Educational Innovation for Social Transformation. Building Inclusive Cultures and Profession alism through University Service Learning

Abstract

The promotion of universities as hubs for fostering citizenship presents a nuanced challenge, balancing the core mission of developing competencies and human capital with the imperative to nurture democratic citizenship attitudes, dispositions, and functionalities. The Service Learning Approach emerges as a promising response to this challenge, offering an innovative, philosophically grounded, and socially responsible teaching methodology that resonates with universities’ commitment to integrating social responsibility into their mission. This paper delves into the institutionalization process of Service Learning at the University of Palermo, focusing on the development of an evaluative framework and the implementation of a Service Learning initiative within the Master’s Degree in Pedagogical Sciences. Service Learning, characterized by its deliberate integration of theory and practice, empowers future pedagogists to engage in transformative service that meets community needs while fostering deeper reflection on classroom experiences and cultivating a robust sense of civic engagement essential for democratic societies. Against this background, Service Learning embodies a “pedagogical formula” that develops generative connections between the world of university education and societal needs, blending innovative teaching methodologies with a profound understanding of the university’s social responsibility. Specifically for the Master’s Degree in Pedagogical Sciences, this approach – stemming from the valorization of the pedagogical culture of inclusion and the values that underpin it in terms of participation, belonging, democracy, equity, solidarity, and plurality – offers a unique opportunity to position the university at the forefront of pedagogical services and policies aimed at advancing social progress. By engaging both faculty and students in a dynamic teaching and learning process that challenges conventional academic knowledge, Service Learning emerges as a vital tool for promoting inclusive processes and fostering active citizenship in our increasingly diverse and complex societies.