Sandles, D. (2017, November 22). The Service Learning–Empathy Connection.

Early in my education career, I was entranced with the idea of establishing and developing my students’ “soft skills”. In particular, I wanted to develop their sense of empathy, self-respect, and respect for their surrounding environment. When I first came across the idea of service learning, I was buoyed when I heard it could help me achieve my stated goals, yet I was reticent to embrace what at the time was seen as a newfangled, crazy teaching technique. Upon trying it and earnestly immersing myself in the underpinning research, I learned of the myriad social-emotional and academic benefits of the practice and became an instant convert.