Service Learning in higher education: reflective processes for transformation in the training of pedagogues
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Abstract
This paper presents a Service Learning project developed for students in the Master’s Degree Programme in Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Palermo, in collaboration with the university’s TLC, and examines its educational impact through the analysis of reflective writings by 84 future pedagogues. Integrating theory and practice, Service Learning engages students in community service while fostering learning and democratic citizenship. Grounded in the idea that professional development in Education is a gradual process involving skills transformation and professional identity, the project hypothesised that a Service Learning experience supported by systematic reflection tools adapted from Ash and Clayton’s DEAL model could enhance students’ understanding of their professional profiles. The findings highlight Service Learning’s potential to support the construction of professional identity and to strengthen awareness of the pedagogist’s socio-political and transformative role.
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