Where am I?
Reflection Ideas
Reflection Ideas for Hunger
Reflection is an essential element of service-learning activities. If students are to learn from their service experience, they need to think about themselves, others, service, societal issues, citizenship and the events that take place as they try to make a difference. Reflection activities should be clearly tied to goals and objectives for student learning. Using a variety of reflection methods before, during and after the actual service experience will help students reach their goals.
REFLECTION ACTIVITIES
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Discussion - in pairs, small groups, or whole class format
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Writing - journals, poems, creative writing, essays, letters to the editor
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Arts - visual arts, music, theatre, dance, photos, slide show, video
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Presentations - for the school, the general public, a community agency; at a conference or service-learning orientation
QUESTIONS ON POVERTY
Before the service project
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Discuss stereotypes by asking the students what they know (or think they know) about homeless/poor people.
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Have you ever met a homeless person or someone you thought was homeless?
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How do you think homeless people feel about themselves? Why do you think they feel that way?
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How do you think someone becomes poor or homeless?
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What would you like to ask a homeless person? What should you not ask a homeless person? (Discuss the issue of respecting the people's privacy.)
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Do you need special skills to work in a soup kitchen?
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What would you like to share with homeless people?
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What could you not share with homeless people? (Stress the importance of privacy.)
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What could you offer if you worked at a soup kitchen or shelter?
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Are homeless and poor people "citizens" of the community? Why or why not?
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What do you expect to learn from this project?
During the service project
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How's the project going?
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What went well? What has happened that you did not expect?
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How have you tried to solve problems that have come up? What skills did you use? what else can you do?
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What part of this service project do you find most interesting?
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What have you learned about homeless/poor peoples' values, dreams and beliefs?
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How are you like the people with whom you are working? How are you different?
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Are your ideas about homeless/poor people changing? How?
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What have you noticed about homeless/poor people that you did not expect?
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How are you feeling about working with homeless/poor people?
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Is your project making a difference for homeless/poor people? How?
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What could you do if you worked at the shelter and you ran out of food during an evening meal or lunch?
At the end of the service project
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Compare your initial impressions of homeless/poor people with the impressions you had after you saw or met a homeless/poor person. How are your impressions different? How are stereotypes you held at first promoted in society (television, books, stories people tell, seeing people on the street)?
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How can you challenge these stereotypes? In what ways could you discourage others from having these stereotypes?
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How were the homeless/poor people you met similar as a group?
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How were they different as individuals?
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After meeting homeless/poor people, how do you think the people felt about themselves? Why?
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What kind of survival skills have homeless/poor people had to develop in order to survive?
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What are some of the reasons people become poor or homeless?
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Do you feel your project has made a difference?
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Were your expectations met?
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What did you learn from working on this project?
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In what ways could you continue helping homeless/poor people?
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What would happen in our democracy if everyone helped homeless/poor people? What would happen in no one helped?
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What is a good citizen? Is participating in service-learning an essential aspect of being a good citizen? Why or why not?