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Opening Up Service-learning Reflection By Turning Inward: Developing Mindful Learners Through Contemplation
Problematizing Service-Learning: Critical Reflections for Development and Action
Format: Journal Article
Publication Date: Nov 30, 2009
Pages: 37 - 67
Sources ID: 82341
Visibility: Public (group default)
Abstract: (Show)
This chapter begins with a brief summary of the purpose of reflection in service-learning, as well as the most common mediums of reflection as delineated through a review of the field's most recommended guides/resources. Then, I link the overuse of certain reflection practices with mindlessness and learner automatization, which can be countered through contemplative practices that support the development of mindfulness. Contemplation, its absence from Western education, and its link to service-learning through spirituality are discussed. A critique of Kolb's model vis-à-vis mindfulness precedes a call for "opening up" of service-learning epistemology and thus the types of reflection used. A new "Bicycle Wheel Model" to conceptualize the more existential learner-centered approach concludes the chapter.