In the Service of What?

By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer


In this document the authors Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer  argues that service learning is important in our schools and the community. They believe that the selfless concern for the well-being of others while doing service learning, will help students develop social sensitivity, with the hope that their values and beliefs will be transformed while doing so. This they believe will  build character and help to prepare students for the world ahead. However, though these are great attributes for one to posses they think that it should go much deeper than just that.
Kahne and Westheimer thinks that when service learning is done it should cover moral, political and intellectual domains. From the moral domains the students will give charity and while giving this charity they learn to care about what it is they are doing . They're not just doing just because it is the right thing to do but over time will care about the individual/ individuals they are working with and their circumstances. From the political domain those providing the service should look at it as their civil duty. That "volunteerism and compassion" is a way of giving back to the community and that this demonstrates citizenship.For the political domain students need to also look at the cause of the depravity for the less fortunate and the ways in which society on a whole can address and improve said conditions. Finally, the intellectual domain should bring forth experience based-learning. it promotes interdisciplinary learning and it encourages students to do more critical thinking.