In this article, Ash and Clayton describe a learning process commonly used at NCSU called “service-learning.” This process does away with traditional student/teacher relationships in a typical classroom setting and introduces a system involving engagement and inquiry so that students not only see their studies in a real world context, but also absorb and understand the content better through collaboration and reflection. Ash and Clayton break down this process to reveal it as the most optimal way for students to learn and for them to eventually become competent and critically thinking citizens.

I have found that the best ways for me to absorb and understand the content in texts like Ash and Clayton’s is to start by realizing the basic structure of academic writing. In informative or argumentative articles or essays the first paragraph should contain a type of thesis statement and most all other paragraphs start with some sort…