SERVICE-LEARNING IN THE UNIVERSITY: BUILDING CITIZENSHIP

Service-Learning ( SL) is a proposal based on service for the community and learning/knowledge acquisition combined in a single well articulated project. It is an up-to-date methodology, but it involves elements that are familiar to everybody such as voluntary service and the transmission of knowledge and values. This paper describes an educational innovation experience of SL developed at the Universitat Jaume I of Castello ( Spain) during the academic year 2009/2010. The initiative, which was carried out by an interdisciplinary team teaching the Infant and Primary Teacher Training, Educational Psychology and Audiovisual Communication degrees, sought to raise critical awareness and active citizenship among members of the University community. The aspects that most caught the students' attention were autonomy and connection with practice. The teachers involved in the project have since changed their education practices to place the student at the heart of the course programmes.