Service Learning

Throughout this semester, I was given the opportunity to participate in multiple different service learning activities through my first year seminar class, Science and the Public.

Rock Garden

When I helped out at the rock garden, I got to help kid find and identify different kinds of rocks around the garden, as well as helping them break pieces of rock. I had to make sure that they were safe when they did so, giving them protective glasses and helmets. All of the kids seemed to learn a good deal from this experience as well as the other activities they participated in that day with other helpers. I learned that the kids learned very well from this kind of hands-on activity, and they were very receptive to myself and all of the other friendly volunteers that helped out that day.

Locked Boxes

We did this activity a number of times, first with the students in our class and then with elementary school students. In this particular picture, we went to the Watauga Public Library to help kids figure out how to unlock the boxes. In order to unlock the boxes, the kids had to solve many scientific puzzles in order to get each lock off. In all honesty, the kids figured it out just as quickly as we did when we first tried it. It was really incredible to see how quickly these kids were able to learn and solve these puzzles. I have never been the greatest when it comes to dealing with kids this age, but I eventually got the hang of it and we had a great time with it, with the kids learning along the way.

Conclusion

I think that I would like to do some service learning in the area of psychology, such as visiting a prison or a psych ward and seeing the different disorders that the people have and doing things iwth them to help them get better. 

This class was always about how scientists can communicate scientific findings effectively with the community. Firstly, we live in the era of social media, and scientists must utilize the social media platforms that are in place today. Secondly, they need to be given the attention they deserve for their findings, because one day they will be very important, especially when it comes to topics such as global warming, which could harshly impact our way of life. Although scientists cannot do anything about this last reason, it is just as important. People need to be more receptive to learning new things about the world in which they live so that we can preserve it for the future generations.