Service-Learning Practice: Developing a Theoretical Framework
fixed and that experiential approaches offer ways
for students to examine "shifting systems of meaning." The method requires that students learn to
"read" their workplaces as "texts" in which students "examine...the histories, power arrangements, and values underlying their work organizations" (p. 280).
FIGURE 1
Kolb's Model of Experiential Learning
Reflective Observation
Concrete
Experiences
C
Active Experimentation
Abstract:onceptualization
Kolb's model has helped service-learning educators develop an awareness of the role of reflection
in relating the world of concrete experiences to
abstract theories. The primary thrust of the model,
however, has been to suggest that experiential
approaches accommodate students with different
learning styles better than traditional didactic
methodologies. We find Kolb's model is somewhat ambiguous for educators attempting to better
understand their role within a service-learning paradigm. As a consequence, many educators continue to send students out to "learn in community settings" and "reflect" on their work without a clear
understanding of how experiences instruct or how
educators make use of the reflective process.
Moore's approach has not, to our knowledge, been
widely adopted, but it falls prey to the same set of
instructional ambiguities as Kolb's model.
Service-learning educators also make frequent
reference to Brazilian philosopher and educator
Paulo Freire. Most often these references are made
in describing service approaches that "empower"
communities and treat community members with
dignity and respect. Less often is Freireian pedagogy applied to our own students. Freire challenges post-secondary education when he opposes
a "banking" approach to education and endorses a
"(p)roblem-posing education (which) affirms men
and women as beings in the process of becoming -
as unfinished, uncompleted beings in and with a
likewise unfinished reality" (1994, p. 65).
The authors believe that a number of theories
evolving from studies of cognition, philosophy,
critical pedagogy, and postmodern theory suggest
that it may be possible to adapt components of
these different strategies into a more comprehensive service-learning model. In proposing this
model, we hope to clarify the role of educators,
incorporate Freire's ideas, and avoid some of the
ambiguity that we find in Kolb's model and
Moore's suggested approach.
A Service-Learning Model
In this paper, we hope to develop a model of service-learning that bridges the typically expansive
gap between theory and practice. A model which
best seems to capture both the individual, psychological nature and the interpersonal, socio-cultural
nature of service-learning is the six stage lens
model which appears in Figure 2.
A Brief Overview of the Model
Before moving into a detailed analysis of the
model, we offer a summary of each of the main
components. The model begins with the learner
and his or her unique set of characteristics. While
it is typically impractical, if not impossible, to
coordinate individualized service-learning programs, we nevertheless recognize the significance
that individual characteristics have on the servicelearning experience. Keeping this in mind, the second component of the model takes a look at the
academic and pragmatic issues concerning a service-learning practitioner. The model emphasizes
the need for carefully planning the service-learning
experience so that the student is intellectually challenged and appropriately placed. This involves
providing students with pre-service training and
theoretical concepts that the student will be expected to apply and understand in the community.
The third part of the model examines the service
experience itself. We argue that it is important to
make the experience a "discontinuous" one, distinct from students' everyday experiences, so that
students are challenged to broaden their perspectives on the world. Reflection follows the experience, in our model, as in most models of servicelearning. However, unlike some models, we argue
for more a holistic approach to reflection that
involves the student's intellectual and emotional
capacities, as well as their written and oral skills.
As important as individual reflection is, the fifth
component of our model proposes that reflection is
most effective when guided by an educator or men
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