What is service learning and how is it important?
We all must be inclined to serve the community we come from as a way to say thank you. Service-learning is a great opportunity to do so as well as grow into a better human being. Let us look at what comes under service-learning Singapore.
What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a way to introduce students to community service and compassion. This is done to strengthen community relations as well as induce a sense of responsibility in the children. This curriculum has a positive effect on the child’s mental health as well benefits the community. Service learning Singapore is usually a collaboration between the community, its people, and the teaching institutions such as schools and colleges. Because of this, the children learn real-life problems in class while seeing them for real among the community people.
Various programs included in service-learning
There are different options available for teaching the children about community problems and developing compassion among them from a young age. Some of them may be more suitable, depending on the situation, than the others.
A few methods are:
- Direct learning: This method involves face-to-face learning. The children are introduced to situations and taught how to act and respond. Some examples may include interaction with people in old-age homes, in shelters, etc. This also includes a child tutoring others, preparing food and distributing it among the less fortunate, and many such acts of selflessness.
- Indirect methods: In this, the children discuss and maybe come up with solutions on how to deal with real-life issues and problems in a community that occurs on a broader scale. Examples include children participating and discussing how to keep the streets cleaner, how to save electricity, increase greenery, pick up trash, etc.
- Research-based: This method focuses on researching various topics. The children research, find out more information and present it to others. These may include tasks such as converting and translating important documents and laws into their local language, researching and checking the water in their community for pollutants and the level of additives, etc.
- Advocacy: This method deals with teaching children how to stand up for themselves and what they feel is right for them and the people of their community. They are taught how to raise issues and concerns and present problems along with probable solutions to the people of the community.
Service-learning is a great way for children and young adults, who are the pillars of our future, to understand what people in the real world go through, how to help them with compassion, how to do good for the community, and overall raise a strong, independent, helpful and selfless human being.
