Academic service learning is promoted as an effective program for preparing new teachers to work with people from diverse groups. This paper will discuss a range of skills and knowledge acquired through service learning. It will also describe how teachers can use these skills and knowledge to improve the educational outcomes of children from diverse backgrounds. .
Being involved in service learning can "impact positively on the development of pre-service teachers professionally, culturally and academically" (Billig & Freeman, 2010; Anderson, 1998). The conceptual framework used by Paine (2007) examines the differences in teacher education and academic service learning. He highlights the experiences they have before entering the workforce and details the importance of teachers gaining knowledge before entering the classroom. Service learning has helped prepare teachers to work with people from diverse backgrounds. It as helped many individuals to build knowledge through experience and their service learning. Walbank et al (2011) describes this as "experimental learning" by which teachers are able to prepare to deal with diverse backgrounds and acquire the skills necessary to improve educational outcomes of children.
Paine (2007) developed a framework categorizing the understanding of teachers into four sections: "the individual, categorical, contextual and pedagogical views". Through this framework he has focused on what teachers comprehend rather that focusing on what they do not. Teachers are able to recognize the foundations of diversity through their own experiences and differences. Through the individual framework, the biological and psychological are taken into consideration when approaching teaching; the second category specifies the socio-economic aspect of a child including their race, gender and class. Context gives meaning to difference. As part of the third category differences occur as part of the social construct we live in.