Reflection

For service to be really educational and transformative, the Reflection part of the PARE Model cannot be overlooked or understated .  When students engage in service, they are often exposed to new realities that they might not have seen before or really challenges everything they have learned.  Those challenging and eye-opening moments are so important, and students should really pay attention to them.  If those experiences aren’t talked about in a supportive community, then it is very easy for those thoughts and feelings to get lost among the mundane happenings of life.  We want our students to pay attention to how they feel and what they think about when they engage in service because it is in those moments that the learn more about themselves.  So how and when does that happen?  Well, often those reflection opportunities happen informally during and after a service experience.  But they can also be more formal gatherings with all of the volunteers at a particular site who are discussing a similar topic.  Reflection also happens in solitude and in prayer.  Different methods work better for different people, but above all else, it’s important for volunteers to devote SOME time to processing their service experiences.

During group reflections, the conversations are meant to be co-educational.  That means that everyone who participates is a learner but also an educator.  A facilitator helps guide the discussion but is no means dictates what everyone should be feeling and thinking.

Lastly, reflections can be an opportunity for volunteers to collectively think about next steps, answering the question, “now that we’ve had this powerful experience of service, how will we live our lives differently and what are our goals, both personally and communally?”  Some may make a commitment to take a course on the issue they learned about, others might commit to serving at the agency for another year, and some may even make lifestyle changes or consider a different path for their future career.  Whatever the decision, it’s important to consider that “now what?” question after a service experience.

Through reflection, we look to develop processes that allow the service participants to bend the metaphorical light of their experiences back onto their minds—to make careful considerations about what their experiences were all about.

• Reflection refers to those thinking processes responsible for converting service experiences into productive learning experiences.
• Reflection is defined as the use of creative and critical thinking skills to help prepare for, succeed in and learn from the service experience, and to examine the larger picture and context in which the service occurs.
• Reflection is pausing to review, ponder, contemplate, analyze or evaluate the experience or information to gain deeper understanding. Educational outcomes increase dramatically when teachers and students connect the service experience to broader, more comprehensive themes.
• Reflection is not limiting the focus to the affective issue of “How did you feel about the project?” It expands the focus to, “What does this say about myself, about our world and about my role in the world?”