Many elementary and secondary educational programs have some service learning component, and I'm wondering how we can determine if they are effective, and based on what criteria. Joel Westheimer has done some wonderful work highlighting the need for a political component (i.e., just don't take food to a food bank but ask why there is poverty, and do something about it), and, yet, it appears that many good and interesting programs (i.e., school twinnings, outreach, volunteerism, social work initiatives, etc.) are disconnected from the formal school experience, lack a political grounding, and could even lead to the contrary of enhanced social justice. In Ontario, Canada, for example, there is a voluntary (mandatory) service requirement of 40 hours in order to graduate secondary school but there is no funding, oversight, integration or connection to what happens in and at school, no debriefing, no critical reflection, and no mobilization to participate in social change (in reality, what many could and perhaps do do for their work is marginal, and it might even take 40 hours of training to be able to undertake something meaningful). So, while there is value and merit in doing service learning, I'm wondering what kind, how, with what support, and, in particular, in relation to my area of research, what is the connection to meaningful and critical forms of education for democracy. Is the service learning that students do meant to support and cultivate "thick" democracy.
Hi Brady,
Thanks for your response. I like what you have to say about the psychological side of the equation. I wonder how the sociological side of the equation could be further integrated into that model, and how students could engage with power, difference and change at a macro level could be better elucidated and cultivated. It would seem that the conceptualization of any service learning should, necessarily, consider the discomforting and problematic nature of what one might encounter, and how this dialectical experience could be beneficial at several levels. In some of the cases that I've looked at, the formal, institutionalized service learning is often left unpacked, unproblematized and incomplete; it might be quite transformative for some, but it also might be quite meaningless for others. The political aspect of the learning is of great interest here. Once again, thanks for your input. Best regards. Paul
Hi Brady,
Indeed, I think a complexification of how we approach service learning, being open to diverse and disrupting encounters, and followed by critical epistemological interrogation, without packing it within the tight strictures of pre-fabricated outcomes or pre-set answers, would be a very positive step forward. This would seem, additionally, to be at the core of transformative education, touching on Dewey's focus on community engagement and citizenship, and on Freire's notion of conscientization, concepts that I have been interested in for some time now. Are you aware of any programs that seek to meaningfully integrate the parameters we've been discussing? I realize that much good work is taking place outside of the formal experience but I am also interested in integrating such work within the formal system so as to make it more meaningful. Best regards. Paul
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Education