tomorrow.

Children learnt better through the service learning (carnival) because some of the exercise we were doing were good for their body that is also beneficial. Lev Vygostky emphasized the social context learning. That a child acquires habits of thought and judgement largely through interacting with others, he believes that all psychological processes are shared between the child and the adult. If we continue to do good things children will grow to understand that they should also do well. Children have different skills they just need someone to help them to the positive direction (Rogers, humanist theorist). They learn best when they are involved because it is hard to forget something you had done.

The action we can take is to create more service learning to help our communities. If a carnival gives a positive remarks to the pupils it must continue so the children can be eager to learn new things. It is a good thing because they get to be exposed to many different people at a very young age that helps with the social development as they will grow to be independent individuals. We also as student teachers must endure this opportunity of learning (practical) make every minute count. We had a great day doing our service learning all the students and learners enjoyed it you could tell by the atmosphere the cheering and noise that was in the area. The learners loved the game they we running around chasing balls jumping up and down because they could not wait for the next game to begin.