Sunday, October 26, 2014

Kahne and Westheimer “In Service of What?”



Kahne and Westheimer “In Service of What?”
Quotes-Evaluation:

1)      “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
This quote is originally from President Kennedy but was restated in this article to prove a point. The quote says people should not only expect receiving from their country but should also give to their country. I feel this quote is saying if people want to have a good society and be happy in their country they need to treat it like a relationship in a sense and understand it is a two way street. A country and society is like a team, citizens should work together for a common goal of a productive happy country to live in. In order for children and young adults to play their role and give back they can be involved with service learning.

2)      Table 1. SERVICE LEARNING GOALS 
MORAL                     POLITICAL INTELLECTUAL                
CHARITY     Giving             Civic Duty      Additive Experience  
CHANGE      Caring             Social              Transformative
Reconstruction        Experience
I am using this table from the article as quote number two. This table explains the goals that people want to see service learning students attain. This table is important because it shows how service learning creates positive impacts on people. The positive impacts are in moral, political, and intellectual categories. Due to the fact that Service Learning is so beneficial it should be implemented in all schools so that people are introduced to the benefits for both themselves and their country at a young age.

3)      "[The neighborhood] isn't as bad as the news makes it out to be." "The rumors I have                  heard are a big bunch of hogwash . . . .I'm glad I went on that trip because it was a wonderful experience to meet new people and find out about their lives."
This quote is from a student who did his/her service learning in a so called “bad neighborhood.” The student realizes all the negative stereotypes, news, and rumors about the place she was going to was not really all that bad. Through service learning she got to experience the environment and make an opinion for herself about it, so she was not stuck to a single story. This quote shows how service learning can be so eye opening and informative to students about the real world, amongst other benefits also.
·         The point I would like to bring up in class is the question, do you think service learning should be part of every school’s curriculum requirement?
·         The picture below explains how being part of a service learning program is being part of something bigger than yourself.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1egIAIiXQuq5l11CmicFtr5MYw3EciYZ7cFprm2AW-BIZLB2OoihpGqs

·         The link below shows and explains what exactly service learning is and why it is important for the education of children.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Christensen “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us”



Christensen “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us”
This author Christensen argues that as children we learn through media, which teaches children all inaccurate stereotypes. Christensen explains how usually books, movies, commercials, TV shows, ADs etc. always play women as dependent, caregivers, emotional, stay-at-home human beings, whereas, the men are strong, independent, non-emotional, powerful human beings. They usually always play heavy people as slow, less desired, with the minor roll, whereas, the main roll people are thin, fit, center of attention, and always desired. The media usually portrays the minority races and ethnicities, like African American or Asian people as the servants, the black sheep, the outcasts, and weak, whereas, the white people are strong, confident, and powerful headliners. Gender, appearance, race, and ethnicity are just a few of the characteristics of people that media corrupts and misguides the public, especially children about. Children learn and connect about life through what they see in media. If they are continuingly seeing an opinion about a group of people then they will believe it even if it is not accurate. Stereotypes put everyone into one category even though each individual is unique and different, this is why stereotypes are so wrong. Christensen argues that children grow up believing these stereotypes because it’s all they ever see in media and she believes media needs to change and be more open minded to evolution, change, fairness, and equality.
I would like to share one of my clips in class.
The link below is a combination of movie clips, TV clips, advertisement clips, etc. that show how the stereotypes of men and women roles are portrayed in so many ways throughout all types of media, in the past as well as present day.
The link below shows the roles reversed of men and women being portrayed in media. The clip ends by saying if men look so ridiculous in the role reversal clips then why do woman do it? This raises a great question.
The picture below shows the Disney princesses, which almost all children watch, and their characteristics and roles they portrayed in the movies.