HYPERLINKS!...Kahne&Westheimer

This article “In Service of What?” by Kahne and Westheimer emphasizes that service learning increases the chance of children actually being educated and retaining what they learn in the classroom. Service Learning promotes communication and invites all students to participate. It breaks the traditional routine of being seated at a desk and listening to one teacher’s lessons. Service learning prompts students to speak and bring their ideas into the classroom since the service learning "teacher" is open to student discussion and hearing what the children have to say.

In the article, there is a paragraph on pg. 2 that asks "What values do service learning curricula model and seek to promote?" We [our class] as students are there to teach, to learn from the students and set an example. These values are found in our example! The patience we display, the kindness, such as a smile or encouraging word; these seemingly little details truly help the children in our service learning, and they are in turn the values that need to be promoted.   

 Service learning is also beneficial to older students. This video is multi-cultural and shows the positive results of service learning: the affects it has had on these students and the world!

 

Service learning proves to be so effective that state and government officials have gotten involved to promote the projects, as shown in the article regarding Clinton’s National Service Trust Act of 1973.

The link connects to a website  about Americorps, which is promoted at Rhode Island College too. J

It also lists a timeline about National Service in the United States.

Children learn through play. This is a well-known method of teaching; Kahne and Westheimer said students could work in swamplands, for example, and through service learning projects such as this students improve skills, such as comprehension. The following video emphasizes the “Service Learning” definition. It coincides with the part of the article that lists the positive affects of serivce learning, to what extent it has on students as well as how it relates to the school curriculums.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OWDpPSQRfE

Before this class, I had not heard the term “Service Learning.” This article shows how it had been spread throughout the country by government officials. However, I would like to know what is going on now to further promote the projects. I think it should be one of the priorities of Rhode Island’s State Government. What do you think? Is it an initiative that is still on a list somewhere or is it actually being implemented each day?