CHA RACT ER ED UC AT IO N
The role of reflection
in service and
service-learning
Paul Harvey, Teacher of Drama
Introduction
Service to others has been part of Sevenoaks School
education since 1961 and is a key aspect of the school’s
ethos. It is an element of the IB core, and all Lower
Sixth students participate in a weekly service activity.
It is natural for students to reflect during and after
their service activities; they meet new people, face new
problems and learn and develop new skills. The purpose
of this project was to find out more about how students
reflect on their experience and how this contributes to
their learning.
Background
Since learning is both cognitive and affective and the
best service opportunities engage the minds and the
hearts of students, learning through service is potentially
as powerful and important as academic learning. Service
activities involve problem-solving; students call on their
current (or researched) knowledge and must apply it
to real-world problems. They learn by doing this.
A key factor is that the processes and the outcomes of
service activities affect other people – so their learning
is connected to a significant impact on others and can
have deep meaning for students.
Where does reflection come in? When reflecting,
students often come to moments of realisation and
understanding. They may reflect on the lives of those
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they’re working with, on their own attitudes, on
the attitudes of peers, on the nature of the activity,
on possible solutions to problems. So ‘reflection’ is
an umbrella term for a range of different kinds of
thinking, from critical and analytical to imaginative and
empathetic. Honnet and Poulsen (1989) argue that
through reflecting on their service experiences, students:
• Develop a habit of critical reflection on their
experiences, enabling them to learn more
throughout life
• Are more curious and motivated to learn
• Are able to perform better service
• Strengthen their ethic of social and civic response
• Feel more committed to addressing the underlying
problems behind social issues
• Understand problems in a more complex way and
can imagine alternative solutions
• Demonstrate more sensitivity to how decisions
are made and affect people’s lives
• Respect and learn about cultural differences
• Learn how to collaborate with other people on
real problems
• Realise that their lives can make a difference
Clearly, the majority of these have learning at their heart
and suggest that service-learning is potentially a rich
element in ‘Character Education’ (as opposed to a more
conventional academic education). The case studies
below show how these ideals are being realised for a
small sample of our students.