Service Learning

Over the past four years Burr and Burton has moved from a community service model to a service learning model to engage students in their communities.

In service learning, the focus is not exclusively on the service itself. Rather, students take part in conscious planning and purposeful thinking. Service learning includes four crucial components:

Preparation
With guidance from a teacher or team leader, students
• identify a need
• draw upon their skills and knowledge
• acquire new information
• collaborate with community partners
• develop a plan that encourages student responsibility
• incorporate service and learning as a natural extension of the curriculum.

Action
Through direct service, students take action that
• provides meaningful service
• uses previous and acquired academic skills and knowledge
• offers unique learning experiences
• has real consequences
• is in a safe environment to learn, to make mistakes, and have successes.

Reflection
During systematic reflection, as the adviser guides the process using various methods (such as role play, discussion, journal writing, etc.), students
• describe what happened
• record the difference made
• discuss thoughts and feelings
• place their experience in a larger context.

Demonstration
Students demonstrate mastery of skills, insights and outcome by, for example,
• reporting to their peers, faculty, community members
• writing articles to local newspapers regarding issues of public concern
• extending their experience to develop future projects benefiting the community.

Click here to learn more about our Service Learning projects.