Service Learning Reflection

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed service learning. It was surprising for me, because I initially expected that I would not like the experience. Being a shy introvert (and kind of socially awkward), I find it hard to connect with new people. I tend to become really nervous whenever I need to interact with strangers. That’s why the idea of talking in front of a class (composed of students I don’t know personally) was really overwhelming for me. The day before the first session, I was really scared and worried. I felt that I was still not prepared despite reading the modules repeatedly. I was like, “What if I stutter and forget what I need to say?” “What if they make fun of me?” But during the first session, the odds were in my favor when Benny joined our group. We divided the class into four small groups, and thankfully since there were five of us I got paired with Fret. Having a partner really helped me because I

This was just like the activity that we had in class, wherein we were the ones who taught our groupmates. We acted as the more competent individuals as we participated in the adult activity which is teaching a class. According to the book (Ormrod), this is because the “teachers” also benefit from teaching the “students”. We tend to internalize the things we need to teach, and elaborate on it to be able to become more efficient “teachers”. Through this, I was able to develop a greater understanding of the topics we discussed in class compared to before engaging in service learning. I also learned a lot from the activities! They somehow evoked my awareness about the way that I learn. Especially the one about SMART goals. I tend to self-handicap myself and set unattainably high goals, and when I did not accomplish them I would blame it on myself and lose motivation to do stuff. At least now, I have an idea on how to set better