When you reflect on your life at school, what do you remember the most?
Is it the friends who supported you through thick and thin, the teacher who inspired you to be who you are today, the compelling classroom discussions or other memorable experiences you can cherish for a lifetime? Throughout the years, there are a few things that you remember and many that you tend to forget, but the impact that an event or person made in your life stays with you forever.
This makes service-learning a principal aspect in education – its ability to make a difference in the lives of both students and the community involved. While it may seem that service learning benefits the community immensely, it makes an equally important impact on the lives of the students who participate in it.
What is service learning?
It is also important to note that service-learning is different from community service, volunteering, internship and field education even though it shares similar components. While community service and volunteering focus strongly on service goals, field education and internships, and lean towards attaining knowledge or learning, service-learning, on the other hand, emphasises both service goals and student learning equally. Service-learning is connected to the course curriculum and the activities have clear learning outcomes. They address the real needs of the community and provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences.
Benefits of service-learning for adolescents
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescent children between the ages of 10 to 19 years are highly impressionable and it marks an important transition period. During this time, adolescents work towards independence, build meaningful relationships with peers, and develop a personal value system. However, this is also a time when they might make unhealthy choices or engage in experimental behaviours that lead to lifelong habits that impact their future health.
The WHO emphasises the importance of positive development for young people, particularly the development of certain social skills, sense of self-esteem, sense of discernment, ability to empathise and connect with other people.
By bridging academic knowledge to the real world and seeing
this knowledge in action, they develop a genuine passion for learning. In addition, they also learn to collaborate with others, plan effectively, make decisions and solve problems.
Participating in service-learning activities also allows them to gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
For example, they might discover how well they can cope when exposed to stressful situations but find it difficult to lead a team. Or they might even learn of innate talents and abilities they never knew about. When they are exposed to different situations, they get an opportunity to build on these skills and work on weaknesses. Apply Ever Accountable Coupon and Promo Codes to grab various discounts on the wide variety of hair care products from the Sneek review.
Aside from academic and self-developmental reasons, service-learning is great for the adolescent brain because it allows them to socially connect with other people, showing a positive effect on their emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. According to Stanford Medicinec, strong social connections lead to increased longevity and improved immunity. On the other hand, people who can connect well with others are more likely to develop higher self-esteem, have empathy for others and less likely to fall into depression. Get any products at an affordable price by using the Plot Factory Coupon.
Most of all, when they focus on the problems faced by others instead of their own, it shows improved health and reduced stress levels. The London School of Economics and Political Scienced found a link between self-reported levels of good health and happiness and formal service work. Giving back to the community makes people feel happier and improves their mood.
