Using the Service-Learning approach to bridge the gap between theory and practice in teacher education

• Published in: International journal of inclusive education Vol. 27; no. 10; pp. 1118 - 1132
• Main Authors: Resch, K., Schrittesser, I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 24.08.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Accommodations (Disabilities); Citizen participation; Community Needs; Cooperation; Course Content; Diversity; Educational Benefits; Foreign Countries; Inclusion; Inclusive education; Interviews; Learner Engagement; Learning; Preservice Teacher Education; Schools; Service Learning; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Education; teacher educator attitudes; Teacher Educators; Teachers; Teaching; Theory; Theory Practice Relationship; World problems; Germany
• ISSN: 1360-3116; 1464-5173
• DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2021.1882053

Service-Learning stands out as a teaching approach that connects theory and practice by giving students the opportunity both to participate in a service that meets community needs and to reflect on the experience in class in order to gain a deeper understanding of the course content and an enhanced sense of civic engagement. The advantages of Service-Learning for inclusive education have recently been underpinned by studies, in which pre-service teachers are exposed to diverse population groups in schools or communities. Our study explores how Service-Learning is applied in teacher education in Austria. It is based on a series of semi-structured interviews with 13 teacher educators who apply this form of teaching in cooperative projects with schools. Our findings suggest that teacher educators distinguish between five orientations in Service-Learning (connecting theory and practice, engagement, community needs, job-related skills, learning outside the classroom), take on distinct expert and support roles, and see multiple benefits in Service-Learning. Our study underlines the importance of Service-Learning for inclusive education and the value of preparing pre-service teachers for dealing with diverse groups of pupils by allowing them to experience the real-world problems that confront schools.