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faculty should move away from the idea that teaching is transmission of
knowledge and move towards a mixed pedagogy that includes
learning through facilitation and guidance. Although it may be difficult
to move from a traditional teaching style to an active learning setting,
service-learning faculty find it rewarding to see their students grow. With
this pedagogy, faculty allow students to bring their own strengths and
ideas to enhance their own learning. Service-learning is considered a
counter-normative pedagogy, because it moves from the traditional
classroom instruction. By switching your role in the classroom, you can
create opportunities for dialogue and the creation of knowledge.
Principle 9: Be Prepared for Variation in Student Learning Outcomes
For faculty who value homogeneity in student learning outcomes, as well
as control of the learning environment, service-learning may not be a
good fit. In college courses, learning strategies largely determine student
outcomes, and this is true in service-learning courses, too. However, in
traditional courses, the learning strategies (i.e., lectures, labs, and
reading) are constant for all enrolled students. In service-learning
courses, given variability in service experiences and their influential role
in student learning, one can anticipate greater heterogeneity in student
learning outcomes. Even when service-learning students are exposed to
the same presentations and readings, instructors can expect that
classroom discussions will be less predictable and the content of student
papers/projects less homogeneous than in courses without a service
assignment. You should be prepared for greater heterogeneity in
student learning outcomes as part of your service-learning experience.
Principle 10: Maximize the Community Responsibility Orientation of
the Course
This principle is for those who think that civic learning can only spring
from the community service component of a course. One of the
necessary conditions of a service-learning course is purposeful civic
learning. Civic learning happens when we explore the connection
between academic knowledge and experiences that provide insight into