Reflection is an essential component to learning, especially in the context of service-learning. Through reflection, students are empowered to analyze concepts and evaluate their service experiences to form unique perspectives and a critical worldview.
Prioritizing reflection and understanding the benefits it provides within the context of service-learning distinguishes service-learning from volunteerism/voluntourism. Reflection promotes a strong sense of civil responsibility through the contextualization of learned concepts relative to the service at hand. If reflection is not valued within service, students will simply enter and exit a community without a greater understanding of the institutional/systematic barriers facing those served and no critical knowledge of how these barriers can be broken down through civil engagement.
I always come back to the following quote of Margaret Mead’s when discussing service-learning: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens an change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” The key component of this quote are the words “thoughtful” and “committed.” These two character traits stem directly from reflection and when fused together, can successfully ignite widespread civic engagement, leading to meaningful change within communities.
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