Service-Learning in intergenerational experiences: a case study in the training of social education

Abstract

The following article offers a intergenerational learning experience through service-learning (SL). It is an educational method based on experience that allows the students to be involved in their own learning beyond the traditional classroom model. Its aim is to analyze the educational benefits that this method provides, during a project based on the intergenerational Outreach Program that took place in the Bachelor’s Degree of Social Education, taught at the University of Valladolid. Through case study methodology, the participant’s voices are taken into account, while highlighting the importance of self-reflective praxis shared with the students and the knowledge that links community needs to curriculum. It explores the necessary balance between professional growth and social commitment, coming from a University that is open to the outside world, offering its students practical experiences in a real world setting, which turns SL into a high-impact methodology.