Journal of Education & Social Policy Vol. 2, No. 3; September 2015 8 Unpacking John Dewey’s Connection to Service-Learning Titus O. Pacho Faculty of Education University of Hamburg Von-Melle-Park 8 20146 Hamburg Germany Abstract Service-learning is a pedagogy that integrates community service with academic study, reflection and analysis to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. Research on service- learning is on the increase throughout the globe since its emergence in the United States in the 1990s. However, the application of the pedagogy seems not to balance well its fundamental components of service, reflection and learning. Many students tend to care more about the service than about reflecting on it and viewing it as a learning experience. More needs to be done about the practice of service-learning while remaining faithful to Dewey’s original ideas of experiential learning, and reflective thought and action, which form the bedrock for service-learning. This article critically examines the logical connection of Dewey’s thoughts to service-learning with an aim of providing guidance to the pedagogy. Keywords: Experiential learning, service-learning, experience, reflection, learning, continuity, interaction 1. Introduction The theory of service-learning begins with the assumption that experience is the foundation for learning; and various forms of service activities are employed as the experiential basis for learning (Morton & Troppe, 1996:3). It reflects the belief that education must be linked to social responsibility and that learning must be meaningful and active (Kolb, 1984; Zentner, 2011). The theoretical and pedagogical roots of service-learning are founded on John Dewey’s (1859 – 1952) theory of experience and education, including his ideas of democracy as a way of life, where everybody has to participate in order to bring democratic values to life, the idea of learning from experience, and linking the school to the community (Dewey, 1916/2011:196). Giles & Eyler (1994) maintain that many scholars look to Dewey as an influential theorist in laying the foundation for service-learning. Although Dewey did not coin the phrase “service-learning,” he has historically been associated with the pedagogy and is often called the “father” of service-learning (Zentner 2011:10). Carver (2001) places service-learning on the experiential education continuum, where experience is comprised of sensory awareness, emotions, physical conditions and cognition. Carver names Dewey as an influential scholar in the field of experiential learning and directly links his theory to service-learning by explaining that, learning takes into consideration not only the curriculum of the course, but the learning acquired through the participation in activities. As a result, the student’s community-service experience is central, serving as both a process and an outcome. Dewey (1938) situates the principles of continuity and interaction as the starting point for his philosophy of experience and education, which have implications for service-learning as well. His principle of continuity implies that all experiences are carried forward and influence future experiences; every experience in one way or the other influences all potential future experiences. Alternatively, it could involve carrying on of a habit of action with readaptation to changing conditions necessary to keep it alive and growing (Dewey, 1916/2011:177). His principle of interaction, on the other hand, builds upon his concept of continuity and implies interaction between the learner and what is learned, and how past experience interacts with the present situation to create one’s present experience. Dewey (1938) explains that the fundamental purpose of education is to prepare students to function productively as adults in a democratic society that could afford equal opportunity for all, regardless of social class, race, or gender.