Reflection Leaders Explained | Current Refelection Leaders
Reflection Leaders Handook | The Big Why | Courses | Student Resources

Welcome to service-learning at Meredith College! This section is devoted entirely to you - here you'll find explanations and definitions, resources for getting involved in on- and off-campus activities, and leadership opportunities.

Service-learning is an energizing pedagogy that merges academic theory and concepts with real-life opportunities and solutions. In a service-learning course, you'll be able to explore complex topics in-depth utilizing a variety of experts. The result is deeper learning, better integration of theory and practical application, and a more diverse, enriching educational experience.

Delve into this site, learn more about service-learning and leadership opportunities, and get connected with the local community. If you have any questions or want to pursue a personal passion, feel free to contact us or drop by our office in Faircloth 204.

Investment
Time Outside of the Class and Off-Campus. Service-learning primarily takes place in non-profit agencies that are off-campus and many of the activities may be performed outside of the classroom and outside of the regularly scheduled class hours.

Critical Thinking and Self-Reflection. Service-learning asks you to analyze complex topics from a variety of perspectives. Rather than dwelling upon the personal emotions attached to a particular service project, it pushes you to entertain new thoughts and perspectives, link your experience to the content in your course, and explore civic implications revolving around a particular issue. Analysis, honesty, and thought are key to fully grasping the meaning of a service-learning project.

Listening and Collaboration Skills. Work with your peers in small group sessions that are led by trained student reflection leaders to reflect upon and gain greater understanding of your service activities. Confidential, these sessions allow you to honestly examine difficult topics with classmates. Success, however, requires active listening skills, respect for others, and the ability to collaborate with others.

“Stretched” Personal Boundaries. Encountering situations that are unfamiliar or unknown to us can be difficult yet they’re necessary for our personal growth. A willingness to go outside of one’s personal “safe zone” to encounter the strange and unfamiliar, whether it be a person, lifestyle, environment, or situation, is necessary for service-learning.

Pay-Offs
Better Learning. With service-learning you will increase your learning experience and your understanding of complex topics because you will have encountered them in active, fluctuating environments. The end goal is enhancing your understanding of the academic material and its correlation to the “real world.”

Analytical Skills. You’ll have a more complex, developed understanding of social problems and the means for solving them.
Community Contacts, Real Experience. Time outside of the class and off-campus working with a non-profit organization gives you the opportunity to explore “real-life” lessons, make contacts in the community, and better understand complex issues.

A “Feel Good” Feeling. There’s nothing like that feeling you receive when you walk away from a service activity and you know that you have had a positive impact. The personal reward you feel from devoting personal time to service and assisting others is worth it.

Personal Growth. With all that “boundary stretching” and critical reflection, you’re bound to grow personally, intellectually, or civically as an individual.

Leadership Opportunities. Service-learning provides many opportunities for you to lead, whether it be as a volunteer on-site or as a reflection leader in reflection sessions.