Talking Point #5

Joesph Kahne and Joel Westheimer; "In The Service of What?"

Author's Argument:
Kahne and Westheimer argue that through service learning projects students are able to learn more than they would in a classroom. The experiences that the students learn outside the classroom is information that they might be able to use in the classroom and also in life.

Quotes:
1. "Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students." With service learning being part of the academic requirements of a classroom students are able to succeed in the classroom by completing their project and also learn from the people that they are encountering. Even though many people can learn in a classroom I believe that a lot of the knowledge that people need in life is learned outside of the classroom. If a student is interested in going into a certain field then if they are doing their service learning project on the field that they want then the students will have knowledge on the field.

2. "The class discussed the growing economic disparity between rich and poor, the impact of homelessness on the children, and the difficult balance between individual rights and collective responsibility." It is good that Ms. Adams' class is learning about the economy at such a young age because then as the students grow older they can be even more aware of the situation that the economy is facing. Also with the differences of how the rich and poor effect the economy being thought it helps the students appreciate things more if they become rich or if they come poor. When you teach the students individual rights and collective responsibilities they can learn how difficult it is to be a person with money and a person with no money. This knowledge is great to have in today's economy where everything is valued.

3. "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." Everyone makes mistakes in life and through these mistakes comes knowledge. With this knowledge comes wisdom that can be passed down from generation to generation and even friend to friend. If someone does something right or something wrong next time they go to do something they can do the same thing right again or they will correct their mistake and do the right thing next time. If they continue to do it wrong then their knowledge will only grow stronger until they finally do it right.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
Learning can be done so many ways. When people do not think that they are learning, they are actually learning. People may say that they hate to learn, but there is something that they are interested in and when it is talked about they listen and learn more about it. With people going out and helping people in the community they can learn how they got to where they are and with that the person helping will have the knowledge of how not to be in the situation of the person less fortunate. Then if a friend, parent, or even the person themselves experiences something different they will have knowledge to pass on so that they can help other people be better off than they were. Then on the opposite side if someone does something successful they have the knowledge to help people be as successful as they were. Knowledge is key to life and without knowledge there would be nothing in the world. Being able to share knowledge is even better than experiencing because you know what to do or what not to do when it comes your time to go through that experience.