Literature Review

Service Learning involves learning a variety of skills through the act of service, and allows students to learn by doing. It has recently become one of the most necessary and inspiring way of educating students through enriching their minds in a totally new perspective. In contrast to past years it has grown in abundance in high school and college, and traces of it have also been discovered in elementary school classrooms. Currently, 82 percent of all colleges across the United States offer over 7,000 undergraduate courses in service learning, further stressing its exponential growth in the learning environment.
Service learning projects have a wide scope that includes a variety of projects and acts that students can perform in order to gain an enhanced self-awareness and connection with the community. Some of these can go so far as to travel overseas to restore a village that has been torn down by disasters, or so little as to tutoring a neighboring or assisting the elderly. Service learning projects can also root out of a symbol such as recycling. Simply, take the idea and expand within a community; for example, starting a recycling program at a local elementary school.
Essentially, service learning provides students with meaningful, life-changing experiences that force critical thinking. However, the physical process of community service may almost fall short of the importance of the simple reflection after a student has performed the duty. Through reflection students are compelled to address the challenges and benefits of what they have done, as well decide what they have constructed of themselves after they have performed the service. Additionally, they have a chance to discuss and connect with others who have completed the same or similar projects.
Through implementing service learning within schools, leadership qualities will soon follow along. By getting students more involved with those around them and encouraging them to take initiative they will feel empowered; thus, promoting and surfacing their leadership qualities. Generally, this aspect of learning will benefit the students both academically, by leading them to see things in a whole new perspective, and socially, by practicing their social skills.
Evidently, service learning directly correlates to the development of leadership skills. Thus, it could be argued that if a student does not possess natural leadership qualities, service learning can aid in developing those skills. This can then further assert that through the law of syllogism the willingness of a student to become involved can indirectly build their leadership aspects.


Work Cited

Community Service Learning Makes Strides At California State University. Sacromento:
Hindustan

Times, 2005.
Moser, Jeffrey M. and George E. Rogers. "The Power of Linking Service to Learning." Techdirections
(2005): 18-21.

Pragman, Claudia and Brenda Flannery. "Assessment of Service-Learning Outcome: Examing the Effects
of Class Size, Major, Service-Learning Experience, ad Sex." The International Journal of
Learning. Minnesota: Common Ground, 2008.