service learning... and how to kill the joy of it.

NAME OF AUTHOR and TEXT 

Joseph Kahne & Joel Westheimer and In the Service of What?

AUTHOR’S ARGUMENT 

“Educators who emphasize change would clearly also value the educational benefits of this approach. To tap into the full power of service activities, however, these practitioners would want to combine critical inquiry with action. This process can transform students' understandings of both disciplinary knowledge and the particular social issues with which they are engaged. “

This quote I believe leads to their argument... in the service of what part one... that in order to make the most of service learning is to not only engage in actual services but to delve into the topic to help create change and progression. That critical analyses must co-exist with self reflection. Just a guess.

QUOTES

I basically quoted this page because, as far as I’m concerned, it was the only thing that I picked out of that articles that interested me in the littlest bit.

“In the moral domain. service learning activities tend toward two types of relationships. Relationships that emphasize charity we will call "giving." Those that aim primarily to deepen relationships and to forge new connections we will call "caring." In caring relationships, Nel Noddings asserts, we try to consider the life and disposition of those for whom we are caring. We attempt to "apprehend the reality of the other" and then to "struggle [for progress] together." In so doing. we create opportunities for changing our understanding of the other and the context within which he or she lives.”

- I thought it was interesting the way the authors split service learning activities, and in this case, defining the outline of caring and giving of volunteering.

“In the political domain, the intentions of those promoting service learning activities draw from two different assumptions about political socialization and what it means to be a citizen. Those who focus primarily on charity believe that, to be properly educated in a democracy. students must undergo experiences that demonstrate the value of altruism and the dangers of exclusive self-interest. They stress the importance of civic duty and the need for responsive citizens. Volunteerism and compassion for the less fortunate are the undergirding conceptions of political socialization associated with this vision.”

-The problem with making volunteering a civic duty tends to mix the people who really don’t give a crap about those they are servicing with people who profoundly enjoy spending hours, months and years giving back to their communities. People who just go through the motions really annoy me. Even though tutoring is a requirement for this class, I spend time outside of my life trying to prepare for the once a week sessions at which I still do not feel like I am there enough. I wish I could show up everyday. Plus people have different talents. I love coaching youth sports, therefore I coach youth sports. And I take it very seriously.

“The second notion of political socialization reveals fundamentally different assumptions about the requirements of citizenship. Those promoting this vision of service learning hope to move students toward participation in what Benjamin Barber refers to as a "strong 

democracy." They call for a curriculum that emphasizes critical reflection about social policies and conditions, the acquisition of skills of political participation, and the formation of social bonds.”

“In the intellectual domain, a service learning curriculum can further a number of goals. The ability of a service learning curriculum to foster authentic, experience-based learning opportunities, to motivate students, to help students engage in higher-order thinking in contextually varied environments, and to promote interdisciplinary studies has led some, such as John Brisco, a leader in the field, to label service learning "the Trojan horse of school reform." The service component may help us get the support needed for implementation, he argues, but its real impact is seen in its ability to promote powerful learning environments.”

“He endeavored to create "a new Carnegie unit," the requirement that all students take part in volunteer activities in either their school or community as a condition for graduation from high school." 

- if this is going to be a requirement, schools should make the community connections for the students available. Part of Mr. Johnson’s class problem of certain kids who appeared to not make much of an effort of the requirement could have been due to lack of resources on finding or even knowing where to go for volunteer services. They may have had transportation issues and et cetera. 

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/POINTS TO SHARE

I think it is pretty obvious to any one who reads this that I lacked interest in this article. It didn’t matter how I feel about volunteer which I love doing, as I read this article, not one quote really jumped at me and grabbed my attention. Every article I’ve read (besides Delpit) I felt like I had so much to agree with or disagree with. This one, I was like have I gotten through a page yet?