By C M Paul
New Education Policy 2020 speaks of the importance of community interventions by students and faculty members while pursuing higher education. Being a new concept, implementing Service Learning as a Pedagogy for 21st Century Skills becomes a challenge.
It is precisely for this reason, the new book “Community Service Learning for Life Skills and Competencies: A Handbook for Teachers” by authors Nirmala Arul and A Radhakrishnan Nair becomes handy.
The handbook for teachers explains the importance of experiential learning and the difference that exists between Community Service and Community Service Learning.
The purpose of the study, as stated by authors, was to explore a significant method for imparting these essential skills and competencies through a structured service-learning intervention program.
The handbook further provides basic guidelines for administrators of educational institutions and teachers, on how to integrate community service learning into the school curriculum.
The philosophical and theoretical underpinning of this book provides a good groundwork for service learning in the Indian context and the historical background takes one to the origin and tradition of service learning in India and around the world.
Giving details of empirical research, authors have detailed description of the process. For example, two hours and four hours, (including preparation time and reflection), of community service-learning activities were conducted with 9th grade students based on their syllabus.
In another instance, a module was prepared for 120 hours that included preparation, activities, reflection and evaluation.
These activities were based on 5 broad areas of concern of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 such as Quality Education, Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Environment and Skill Development.
The book offers prepared modules which are simple, easy and can be used as a toolkit for teachers to develop Service Learning activities.
A test was conducted using a standardized life skills assessment scale to measure the quantum of life skills in students, before and after the community service learning intervention. It was found that there was a marked positive impact on the children’s attitude to life skills after the intervention.
Another test was conducted after 6 months using the same scale and it was found that the life skills of the children were stable, therefore validating that the structured community service-learning programme had made a noticeable and an appreciable, impact on life skills’ development among school children, their civic values and responsibilities and enhanced their academic skills.
The community service-learning framework consists of six features such as orientation, investigation / identification, planning and preparation, action, reflection, and evaluation. This will enable and encourage them to think creatively as well as critically.
Service-Learning bridges the gap between the community and the students and inspires them to Serve to Learn and Learn to Serve. It’s a life-changing experience for students that will enable them to be responsible citizens with open Minds, open Hearts and an open Will. The integration of Service Learning in the curriculum, will help them visualize a society that is based on the tenets of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The World is One family).
Awareness programmes and training of educational administrators, teachers, parents and students are a serious concern and would need to be addressed if the objectives of Service Learning are to be met.
Along with the Service-Learning Coordinator, every stake holder of the education system is motivated to engage the students gainfully so that they are willing to Serve, to Reflect and to Learn.
And as Pope Francis says in Laudato Si 13, “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together … for we know that things can change”.