3.

SERVICE LEARNING

Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy integrating meaningful

community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience,
teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

Through service learning service objectives with learning objectives with the
goal that the activity changes both the recipient and the provider of the service. To
accomplish this changes service tasks and structured opportunities linking the task to
self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills,
and knowledge content.

This is a device widely applied by sociologists to encourage students to make

connections between classroom learning and the community, at large.

Service Learning is a non-paid activity, in which service is provided on voluntary basis

to the public (the have-nots in the community), non-profitable institutions, and
charitable institutions. It is the service during learning.

The service learning is a methodology falling under the category of experiential

education. It is a form of experiential learning and community service opportunities.
The distinguishing features of service learning are:

1. Connection to curriculum. Integrating the learning into a service project is

crucial to successful service learning. Academic ties must be clear and built upon
existing disciplinary skills.

2. Learner’s voice. Beyond being actively engaged in the project, trainees have the
opportunity to select, design, implement, and evaluate their service activity.

3. Reflection. Structured opportunities are created to think, talk, and write about
the service experience. The balance of reflection and action allows the trainee to be
constantly aware of the impact of their work.

4. Partners in the community. Partnership with community agencies are used to

identify genuine needs, provide mentorship, and contribute input such as labor and
expertise towards completing the project.

Importance of Service Learning

For Students:

• Promote learning through active participation in service experiences

• Provide structured time for students to reflect by thinking, discussing, and writing
about their service experience

• Provide an opportunity for students to use skills and knowledge in real-life situations

• Extend learning beyond the classroom and into the community, and

• Foster a sense of caring for others

For Both Education and Communities:

• Build effective collaborative partnerships between schools or colleges and other

installations and organizations

• Engage parents and other adults in supporting student learning

• Meet community needs through the service projects conducted

• Provide engaging and productive opportunities for young people to work with others
in their community

Service Learning vs. Volunteerism

Volunteer activities without learning component are equally important as service

learning, but that the two approaches are fundamentally different activities with
different objectives. Both are valued components of a national effort to increase citizen
involvement in community service, and at every age.

4. VIRTUES

Virtues are positive and preferred values. Virtues are desirable attitudes or
character traits, motives and emotions that enable us to be successful and to act in
ways that develop our highest potential. They energize and enable us to pursue the
ideals that we have adopted. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity,
integrity, fairness, transparency, self-control, and prudence are all examples of
virtues.4.1. CIVIC VIRTUES

Civic virtues are the moral duties and rights, as a citizen of the village or the
country or an integral part of the society and environment. An individual may exhibit
civic virtues by voting, volunteering, and organizing welfare groups and meetings.

Civic virtues is morality or a standard of righteous behavior in relationship to a

citizen’s involvement in society. An individual may exhibit civic virtue by voting,
volunteering, organizing a book group, or attending a public-oriented meeting.

Definition of Terms

Civic refers to’ “of, relating to, or belonging to a city, action, or citizenship,
municipal or civic society”.

Responsibility means the state or quality of being responsible or something for

which one is reasonable such as a duty, obligation or burden.

A citizen is a person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to

the protection of a state or union.

Citizenship means a productive, responsible, caring, and contributing members

of society.

Civic virtue or civic responsibility is comprised of actions and attitudes

associated with democratic governance and social participation. Civic responsibility
may include participation in government, church, volunteers and memberships of
voluntary associations. Actions of civic responsibility can be displayed in advocacy for
various causes, such as political, economic, civil, environmental or quality of life issues.

Duties of a Citizen

1. Pay taxes to the local and national government, in time

2. Keep the surroundings clean and green

3. Not to pollute the water, land, and air by following hygiene and proper garbage
disposal are some of the civic (duties) virtues

4. Follow the road safety rules

Rights of a Citizen

1. Vote the local or national government

2. Contest in the elections to the local or national government

3. Seek a public welfare facility such as a school, hospital or a community hall or

transport or communication facility, for the residents

4. Establish a green and safe environment, pollution-free, corruption-free, and to

follow ethical principles. People are said to have the right to breathe in fresh air, by
not allowing smoking in public

5. People have inalienable right to accept or reject a reject a project in their area. One
has the right to seek legal remedy, in this respect, through public interest petition.

According to George Washington, civic virtues are indispensable for a self-

governing administration.

Importance of Civic Virtues

Civic virtue helps people understand their ties to the community and their
responsibilities within it. So to say, an educated citizen possessing civic virtue is a
public good.

Through engagement in civic responsibility, citizens ensure and uphold

democratic values written in the Philippine Constitution’s Bill Of Rights.The values
included are justice, freedom, equality, diversity, authority, privacy, due process,
property, participation, truth, patriotism, human rights, rule of law, tolerance, mutual
assistance, self-restraint, and self-respect.

Civic Virtues

4.1.1. Open-hearted conviction

4.1.2. Sincerity

4.1.3. Patience

4.1.4. Persuasion

4.15. Fortitude

4.1.6. Compromise

4.17. Moral Courage

Categories of Civic Virtues

1. Civic Knowledge

Citizens must understand what the constitution says about how the government
is operating, and what it is supposed to do and what not to do. One must understand
the basis of ones responsibilities as citizen besides duties and rights. It is also
important to recognize when the government or another citizen infringes upon ones
rights. This will imply that the government requires the participation of the enlightened
citizens, to serve and survive.

2. Self-Restraint

 For citizens to live in a free society with limited government each citizen must be
able to control or restrain himself; otherwise, we would need a police state- - that is, a
dictatorial government to maintain safety and order. He advocated for morality and
declared that happiness is achieved and sustained through virtues and morals. He
advocated and demonstrated self-restraint several times in his private and public life,
and naturally he was a great leader.

3. Self-Assertion

Self-assertion means that citizens must be proud of their rights, and have the
courage to stand up in public and defend their rights. Sometimes, a government may
usurp the very rights that it was created to protect. In such cases, it is the right of the
people to alter or abolish that government e.g., voting rights, rights call back).

4. Self-Reliance

Citizens who cannot provide for themselves will need a large government to
take care of them. Once citizens become dependent on government for their basic
needs, the people are no longer in a position to demand the government act within the
confines of the Constitution. Self-reliant citizens are free citizens in the sense that they
are not dependent

5. RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Respect is fundamental as well as essential in everyone’s life. Each one as a

child are taught to respect parents, teachers, and elders, school rules and traffic laws,
family and cultural traditions, other people’s feelings and rights, a country’s flag and
leaders, the truth and people’s differing opinions.

People tend to develop great respect for people we consider exemplary and
lose respect for those to discover to be clay-footed; and so one may try to respect only
those are truly worthy of respect.Causality (Reasons) In Respect for Others

5.1. Respect and accept the existence of other persons as human beings, because
they have a right to live, just as others have.

5.2. Respect others’ ideas (decisions), words, and labor (actions). One need not accept
or approve or award them, but shall listen to them first. One can correct or warn, if they
commit mistakes. Appreciate colleagues and subordinates on their positive actions.
Criticize constructively and encourage to change to improve their performance, by
learning properly and by putting more efforts.

5.3. Show ‘goodwill’ on others. Love others. Allow others to grow. Basically, the
goodwill reflects on the originator and multiplies itself on everybody. This will facilitate
collinearity, focus, coherence, and strength to achieve the goals.

6. LIVING PEACEFULLY

PEACE may also mean as a passives state of mind, however, peace has its own
strength and power. It has a great influence on mind, brainpower, and the same with
the environment. Peaceful mind works efficiently but agitated mind does not. Good
ideas is shaped and brings good results in a peaceful mind.

In order to achieve peace it will need rational thinking and adhering to strict
moral values. The mind should be controlled and directed towards constructive
thinking, ideas, and working. The study of good books, lives of great men, self-respect,
attitude of responsibility will be of great value to promote peaceful living.

Simply put, peace should be a person’s way of life. High premium is set in
teaching the essence of peaceful living.