Kahne and Westheimer

Ryan Mottram
FNED 346
Mrs. McKamey
10/28/18

Response to In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning

By: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

Quotes:

"The ability of a service learning curriculum is to foster authentic, experience-based learning opportunities, to motivate students, to help students engage in high-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 as "the Trojan horse of school reform"." 

I feel service learning projects in schools is a good way for newcomers in the education field studying to become teachers to learn new ways of how to appeal to certain students in the classroom.  The reason why service learning is "the Trojan horse of school reform" could be because it is an opportunity for future educators to see errors by their mentors in the classroom, whether regarding discipline or curriculum and determine how to correct them.  I believe the three most important things for becoming an elementary ed. teacher are establishing your own curriculum based on material given, enthusiasm, and appealing to the age group of students through fun and educational activities.         

"Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors." 

Service learning in schools surely satisfies and fulfills this engagement in complex social and institutional situations.   I believe teachers establishing their own curriculums in the classroom helps promote school citizenship by making class entertaining and encouraging students to learn and work together.  Since this article addresses the importance of curriculum and citizenship, I believe Shor's work is relevant here because she explains how a curriculum determines the outcome of a classroom.  At my service learning site, my mentor goes beyond pencil and paper with use of projector, group projects, and online activities and I wish to implement some of those methods as a future educator.  

"If we focus on the "numerous values we share as a community", writes Amitai Etzioni, the founder of the communitarian movement and a proponent of service learning, "our world would be radically improved"." 

The values members of a community share amongst each other certainly need to be implemented in public school classrooms by teachers who are with students for about 6 hours 5 days a week.  At my site placement, I have noticed that the third grade students are certainly mature enough to take initiative when needed.  It could be the smallest deed, such as if a student drops and/or spills something another student will help them before a teacher has the chance to walk over and do so.  If public school students learn and recognize true maturity and respect for others during their youth, then these schools can continue to be full of values a community shares.   

Comment/Point to share:

I feel having a class meeting where we discuss what methods we have used so far in helping students during our service learning sessions would be beneficial.  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0Uk96Z2g3NDI2bkU/view
http://www.utahciviccoalition.org/downloads/IntheServiceofWhat.pdf