Service-learning+in+Europe+-+Source,+reality+and+challenges

**Service-learning in Europe: Source, reality and challenges**

Esther Luna, Ph.D., University of Barcelona, Spain eluna@ub.edu]



**Keywords:** Europe, international service-learning

**Track:** International impact and development

**Format:** Panel presentation

**Date & time: **Thursday 10:50-12:00

**Location:** Salon 2

**Summary:** The birth of the service-learning in Europe emerged in the Anglo Saxon area with "community education" which, like "service-learning" is considered an educational practice and is governed by the same principles and pedagogical basis (Bendit, 2007).

We could say that the concept of "community education" in Europe responds to a label where they hide different and interesting movements of educational and pedagogical reforms. There have been several studies in England in relation to the concepts and pedagogical contents of the "community education" (Lovett, 1980 and Lovett, Clarke & Kilmurray, 1983), and the work of schools following these objectives in Scotland (Nisbet, Hendry, Stewart & Watt, 1980), which has shown that they can distinguish six basic aspects or elements that give meaning to the definition of these schools as centers of "community education" or "service learning". We also find experiences of community education and service-learning in Primary Belfield Community School (Ireland) which shows that this approach, eventually, gives excellent results, both in relation to school performance and community engagement of students and in terms of integration of adults in the context in which they live. However, in Germany, which in the Anglo-Saxon is now called "community education" or "service learning" has a very different tradition. In this country, it is mainly articulated learning in informal education (Luna, 2010).

And now, what is happening with service-learning? How is it done? Why is this kind of practice important? What experiences/projects are there? What countries are doing service-learning is currently in Europe? It is our intention in this paper is to present an overview of the service-learning, pointing to the origin in Europe, how is the current situation, and outline some challenges that promote future lines of action.

**References:** Bendit, R. (2007). Escuela y servicio comunitario en Alemania y otros países europeos. En CLAYSS (Comp.). //Antología 1997-2007. Seminarios Internacionales “Aprendizaje y Servicio Solidario”// (pp. 195-218). Buenos Aires: CLAYSS.

Lovett, T. (1980). Adult education and action community. En L. Thompson (Ed.). //Adult education for a change// (pp. 153-173). London: Hutchinson.

Lovett, T., Clarke, C., & Kilmurray, A. (1983). //Adult education and community action. Adult education and popular social movements//. Beckenham: Croom Helm.

Luna, E. (2010). //Del Centro Educativo a la Comunidad: Un programa de aprendizaje-servicio para el desarrollo de ciudadanía activa.// Doctoral Thesis. Universitat de Barcelona.

Nisbet, J., Hendry, L., Stewart, C., & Watt, J. (1980). //Towards community education. An evaluation of community schools.// Aberdeen, Scotland: Abeerden University Press.

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