In the last ten years, projects designated as “service-learning” experiences have become enormously popular. Unfortunately, that popularity has also led to a certain amount of confusion about what service-learning is. Service-learning is different from “community service.” At its core, it involves linking the subject of a class with work in a nonprofit community organization and reflecting on that experience in some structured way (in journals or essays, for example). Service-learning can be a terrific strategy for helping students realize the power of language, gain broad experience with a variety of genres, and better understand themselves as parts of larger communities. To facilitate this, it’s important to plan carefully and be prepared to learn along with your students. Look before you leap into service learning. It’s important to be clear—for yourself, for the agencies with whom you work, for your students and possibly for your institution—about why you want to incorporate it into your course.
A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric