Using the PARE model in service-learning
Abstract
Service-learning links community service with structured reflection to promote academic learning. The PARE model (preparation, action, reflection, and evaluation) is a simple way to plan community-responsive, effective, and successful service projects. This effective practice describes the four components of this service-learning model and offers a link to the University of Maryland's Faculty Handbook for Service-Learning (1999), from which these materials were excerpted with permission.Issue
Getting the most from service-learning requires preparation, action, reflection and evaluation.Action
Service-learning links community service with structured reflection to promote academic learning. At the University of Maryland, Community Service Programs use the PARE model to ensure a successful and meaningful service-learning experience. (PARE stands for preparation, action, reflection, and evaluation.) According to the University of Maryland's Faculty Handbook for Service-Learning (1999), effective practices in the areas of preparation, action, reflection, and evaluation include:
Preparation
It is important to prepare the group for each service experience to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for community members and student participants. Issues that arise during the preparation can set the tone for a service project and should be connected to issues discussed in reflection. Preparation should include information on the following:
1. Logistics -- including when and where the group will meet and how the group will get to the service site.
2. Information about the content of the project including training, service(s) performed, what will happen after project completion and where and how the reflection session will take place.
3. Information about broader issues relating to the project aids in understanding. This includes information about the population the group will be working with within the context of larger social issues such as racism, oppression and privilege.
4. Expectations and assumptions of the participants including what participants hope to gain from the project and any concerns going into the project.
Action
There are three primary ways groups can serve depending on the needs of the community. Performing service where community needs are greatest maximizes the effectiveness of service. Asking the agency is the simplest and most effective way to assess community needs.
1. Direct action involves providing service to individuals at the agency or site or in the community. An example of this type of service is tutoring children.
2. Non-direct service may be serving at the agency doing behind-the-scenes assistance, not directly with the individuals the agency serves. An example of this type of service is sorting food in a food distribution center.
3. Indirect service is performed by serving on behalf of an issue, population, or community, but removed from the actual site. An example of this type of service is raising money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Choosing the best agency or project for your group is a critical step in making your service a worthwhile and meaningful experience. Learning about the agency's goals, expectations, history, philosophy, staff, and previous volunteers can help in the selection of an agency that best matches the groups' interests, skills, and learning goals. Ask questions to help gather information when talking with the volunteer coordinator of each potential agency you might be interested in. Find out if other volunteers/student groups served the agency before. Inquire about the goals of the organization, as well as its duration, structure and funding. Finally, consider how the agency is viewed within the larger community. Gather enough information to make an informed decision about where you would like to do your service project.
Reflection
Reflection allows those participating in service to:
- Think critically about their experience.
- Understand the complexity of their service experience and put it in a larger context.
- Challenge, although not necessarily change, their own attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, privileges, prejudices, and stereotypes.
- Transform a single project into further involvement and/or broader issue awareness.
- Ask "Why?"
Evaluation
Evaluation of each community service experience is important in determining to what extent the goals and learning objectives of the project were met. Evaluation helps ensure the success of the next service project -- reinforcing design and implementation practices. Service projects should be evaluated from several perspectives.How successful was the project for:
- the agency?
- the people who use the agency's services?
- the participants?
- the group as a whole?
- What changes could be made to improve the overall success of the project?
- To what extent did the experience meet expectations?
- What might have made the experience better?
- What community needs did your service fulfill?
- What community needs were not addressed?
Context
The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university with 32,000 students. Curricular efforts toward engagement have become a strength at the University; in total, more than 1,500 University of Maryland students participate in service-learning courses annually. Faculty in many disciplines -- including botany, engineering, Afro-American studies, psychology, sociology, education, English, and family studies -- integrate community service into their courses. The University's goal is not to make every course a service-learning course but to offer every student at least one opportunity to engage in service-learning. Estimates indicate there are 40 service-learning courses on campus offered annually and about 50 faculty who currently implement some form of service-learning into their teaching or who have done so in the recent past.
(From "Establishing Benchmarks for the Engaged Campus: The University of Maryland Report," by Bill Hanna, Peggy Higgins, Warren Kelly, Barbara Jacoby, Jennifer Pigza, Marie Tropp, 1999.)
Outcome
Using PARE to design and implement service projects will help groups learn from serving in the community. Preparing for and reflecting on service helps break down stereotypes and places the service experience in a broader context. Evaluating the action ultimately helps to improve the service.Posted On
October 31, 2002For More Information