Five Best Practices for Shaping a Learning-Service Society

Abstract

Every service-learning project involves a dynamic field of work, where the actual results can seldom be predicted. There are certain elements, however, that must be maintained when planning and delivering service-learning projects, one element being society’s notion of service-learning. I have had many experiences which have helped me to identify at least five recurring topics. In this paper, these five topics are presented as best practices to take into consideration; no one is more important than another. The lack of one or more of the identified topics will hinder the quality of the projects. They should provoke questions and to serve as a focus of attention when facing any service-learning project.