WHAT IS SERVICE LEARNING?

Service-learning is a course-based, credit bearing educational experience in which

students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community
needs, and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding,
broader appreciation, and enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility.
It is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with
instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility,
and strengthen communities. It deepens community involvement of students and
faculty. Thus, inspiring YOU to become more service-driven and socially committed
citizens. SERVICE LEARNING IS HOLISTIC LEARNING

The following are important steps to consider in the conduct of Service-Learning:

1. Instructor conducts classroom sessions wherein students are equipped with necessary
knowledge about the course content and skills needed in fulfilling their community tasks.
It is also during their classroom sessions that the students learn the basic concepts and
principles of Service-Learning. Also, this is where the discussion and introduction of
community and partner organization happens.
2. Students together with their instructors, conduct an initial community visit to see and
experience the community's situation. During the visit, students meet the members of
community and/or partner organization who will serve as their project partner during their
Service-Learning activity. From here, students may continue succeeding visits in the
community.
3. The instructor facilitates a processing activity with his/her class on the things they have
seen and experienced in the community.
4. Utilizing their observations and the community's expressed needs as primary basis, the
class, in consultation with the community/organization leaders. will then identify project
activities. The class will then be asked to write a Service-Learning plan proposal which
will be approved by the community/organization leaders before implementation.
5. In close partnership with the community/organization leaders, the students execute their
plan proposals which involve actual project implementation activities. Project outputs
shall also be presented to the community members.
6. Upon completion of all community projects, these will be turned over to the
community/partner organization.
7. Instructor then gives grades to his/her student's overall performance and academic
learning.
 WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SERVICE-LEARNING?
There are various types of Service-Learning activities where instructors can choose
from. It may depend on the course requirement, student's skills and/or interest. The
following types of Service-Learning activities may be helpful in making the decision:
1. Direct Service-Learning - it is a person-to-person, face-to-face project in which service
impacts individuals who receive direct help from students (tutoring, interaction with
elderly, arts and crafts with children, peer mediation, training and seminar, etc.).
2. Indirect Service-Learning - projects that benefit the community as opposed to specific
individuals (i.e., coastal clean-up, improvement of school building, resource mobilization,
food and clothing drives).
3. Advocacy Service-Learning - projects that involve working, acting, speaking, writing,
teaching, presenting, informing, etc., these projects encourage action or create
awareness on issues of public interest (i.e., promoting reading, peace, care for the
environment, local history, violence and drug prevention, disaster preparedness).
4. Research Service-Learning - projects that does surveys, studies, evaluations,
experiments, data gathering, interviewing, impact assessment, tracer study, etc., those
projects find, compile, and report information on topics in the public interest (i.e.,
renewable energy, community profiling, water testing, flora and fauna studies, surveys).
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Social Responsibility
• It is an ethical framework that suggests that any entity, whether individual or organizational,
must manage its essential resources so that they may benefit the welfare and interests of
the society in which it operates.
• It is a framework that is mostly associated with corporate entities, namely businesses and
industries; it defines not just how companies earn their money, but also on how they spend
it.
• It follows the basic tenet that anyone with the ability to affect change must have an
imperative to use it.
• It has many methods in which it can be undertaken, including but not limited to the following:
o Energy conservation (i.e., renewable energy, recycling) o
Volunteering
o Empowerment of other socially responsible entities

Volunteerism
• It is the principle that a person can become a volunteer.
• It involves someone who does a task, job, or service freely without asking for anything in
return. • Most of these tasks usually have a goal that contributes to the welfare of the native
community.

Social Mobilization
• The long-term goal of social mobilization is to create community will and commitment.
• With the context of a project, it helps generate immediacy and a call for action from the
community level around a policy-related advocacy objective.
• It also helps create an impetus and a call for action around a developmental goal.

As an undertaking, it contains certain features:

o It is a broad-scale movement. It engages and mobilizes a large number of people in
action to achieve development goals.
o It is a planned process. It seeks to facilitate change and development.
o It entails accountability. It takes into account the felt needs of the people, embraces
the critical principle of community involvement, and seeks to empower individuals to
action.
o It includes problem recognition. It begins with a conscious recognition of problems
then seeks the probable solutions to these problems.
o It is problem-solving advocacy. It involves building consensus between those
affected and those who have the solution to the problems to arrive at a decision,
including the allocation of adequate resources.
o It includes decision-making. It includes initiations, discussion, and deciding political
will, action, and resource commitment.
o It fosters acceptance or commitment. It generates acceptance of new ideas,
attitudes, and technologies.
o It avails of all communication resources. It uses all available and potential
communication resources for effective networking and active mobilization of
information.
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o It is a network for institutional sustainability. It sustains awareness, cooperation,

commitment, and action to achieve the common goal leading to the attainment of the
community’s vision, mission, and goal for the development of self-sufficiency.

It also contains important elements that allow it to achieve its set objectives:
o Advocacies – They identify the prospective actors involved in initiating, planning, and
implementing a community program or service delivery.

o Information Dissemination, Education, and Communication – They allow the

introduction of important facts about the project or program; they may come in many
forms, such as brochures, infographics, videos, commercials, etc.

Social mobilization involves certain processes:

o Community Organization is the building of a network of like-minded people
(coalitions, individuals, organizations, community) that have the same advocacy.
o Capacity Building is the process of enabling people to do something significant for
themselves that the rest of the community can sustain.

Undertaking any form of social mobilization can allow people to reap the benefits, such as the
following:
o Poverty Alleviation – Social mobilization is an important tool in the poverty
alleviation process. It enables communities to help themselves engage in activities
that will solve their problems and track poverty in its multi-dimensional form.
o Promoting Democratic Governance – Poverty and bad governance mutually
reinforce each other. Social mobilization must be institutionalized within the
government to encourage community participation in decision-making, to build
capacity for participatory planning, to form a common vision of development, and to
ensure transparency.
o Conflict Prevention – Social mobilization helps organize people to address common
problems and to collectively improve the socioeconomic conditions in an equitable,
democratic and transparent manner. The possibility of conflict can be significantly
reduced.
o Sustainable Environment – Social mobilization organizes people to manage their
natural resources better, fight illegal practices, and establish organizations that
promote sustainable environmental management programs through appropriate legal,
regulatory, and institutional frameworks and policy dialogue.

References:
BusinessDictionary. (n.d). Social responsibility. Retrieved on September 27,
2018, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-responsibility.html.
The Borgen Project (n.d). What is the definition of social responsibility? Retrieved on September 27, 2018,
from https://borgenproject.org/definition-social-responsibility/
Office 365 Training Center. (2018). In Microsoft Office. Retrieved from https://support.office.com/en-us/office-
trainingcenter
Volunteering options. (2008). What is development? Retrieved on September
27, 2018, from
http://www.volunteeringoptions.org/VolunteeringDevelopment/WhatisDevelopment/tabid/
78/Def ault.aspx
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UNICEF. Communication for development: Social mobilization. Retrieved on September 27, 2018, from
http://www.unicef.org/cbsc/index_42347.htm

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Group Dynamics
• It is a social process by which people interact and behave in a group environment.
• It involves the influence of personality, power, and behavior on the group’s processes.
• It segregates groups into two (2) types:
o Formal groups are structured to pursue specific tasks. They are usually created to
address persisting and long-term objectives in the group environment. They are
characterized by member appointment, as well as delegated authority and responsibility.
o Informal groups are groups that emerge naturally in response to organizational or
member interests. Interests may include anything from basic groups that handle a
particular situation or circumstance to groups that come together to improve social and
member relationships.

Formation of groups, specifically formal groups, must be carefully deliberated on to address

advantages and disadvantages:

o Group size – Small groups may be overwhelmed by the workload, while large groups
are prone to conflict due to differing viewpoints, among other possible problems. Groups
must be as small as possible without compromising workload/s.
o Group skills and performance – Groups must be created with considerations to time,
resources, and relations to other groups. Members must be segregated according to their
skills, relationships, and performance to ensure that objectives are not compromised by
time, consume too many resources, or create unnecessary rivalries or conflicts.
o Group diversity – Groups must be balanced according to tasks or objectives. For
example, while male-only groups accomplish tasks faster, they may not be diverse
enough to meet most or all of an organization’s needs; on the other hand, diverse groups
may meet organization requirements, but diversity may hamper the group’s overall
performance.

Right after formation, any issue that may arise within groups and their members can be
addressed via the various stages of group development:

o Forming – Occurs right after member assignment in a group, members are preoccupied
with familiarizing themselves with the task and to other members of the group
o Storming – Also called the counter-dependent stage, it is the most critical stage in
group development, as is this the so-called “make-or-break” phase that determines
whether the group will be effective or not. At this stage, the group encounters conflict as
members confront and criticize each other and the approach the group is taking to their
task. Issues that arise include the identification of roles and responsibilities, operational
rules and procedures, and the individual need for recognition of his or her skills and
abilities.
o Norming – This stage is the part where members start to resolve issues creating conflict
and begin to develop social agreements and compromises. Members begin to recognize
their interdependence, develop group cohesion, and agree on what is normal that will
help them function effectively within the group.
o Performing – This stage demonstrates that the group has sorted out its social structure
and understands its goals and individual roles to be able to move forward in its task/s.
Mutual assistance and creativity become prominent themes at this stage.
o Adjourning – Occurring during the completion or continued success in fulfilling its task/s,
the group will resort to some form of event that includes rites and rituals. These may

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include socials and parties, or ceremonies that exhibit emotional support or celebration of
their success.

In order to determine the effectiveness and productivity of groups, their group functions must
be identified. These functions are categorized into three (3) groups:

o Task functions embody the primary reason as to why the group is formed. The function
is usually accomplished by the fulfillment of some of all the following roles:
 Initiating – The proposing of tasks/goals, the definition of problems, and suggestion
of procedures that lead to a solution.
 Information-seeking – Involves requesting of facts, seek relevant information, and
asking for suggestions and ideas.
 Information-giving – Involves offering facts, providing information, stating opinions,
and giving suggestion and ideas.
 Clarification – Involves the interpretation of input, an indication of possible
alternatives to any issues, and giving examples.
 Closure – Involves summarization and conclusions.
 Consensus testing – Involves checking for agreements and trials to determine the
group’s inclinations to specific topics or problems.

o Maintenance behavior addresses the need of the group for social and emotional
support to be consistently effective. It mainly consists of the following activities:
 Encouraging – Accomplished by showing regard for other members and providing a
positive response to their contributions.
 Consensus creation – Accomplished by expressing group feelings, sensing moods
and relationships, and sharing feelings.
 Harmonizing – Accomplished by reconciling differences and reducing group tension.
 Compromising – Accomplished by reaching agreements to de-escalate conflict via
devised alternatives.
 Gatekeeping – Accomplished by attempts to keep communications flowing,
facilitating the participation of others, and suggesting procedures for sharing
discussion.
 Standard setting – Accomplished by reminding the group of norms, rules, and roles.

o Self-interest behavior is a negative function displayed by individuals in the group that

may undermine the group’s success and therefore must be addressed:
 Domination – The display of disrespect for others, such as cutting members off, not
listening to their opinions, or restating their information in a different meaning or
context.
 Blocking – The act of stifling a line of thought and steering a topic away from the
intended point of view or back to his/her interest.
 Manipulation – The act of providing self-serving information designed to achieve a
decision consistent to their station.
 Belittling – The general disregard of value for other members of the group, usually
through put-downs, sneering or making jokes at the other members’ expense.
 Splitting hairs – The nitpicking or searching of incriminating but insignificant details
that delay a solution, undermine a fellow member’s statement or compromise the

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group’s integrity by degrading a member via any of the other self-interest behaviors
stated above.

Organizational Culture
• It is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways of interacting that
contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization.
• It, therefore, includes an organization’s expectations, experiences, philosophy, as well as
the values that guide member behavior, and is expressed in member self-image, inner
workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations.

Organizations can create, and also be created or influenced by other cultures and subcultures.
These differences can manifest themselves is a variety of ways including, but not limited to:

o Person Culture – It is a culture in which horizontal structures are most applicable. Each
is seen as more valuable than the organization itself.
o Market Culture – This culture is results-oriented, with a focus on competition,
achievement, and “getting the job done.”
o Adaptive Culture – It is a culture that values change and is action-oriented, increasing
the likelihood of survival through time.
o Adhocracy Culture – Is a type of culture that is dynamic and entrepreneurial, with a
focus on risk-taking, innovation, and doing things first.
o Power Culture – Involves persons making decisions and strategies within groups, and
requires strong deference to the person/s in charge.
o Role Culture – Involves the creation of the groups’ functional structures, delegating
individual jobs, reporting to superiors, and valuing efficiency and accuracy above all else.
o Hierarchy Culture – Similar to role cultures, but have more focus on efficiency, stability,
and correctness.
o Task Culture – Involves the formation of groups with specific expert members to solve
particular problems.

Organizational culture is not static. Members of an organization develop a shared belief around
“what right looks like” as they interact over time and learn what yields success and what
doesn’t. When those beliefs and assumptions lead to less than successful results, the culture
must evolve for the organization to stay relevant in a changing environment.

There are six (6) guidelines for culture change in an organization:

o Formulate a clear strategic vision. – This vision gives the intention and direction for
the future culture change.
o Display commitment. – The leaders of the organization or group must favor the culture
change to implement the change in the rest of the organization.

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o Model culture change at the highest level. – The behavior of the management needs
to symbolize the kinds of values and behaviors that should be realized in the rest of the
organization/group. Change agents are keys to the success of this cultural change
process and important communicators of new values.
o Modify the organization/group to support change. – This includes identifying what
current systems, policies, procedures, and rules need to be changed so alignment with
the new values and desired culture can be achieved.
o Select and socialize newcomers and terminate deviants. Encouraging member
motivation and loyalty to the group/organization will create a healthy culture. Training (via
basic orientations or seminars) should be provided to all to help them understand the
new processes, expectations, and systems.
o Develop ethical and legal sensitivity. This step can identify obstacles of change and
resistant member, and acknowledge and reward member improvement, encouraging
continued change and involvement.
Six Steps to Manage A Potential Conflict
1) Diagnose the situation. Determine the conflict’s content and history. Evaluate
personalities and positions.
2) Involve all parties. Be a skillful questioner by asking open-ended questions. Use
processes that solicit discussion, opinions, information, priorities, etc. from all people.
3) Collect all information. There are many ways to gather information; e.g., use facts,
historical records, data, maps, ideas from around the table, unbiased experts, and
interviews. Remember, people’s feelings are just as real to them as facts.
4) Reinforce agreements. People who disagree often share some common goals and
shared values. Discover these common concerns and reinforce agreements. Write
these agreements so that everyone can see them.
5) Negotiate disagreements. Disagreements are not negotiated until everyone
understands the facts and feelings that caused the conflict. Review steps 1 through 4;
list important disagreements; have everyone rank order their disagreements; begin with
the smallest issue and work toward the largest.
6) Solidify agreements. Identify agreed upon solutions and offer compromises for
unresolved issues. If a compromise cannot be reached, table the issue and move to the
next issue; review any proposed agreements carefully, so you are sure that everyone
understands them.

References:

gothamCulture. What is Organizational Culture? Retrieved on October 19, 2018 from

https://gothamculture.com/whatis-organizational-culture-definition/

Johns, Gary. Concordia University. “Social Behaviour and Organizational Processes”. Organizational
Behaviour: Understanding and Managing Life at Work. Harper Collins College Publishers, 1996.

Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, Newfoundland, Canada. Group Dynamics. Retrieved
on October 19, 2018 from
https://www.tcii.gov.nl.ca/regionaldev/CCB/Group_Dynamics/CCB_GroupDynamicsGuide.pdf

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Leadership
• It is one of the highly regarded qualities of an individual to be successful in life.
• It is the art of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically, with zeal
and confidence, toward the achievement of group goals.

Functions of a Leader

• Planning
Strategic planning is essential for every organization to move forward. Thus, a leader must be
well-suited most for looking at long-term goals and knowing how to get there. He/she must also
be capable of ensuring that the vision isn't lost in secondary views and tangents.

• Organizing
Once the plan is made, a leader must be able to organize the group so that the plan can be
executed. It is about delegating tasks, establishing procedures and developing performance
metrics. A leader must also get feedback from the team, as to what has worked and what might
impede achieving the new outline plans and goals. By using the existing resources, processes
can also be established to work in the trenches, and that they will move forward to the bigger
goal.

• Leading
Leading is not just how one can get the job done; instead, it is how one gets his team to
understand each respective component accomplished moving closer to the end-goals. It is
possible to use any leadership style for day-to-day operations, but team morale must be critically
considered in choosing these styles. Leaders must think about how to motivate the team best to
achieve the goal.

• Controlling

Controlling doesn’t mean micromanaging. Controlling in leadership is making sure that there are
means to define success. Leaders must be very good at determining if the plan is succeeding. If
a problem or gap is found, corrective action must be taken to adjust or fix the problem, or the
strategy might fail.

Types of Leadership
The Persuasive type of leadership takes into consideration the physical, mental and human
capabilities and limitations of the individual members of a group. A persuasive leader does
things by example. More often than not, he gets results through the willing and cheerful
cooperation of the men under him.

On the other hand, an Authoritarian leader is one who relies on the exclusive and forceful use
of rank or authority alone. Of course, this type of a leader rarely considers human frailties and
limitations. By using his position or authority alone, this leader generates animosities and the
inward hostility of the men under him.

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The Laissez Faire type of leadership may be the least effective in terms of results. A leader of
this type is usually or generally associated with the bahala na or are achieved through the
exercise of group leadership and not through a particular individual who is presumed to be the
leader of a group.
Principles of Leadership
1. Take responsibility for your actions. A leader must be responsible for both his actions and
those of his subordinates. Remember:
a) It is better to accept the blame rather than pass the buck.
b) Understand just where your responsibility begins and where it ends.
c) Look for opportunities to help you do your task.
2. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. Apply your knowledge of human behavior in
an honest self-analysis to improve your attitude and enhance your understanding of others.
3. Set the example. Be a model and exemplary leader. Men learn most effectively from what
they see in their leader.
4. Seek responsibility and develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates. A
true leader does not shirk responsibility; instead, he seeks it. Likewise, he holds his
subordinates responsible for results and not for methods and procedures.
5. Ensure that the job is understood, supervised, and accomplished. Proper
understanding and supervision of a task help ensure the accomplishment of anything
desired. To this end, instructions must be given in a specific, positive, and clear manner.
6. Know your men and look for their welfare. A leader's understanding and knowing of his
men have advantages. He can readily predict and control his subordinate's behavior where
he can also feel their necessities and desires.
7. Keep your men informed. The Filipino soldier will work harder and will cooperate more
effectively if he understands why.
8. Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities. Assign objectives that are
possible of attainment. Using your unit in accordance with its capabilities helps ensure its
success.
9. Train your men as a team. A team fails or succeeds only if every member does his share of
the job. Teamwork is an essential cognomen of military operations.
10. Make a sound and timely decision. The ability to make a rapid estimate of the situation
and arrive at a sound and an appropriate decision is necessary to take advantage of
opportunities as they occur.
11. Know your job. Knowledge of your job helps you to make sure of yourself and commands
the respect of your men.

Ingredients and Indications of a Good Leader

Virtues as Foundations of Leadership
1. Prudence. The habit which enables man to direct his actions to human life's goals of
knowing the right thing to do and applying it.
2. Justice. The habit of giving each one his due with constant and perpetual will gives stability
which man needs to work without fear and anxiety in the search for happiness.
3. Fortitude. The habit of overcoming the difficulties and pressures of life in the pursuit of
good.
4. Temperance. The habit of bringing the desires and the natural inclination of man under the
control of right reason.
5. Industry. The habit of working hard and working under pressure.

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6. Loyalty. The habit of remaining true to your friends and to your principles and goals.
7. Responsibility. The habit of being accountable for one's actions, duties, obligations,
readiness to answer to the consequences of our actions.
8. Cheerfulness. The habit of being optimistic, positive, always seeing the bright side of things.
9. Generosity. The habit of sharing the good that one has with other people, thinking first of
the people around him and looking for ways he can help and serve them.
10. Magnanimity. The habit of having high ideals and ambitions of doing good; being concerned
with doing great deeds of service to others by devoting his life to serve his country or to help
people.
Traits of a Good Leader
1. Integrity. It is the uprightness of character and the soundness of one's moral principles. It
also means the quality of absolute truthfulness and honesty.
2. Knowledge. Nothing gains confidence and respect more quickly than demonstrated
knowledge both of your job and of your men. The man who knows his job builds confidence
in himself as well as in others.
3. Courage. It is a mental quality that recognizes fear, yet it enables a man to meet anger or
opposition with calmness and firmness.
4. Decisiveness. This means the ability to reach sound decisions promptly and to announce
them forcefully and clearly which, is the hallmark of a good leader.
5. Initiative. Seeing what has to be done and doing it even in the absence of orders is what is
called initiative.
6. Dependability. A dependable leader is one who can be relied upon to carry out actively,
intelligently and willingly the intent of his commander to the best of his ability.
7. Tact. In the field of human relations, tact is the ability to understand human nature and
consideration for the feeling to deal with men without causing friction or taking offense.
8. Justice. Reduced to its simplest definition, justice implies the giving of appropriate rewards
and the meeting out of penalties for wrongs done.
9. Enthusiasm. It is the display of real interest in one's job and the determination to do it
exceptionally well.
10. Bearing. One's personal appearance and conduct have an important influence on man.
11. Endurance. It is a tribute that enables a leader to withstand pain, fatigue, duress, and
hardship without complaining.
12. Unselfishness. An unselfish leader is one who does not take advantage of the situation just
to promote or enhance his personal pleasures, gain, or safety at the expense of his unit.

References:

Leonard, K. (2018, June 26). Four Functions of Management and Leadership Styles. Retrieved
January 4, 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-functions-management-
leadership-styles-64958.html

Viray, F., Gamit, E., Milo, J., Mina III, J., & Yabut, J. (2011). National Service Training Program II
(CWTS and LTS). Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House.

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