In the Service of What?

Hyper Link/Connections 

“In the Service of What?” by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer examine the potential significance of service learning within the classroom and throughout communities. They highlight the ways in which service learning reforms can positively benefit the educational experience for students, while also impacting the community. Although the authors’ advocate for the implementation of service learning within our curriculums they too analyze its ideology and seek to clarify any conflicting perspectives on service learning activities. Differing service learning goals as they point out include projects that emphasize charity or “giving” versus projects aimed toward making genuine connections or “caring.”

 Hyper Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JInF89YN4D4

I’ve attached a link to a video explaining the community service projects done by third graders at Turtle Creek Elementary. Ms. Akey’s students worked in groups and she allowed them to pick their own project ideas. One group decided to pick up garbage around the neighborhood, while another did a school wide penny drive in order to raise money for nearby homeless shelter. This is an example of service learning that advocates for volunteerism and civic duty. Both of these projects are geared towards giving something back, and prompting kids to further commit acts of charity. The value of this lesson for a student would be developing higher morals, and compassion for citizens that are less fortunate.

Hyper Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tML6daqPZKE

This is a link to another video presenting a service learning project at Fred Becker Elementary. The students researched communities and populations, and they chose to help the nursing home community. They interviewed local nursing home members and expanded on an autobiography project. I would define this project as the “caring” type of service learning, one where students are forming social bonds, differing the first example. These two types of service learning activities can be similar, as they both include real hands on learning experience, emphasize the importance of compassion for people in need, while encouraging reflection on these matters. Although this is true I strongly feel projects that favor charity over caring can be superficial, by almost forcing students to make acts of kindness without any substance or meaning behind it. They lose an opportunity to gain new perspective, and a genuine sense of the world. In order for these projects to be considered powerful learning tools, students need to use critical thinking while attempting to develop caring relationships, empathy, awareness, and understanding. It should force students to probe their conscious, searching for a better understanding as to why morally and socially we extend help to those in need. This is much more meaningful and effective then making random acts of kindness.