Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes	Part B: Developing A Team
20 minutes	Part C: Identifying A Problem
30 minutes	Part D: Developing a solution
30 minutes	Part E: Making A Plan
40 minutes	Part G: Develop a Pitch
15 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Differentiation:

Where students have completed previous lessons in this unit:

Remind students of the Global Problem Solvers team and how they developed a solution for a problem with wells in Malawi. Invite students to suggest what this problem is and what the solution was that was developed by the GPS team. You can also invite students to remind themselves of the solution their group created in response to the same problem.

Where students haven't completed previous lessons in this unit:

Explain to students that in this lesson they will be exploring a problem that is based in a part of North America. This problem will be identified and discussed by the characters of an animated series called Global Problem Solvers: A massive hurricane has hit the Gulf Coast of the United States and damaged areas of the city of Tampa, in Florida. The storm damage includes power cuts and flooding to many parts of the city, including in schools around the city. This has meant that students are unable to go to school. Teachers and principals would like to start classes for students but are unable to do so without a safe space to do it in, without electricity for lighting and without the internet for students to access coursework and to collaborate. The GPS team has proposed a solution for this problem: An emergency classroom kit that allows teachers to create a “pop-up” classroom at a shelter. The kit will include lights, internet hardware for accessing course material and solar panels.

TIP: You could share the trailer for Series 2 with students:

(Global Probelm Solvers Series 2 Trailer (https://vimeo.com/273541111)

Explain to students that the GPS team has followed a series of steps in generating and implementing their solution. These steps are:

Teamwork - The GPS team came together and spent time getting to know each others skills and qualities, and understanding how these skills and qualities could contribute to the team.
Problem Finding - The GPS team undertook research to find out what the problem was.
Problem Solving - The GPS team worked collaboratively to generate a solution.
Technology - The GPS team explored how technology could be used in their solution, and thought about the risks associated with using technology.
Test and Retest - The GPS team test their idea to find out if there are any weaknesses in their solution and then make improvements based on their findings.
Business Plan - The GPS team make a business plan to show they have thought about how their idea could be a success and to attract funders.

Further information about this series can be found here: Background Information Season 2.

Step 2.

Explain to students that in this lesson they will be acting as Local Problem Solvers by:

Forming a team
Identifying a local problem
Developing a solution for that problem and testing their solution
Creating a plan to put the solution into action
Activating their plan

Part B: Developing A Team

Step 1.

Break the class into groups of five or six students.

Differentiation:

Where students have completed this lesson (Building A Great Team):

Invite students to remember personal skills and qualities they and others identified about themselves. If they have access to the table they completed with their skills and qualities invite them to locate it. If they don’t have access to this table, then could try to recall what they had written or complete the activities below.

Where students haven’t completed this lesson (Building A Great Team):

Each student needs to then identify three skills or qualities they know about themselves, such as drawing, IT skills, public speaking, baking or playing sport, and record these in their workbooks. They should then turn to one other person in their group and ask them: Can you please share one of the skills or qualities you have noticed about me? Again, invite them to record answers in their workbooks.

Step 2.

Once students have compiled their list of personal skills and qualities they can then begin thinking about how these can contribute to the team.

Give each group a copy of the Group Roles factsheet and invite them to start thinking about how their skills and qualities might match up to these roles. Explain that they may not find a natural fit and if that’s the case they should nominate themselves for a role they might like to try. Ensure that each role has been allocated (NOTE: It may be that you decide that each student needs to be part of the pitching team).

NOTE: Explain to students that they may have skills and qualities that don’t feel like a natural fit to the roles described on the Group Roles factsheet. Reassure students that there will be an opportunity to incorporate and explore these skills and qualities later in the lesson when they are developing solutions to the problem they identify, so they should keep the list of personal skills and qualities close.

Step 3.

Once roles have been allocated it’s time for each group to think about group work guidelines.

Differentiation:

Suggested group work guidelines:

At the start of the project allow time for each team member to share what they would like to be able to do, what their strengths are - but remember that sometimes to get a project done we just need people to chip in even if it isn’t their strength or something they are particularly interested
Take it in turns to talk
Make sure you listen to what other people are saying instead of just trying to say what you want to say
Always check that everyone has had the chance to contribute to a shared conversation
All major decisions need to be agreed upon as a group
Build in time to check in how everyone is going
Make sure everyone has the chance to contribute by allocating roles and allowing people to speak
Make sure you keep notes of what decisions were made and who agreed to do what tasks
Before beginning a project, make sure it is realistic and that you can complete it in the allocated time frame and with the resources you have available

Part C: Identifying A Problem

Step 1.

Students will now work as a class to think of a range of problems they might address in their roles as Local Problem Solvers. The first step will be to list a range of social or environmental problems they are aware of and record these on the board, assigning environmental issues to one side of the board and social issues to the other.

Once you have created your lists, spend some time clarifying the issues that students have raised.

Step 2.

Each group now needs to select an issue to focus on. This could be done by the teacher assigning issues to groups, or where there is a consensus within a group, a group could choose an issue.

If students are unfamiliar with the issue their group is focusing on, it might be useful to allow some time for them to conduct some research into this issue. The aim here is to understand the problem in detail.

Differentiation: Where students have completed this lesson (Understanding The Problem), they could use the list of questions they created in this lesson to guide their research. Where students haven’t completed this lesson (Understanding The Problem), they could use the following questions to guide their research:

What is the issue we are exploring?
What is the cause of this issue? Why is it happening?
What are some solutions to this issue? What solutions are already being used?
Where is this happening?
How long has it been happening for?
How might this issue relate to our local community?

Students should keep a record of their answers and any URLs they used to refer to later in this lesson if necessary.

Step 3.

Now introduce the concept of a design challenge question to the class. Explain that a design challenge question helps us to think, explore and create many different solutions to one problem. For this lesson, the design challenge question will be framed as a 'How might we…?' question.

'How might we...?' questions are problems that have been rephrased as challenges or tackle-able questions. The 'How might we...?' phrasing is used because it suggests a solution is possible and that the challenge can be addressed in a number of ways. 'How might we...?' questions, when properly phrased, don't suggest one solution - rather, they provide a great frame for innovative, out-of-the-box thinking.

For this design challenge, the question students will be exploring is:

How might we get our local community more involved in the topic of (insert your issue here)?

Explain to students that this is the question they will be using to guide their Local Problem Solvers action. Ensure students are able to identify who their target 'community' or audience is – it may be that you choose to focus on student households, the school community or the wider community.

Each group should record their design challenge question on the Student Worksheet.

Part D: Developing A Solution

Step 1.

Distribute one large (A3 sized) of paper to each group and explain that each group will now begin developing a solution for their issue.

Ask students to create a table with three columns on the paper. They should then write the heading “Actions” in Column 1. You can then invite students to create a list of actions, (verbs, or 'doing' words) that could be taken to address their design challenge question: How might we get our community more involved in the topic of (insert your issue here)? These should be added to the ‘Action’ column.

Inform groups that they should aim to come up with as many different actions as they can. There will be time to consider the best ideas after the brainstorm. Remind students that the 'best' may depend on who their target audience is and the issue they are addressing.

If necessary, share a few examples of actions before students begin the first phase of the brainstorm:

Column 1 - Actions:

Column 2 - Skills:

Column 3 - Creative Idea:

Plant

Jump

Bake

Sing

Hike

Film

Make

Swim

Change

Campaign

Phase 2: What are our skills and interests?

Turn student attention to the second column (they could even fold the paper along the line between Columns 1 and 2, so that they can’t see Column 1). Invite groups to write the heading: ‘Skills’ in Column 2. Explain that the next five minutes will be used to list the skills and interests of people within the group - students can refer to the activity in Part A of this lesson.

Column 1 - Actions:

Column 2 - Skills:

Column 3 - Creative Idea:

Plant

Jump

Bake

Sing

Hike

Film

Make

Swim

Change

Campaign

Maths

Comedy

Drumming

Coding

Photography

Story writing

Drawing

Phase 3: Mix and match to create our idea

Unfold the paper so all columns are visible and ask groups to focus on Column 3. They should label Column 3 as ‘Creative Idea’. Groups can now to come up with five or more ideas to address their design challenge question by matching one action with one skill and combining these in Column 3. Encourage students to come up with all the ideas they can – let groups know that they don’t yet need to think about how feasible the ideas are. For this phase, students should just aim to have fun playing around with possibilities. If necessary, scaffold this phase by providing some examples.

Column 1 - Actions:

Column 2 - Skills:

Column 3 - Creative Idea:

Plant

Jump

Bake

Sing

Walk

Film

Make

Swim

Change

Campaign

Fundraise

Maths

Comedy

Playing music

Coding

Photography

Story writing

Drawing

Create a story walk around your school or street with places to stop and listen to or read a story based on the issue students are addressing and featuring the sights you come across on your walk.

Make a film featuring students making music in support of an existing campaign that relates to the issue that students are addressing.

Make drawings of local animals that can be attached to plants used by these animals. The plants can be raised and sold to raise money for the issue students are addressing.

Allow at least ten minutes for this phase of the brainstorm, encouraging students to think creatively, to talk through their ideas with each other and be inspired by what others are suggesting.

Step 2.

Once groups have completed the brainstorm challenge, ask each group to spend some time viewing and discussing their list of ideas. Invite each student to nominate their favourite ideas by:

Drawing a star next to the idea they think is the most creative
Drawing a smiley face next to the idea that they like best.

Step 3.

Explain to students that each group will be selecting one idea to bring to life. It is important that they select an idea that is feasible and realistic to complete within the time frame. One way to do this is using the S.M.A.R.T. project criteria. Explain to students that S.M.A.R.T. project criteria can help you to focus on what you what to achieve, how you will achieve it, how long it will take and how you will measure your group’s success.

Share the following clip with students:

How to Set SMART Goals (https://youtu.be/wGbmAH4mBPA)

For a downloadable version of the S.M.A.R.T. criteria, view the Student Worksheet or click here: S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

Ask each group to use the S.M.A.R.T. project criteria to select one idea that they will complete (criteria are also available on the Student Worksheet).

Step 4.

Ask students to decide on their idea. If required, they could cast a vote. Once a decision has been made, invite students to record their idea to address the design challenge question on the Student Worksheet.

Part E: Making A Plan

Explain to students that now they have developed an idea for action, it’s time to start planning a project around this action.

Using the solution developed and refined in Part D, groups should complete the Project Planning Tool. Students should consider this as a working document and should return to it to refine ideas or add new ideas throughout the project. Groups should be encouraged to add pages with new thoughts and/or with sketches or rough drafts in support of their ideas.

Part F: Test And Retest

Step 1.

Depending on the scale and type of project you could conduct one of the following ‘tests’:

Option 1. SWOT analysis - Use this SWOT Analysis Template to identify what aspects of the project seem strong and what may need improving. Students should incorporate any findings from their SWOT analyses into their Project Planning Tool documents.
Option 2. Practical test - Where students are proposing an idea that has a specific action - such as baking, hosting an event, or taking photos - encourage students to test that they have the skills and resources required to successfully complete these actions. For example, do they have all the ingredients, do they have the space and materials for hosting an event, and can they make the equipment work? They can use the results of this ‘test’ to improve their project, and students should incorporate any findings into their Project Planning Tool documents.

Step 2.

Hold a ten-minute conference with the class/each group to discuss their plan. Use these questions to guide the conference:

What are you planning to do, and why? What is the context for your project?
How is it addressing your "How might we…?" question?
What help or resources do you need to get it done, and how might we acquire these?
When do you plan to have completed your project by? What step-by-step processes are necessary to see your project completed?
Have you identified and challenges or risks associated with the project, and how might you manage or mitigate these?

Part G: Develop A Pitch

Step 1.

Each group now needs to plan a pitch to share their solution with the class. Invite groups to begin scripting their pitches. Explain that students will have two minutes maximum to do their pitches and all members of their group should play a part in their short presentation. If your class needs further instruction, the following pitch structure based around a school's recycling issues can be useful:

Hook: Something relatable and interesting to capture the audience's attention, for example, "Have you noticed the strip of vacant land down the back of the school? It always looks messy, nothing much seems to want to grow there and people just end up throwing their rubbish there."
Challenge: Explain the problem that your idea will combat, for example, "As backyards become smaller and smaller, there are fewer plants for native birds, animals and insects to live and feed in."
Solution: Describe your solution, for example, "We propose to clean up the vacant land, plant a native garden in there and work to maintain it. The vacant lot could become a refuge for native birds, animals and insects, and a place that we could go to spend time in nature."
Ask: What do you need to make your idea a reality, for example, "Students, teachers and parents, we can not do this without your support. We need your help to clean up the site, remove existing rubbish, propagate plants and plant the plants. In return, we pledge to maintain the site and pass on this site and the care of it to future students. Please support us in helping our local biodiversity. Thank you for your time."

Explain to the class that this structure is just a suggestion and if they want to get creative with their pitches this is encouraged.

Step 2.

Set a timer and invite students to pitch their designs to the rest of the class.

Step 3.

Following each pitch, give students explicit feedback: What works with this idea, and what can be improved?

You can also use the Pitch Assessment Rubric to assess each pitch and provide feedback.

After hearing the feedback, students may require some extra time to update their plans.

OPTIONAL - Part H: Execute the Project

Step 1.

After students have completed the planning and testing process, allow them time to action their projects. Distribute a Project Checklist to groups so that they can keep track of what they need to do to deliver their project. Provide students with information about the deadline for delivery of their project and any relevant logistics relating to your school, such as other staff who could support them, how to book resources such as cameras and rooms, or who to speak to for permission for their intended action.

Consider the following tips when supporting students through the action phase of their projects:

Be clear about time allocation - remind students how much time they have to complete the project and encourage students to be realistic about the tasks they have to complete in that time.
Keep communication clear, making sure everyone has everything they need to complete the work they have been allocated, and that everyone knows what they should be doing.
Talk to your principal, parents and staff about what the students are doing and how/why they are completing their projects.
At appropriate intervals, conference with students to discuss their progress.
Remind students to prepare for set-backs, and remind them that making change can be hard; encourage them to continue even in the face of obstacles or challenges.

Step 2.

Publicly showcase and celebrate student projects. For example, you might:

Work with students to create a class newsletter about their projects to distribute to parents and community members; OR
Task students with producing and screening a two-minute video that documents their social action projects; OR
Host an exhibition in which students showcase their social action project and speak to the local community in detail about it.

Reflection

Step 1.

Host a 'Celebration of achievements' with the class. Not every group may have managed to deliver their project by the set date. Many groups may have delivered something that was not exactly what they envisaged. Emphasise that this is often the case for everyone, and that success is recognising and learning from the process.

Share the skills, attitudes and capabilities you observed in your students. Discuss the importance and transferability of these qualities with the ability to succeed in life.

Step 2.

Invite students to complete the project reflection and personal reflection (available on the Student Worksheet). Each student should complete both sets of reflection questions independently.

Project reflection

Give a short overview of the action your group took.
Describe what you hoped to achieve and how close you came to achieving this
What parts of the action were the most successful and why?
What parts of the action were the least successful and why? How could we improve these parts?
Overall, how could we improve, extend or continue our action?

Self reflection

Which of your skills and qualities were involved in delivering your project?
How did you contribute to your group's success?
What would you do differently next time?
What was the best part of working on this project and why?
What was the most challenging part and why?
What are you most proud of?

Finally, congratulate your students on their efforts and remind them to be proud of what they achieved, even if they didn’t achieve all they hoped to in the ways they may have initially intended to.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Cisco GPS - Change In Our Community

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