REFLECTION TOOL

One of the most critical elements of learning from service is reflection.  This is true because the act of reviewing your experiences in light of their outcomes allows the learning to become real and thus, to be transferable to other situations.

1. During your service learning experience, keep a journal document (online, if possible).  Include entries about all aspects of your service learning experience as they occur to you.  For example:
   
   • What was it like to go to the site for the first time?
   • What did you do to get started?
   • Who helped you and how?
   • What happened that was important to you and to the recipients of your service learning?
   • Were there any problems that you encountered?  How did you resolve them?
   • What was the most fun?  What was most difficult?
   • What skills and knowledge helped you most?
   • How did things go each day of your experience?
     
2. This survey works most efficiently if you and your teacher/leader and site supervisor maintain ongoing email contacts during your service learning experience.  Cut and paste from your email entries into your final journal document.
   
3. Upon completion of your service learning experience, collect the entries from your online journal and transfer them into the appropriate sections of this survey.  REMOVE PEOPLE'S NAMES AND OTHER PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION FROM YOUR ENTRIES, but otherwise you can cut and paste sections directly from your journal into this survey.
   
4. Have your supervisor and teacher/leader review your survey and then SAVE A COPY FOR YOURSELF before submitting the survey.  You will not be able to change it once you have pushed the submit button.

What happens to the survey information once it is submitted? 

The information you submit in your survey will be added to a research data base being developed by Washington State University. No names will be released as part of the research.  The data will be aggregated into reports with no personal identifiable information included.

If you have questions about this survey, or wish to receive reports from the service learning database, please contact us at:

Sue Lerner
4-H Youth Development Faculty
WSU Extension King County
Office:  (206)205-3209;  fax (206)296-0952
Email

The following surveys will help evaluate your Service Learning experience:

Community Partner Survey

Student Survey

Teacher/Group Leader Survey