Service Learning melds class work, real world
By: Jonathan Murdough
Updated: February 1, 2013
Every student has pondered the question at least once: How is this school work going to help me in the real world? Louisiana Delta Community College will endeavor to answer that question on Monday, February 4 with a Service Learning Fair.
Sara Reed, the organizer of the event, said the whole point of Service Learning is bringing classroom work and real world life together.
"Service Learning integrates academics and community service," Reed said. "Students have to actively reflect on their experiences; and Service Learning focuses on tying the two together - academics and service work."
The American Association of Community Colleges describes Service Learning as an opportunity to "combine service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and personal and civic responsibility. Service Learning programs involve students in activities that address community-identified needs, while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community."
The fair will be held from 10 a.m. until noon in the first floor Conference Center, and will be much like a career fair in that students will rotate among tables of community organizations collecting information on volunteer opportunities. Reed said the fair will help students understand how their class work and Service Learning are connected.
"Students from all disciplines can explore various organizations that they may be interested in volunteering with, and get real world experience with topics they are discussing in the classroom," she said.
For instance, students studying family health might spend time at, or donate food to a soup kitchen, much as a Sociology class did this past November. Or, a class studying child psychology might put together a social event for children, like the Party in the Park hosted by the Children's Museum in October, which LA Delta psychology students participated in. Reed said the connection between real world issues and class work that Service Learning provides is mutually beneficial to students and organizations within the community; and the Service Learning fair will perpetuate that stance.
"This event will allow students the opportunity to interact and meet community organizations that are interested in providing Service Learning sites for Delta students," she said. "For community organizations, it will serve as a recruitment tool for future volunteers."
There will be about 20 organizations represented at the fair, including the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, Girl Scouts of Louisiana, Biedenharn Museum and Gardens, United Way of Northeast Louisiana, Ronald McDonald House, the Humane Society Adoptions Center, Louisiana Methodist Children's Home, and many more offering opportunities for students to volunteer and learn all at once.
For more information, contact Sara Reed at (318) 345-9227 or sreed@ladelta.edu, or Julie Salter, Career Advisor, at 345-9151 or jsalter@ladelta.edu
The American Association of Community Colleges describes Service Learning as an opportunity to "combine service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and personal and civic responsibility. Service Learning programs involve students in activities that address community-identified needs, while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community."
The fair will be held from 10 a.m. until noon in the first floor Conference Center, and will be much like a career fair in that students will rotate among tables of community organizations collecting information on volunteer opportunities. Reed said the fair will help students understand how their class work and Service Learning are connected.
"Students from all disciplines can explore various organizations that they may be interested in volunteering with, and get real world experience with topics they are discussing in the classroom," she said.
For instance, students studying family health might spend time at, or donate food to a soup kitchen, much as a Sociology class did this past November. Or, a class studying child psychology might put together a social event for children, like the Party in the Park hosted by the Children's Museum in October, which LA Delta psychology students participated in. Reed said the connection between real world issues and class work that Service Learning provides is mutually beneficial to students and organizations within the community; and the Service Learning fair will perpetuate that stance.
"This event will allow students the opportunity to interact and meet community organizations that are interested in providing Service Learning sites for Delta students," she said. "For community organizations, it will serve as a recruitment tool for future volunteers."
There will be about 20 organizations represented at the fair, including the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, Girl Scouts of Louisiana, Biedenharn Museum and Gardens, United Way of Northeast Louisiana, Ronald McDonald House, the Humane Society Adoptions Center, Louisiana Methodist Children's Home, and many more offering opportunities for students to volunteer and learn all at once.
For more information, contact Sara Reed at (318) 345-9227 or sreed@ladelta.edu, or Julie Salter, Career Advisor, at 345-9151 or jsalter@ladelta.edu
