Book Review
Where’s the Learning in Service-Learning?
Written by Janet Eyler and Dwight Giles, Jr.
Published in 1999, this book has become a standard text on all recommended reading lists on the topic of community service-learning. Eyler and Giles very effectively make the case for the deep learning that comes through carefully designed and intentionally reflected upon service experiences. Not only is community service-learning of benefit to our community organizations, this text clearly states the significant benefits to students and the educators who guide them, connecting their experiences serving others to the academic content of their classrooms.
The authors use quantitative and qualitative research evidence collected through surveys of more than 1500 students together with a number of personal interviews from both before and after community service-learning experiences. This information assists to address the potential of service-learning to enhance the learning process. The authors make a very strong case for connecting cognitive learning to service experiences, making this text an especially valuable resource in recruiting and/or affirming the participation of individual faculty members or academic departments in a CSL program.
Comments
"It is hard to overstate the importance of this book to the field. The research presented here should contribute significantly to those responsible for improving program effectiveness or advocating for this kind of pedagogy. The careful research and thoughtful commentary provide a wealth of insights about service-learning and how best to do it." —Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
"By carefully deconstructing the concept of learning, Janet Eyler and Dwight Giles show us where, when, and how learning takes place in service-learning. A groundbreaking book that unearths what all service-learning researchers and practitioners need to know." —Andrew Furco, director, Service-Learning Research and Development Center, University of California at Berkeley