Service-Learning Reflection Questions


Step 1 pertains to the substance of the experience and what happened to you.  It deals with descriptive facts and leads naturally into interpretation.  The What? is used to start the reflection process by asking, “What happened in the service experience?”

  • What did I do at the agency?  Facts, what happened and with whom?
  • What did you see, or feel?  Describe your interactions.
  • What did I like/dislike about the agency?
  • What skills do I bring to the agency?
  • What issues does the agency engage?


Step 2 pertains to the difference the experience made to you.  It looks at the consequences of the service experience and gives meaning to it.  Abstract and generalize what you are learning and shift from the descriptive to the interpretive.  The So What? asks, “What did you learn from your experience?”

  • Why do I serve?
  • Why did I choose this agency?
  • What have I learned about this issue or about life?
  • What have I learned about myself?  What did the experience mean to me?
  • Did you make a difference?  Why or why not?
  • How is this service related to my studies?
  • How is this service related to my career objectives?


Step 3 involves the process of taking lessons learned from the experience and reapplying them to other situations and the larger picture.  It is a time for goal setting and long range planning. The Now WHAT? asks, “Where do you go from here?”

  • What will I do differently next time?
  • What should society do about this issue?
  • What am I going to do about this issue?
  • How will this change the next week, month, or year of my life?
  • How has this service effected my life goals?
  • What more needs to be done?