This week I read about service learning and found that there are a lot of ways to help in a community. I thought that the fact of service learning was helping schools and children in need, but it is about much more than that. It encompasses all that is community service. I found a link that I thought would bring light to how teachers and students think about service learning. The video is a discussion between a teacher, a student, and a host on what service learning is and why it is good in the classroom. In the reading it discussed two different types of teachers who used service learning in their classrooms. The first teacher was described as someone who “stressed charity” said Kahne and Westheimer, and the second teacher was said to focus more on “critical analysis.” What this video shows is that this specific teacher and the teachers at Rhode Island College focus on both of those categories equally. We do it to learn about the field we want to go into and to help those in need. We also focus and discuss in class the things with education and go out and experience it just like these kids in this psychology do as well.
When Kahne and Westheimer start talking about the moral aspect behind service learning we cannot help but agree. We feel good when we help other people. One of the students from the class talks about how good he felt by feeding Thanksgiving dinner to a homeless shelter. The student in the video felt good about helping the children with disabilities ride horses. I feel good every time I leave my service learning project knowing I have done good. A quote from one of my favorite musicals is “When you help others you can’t help helping yourself,” and they’re right, you get such an amazing feeling from helping others. (Yes the song is funny but it makes a point)
Like Kahne and Westheimer said there is an intellectual gain we get from a service learning project. We are learning outside the classroom and really developing skills that cannot be expanded upon in a classroom. The student in the video discussed how she learned so much about psychology from her service learning project. I myself have learned a lot about diversity and the culture of power from working outside the classroom and in a real school.
I feel from reading this article that all classes should have a service learning component. It helps prepare people for life in the real world, it gives people more knowledge about a topic, and it just feels good to help.
A question I have for class is how can we have service learning in more classrooms?
I also think that all classes should have a service learning component. It is a great way to prepare you for the world and shows you things you did not know or may not have experienced.
ReplyDeleteI think the song you posted really does get the point across. It would also be a great way to show younger kids to help out.
ReplyDeleteI think the points you make about service learning are great! I also love LOVE love that you related it to Avenue Q because that song totally fits and its one of my favorite musicals as well!!
ReplyDeleteI think when you said, "I myself have learned a lot about diversity and the culture of power from working outside the classroom and in a real school" it really relates to everything we have been discussing so far in class. This is exactly what Kahne and Westheimer would want us to be doing.
I like how you related to it our service learning project too. It does have its differences, but similarities as well. I also think the song you posted get the point across as well.
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