Teaching Sequence

10 minutes	Part A: What Do I Care About?
15 minutes	Part B: Ideation - 100 Ideas in 10 Minutes
35 minutes	Part C: Project Planning

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Introduction

This lesson seeks to support students to apply what they have learnt throughout the lessons and unit. They will collaboratively plan and execute an action that creates positive change in their school or community, and in doing so will apply and practise important work skills.

There are a variety of organisations that already make positive change in communities, and they generally provide valuable support, resources and suggestions around taking action or joining existing initiatives.

The following lesson facilitates students to consider existing initiatives and come up with their own idea for a project that they can collaboratively plan and complete. When considering the project ideas, think about your unique school community and the resources (human and other) that might be available to support the students and capture their enthusiasm for the successful completion of the project.

Before commencing the project planning phase of this lesson, emphasise to students that each group member should take responsibility for collecting evidence and artefacts about the work that they will put into the project, including drafts of everything they create as part of the project and records of any opportunities they pursue (either successfully or unsuccessfully). This will be compiled into a project portfolio and will provide evidence of work experience that students can add to their personal resumes. The most important thing for students to remember is that the PROCESS of completing the project is really important - perhaps even more than the final product. Students should aim to demonstrate the growth and learning that they experience both individually and as a group through the challenges they may encounter in a project of this type.

In this lesson students will be asked to:

Think about what they care about
Develop a range of ideas for taking action
Select one idea for taking action
Plan a project around this idea
Execute the project
Reflect on the success of their project and celebrate their efforts, and take stock of the work skills they have developed and refined throughout the project.

Part A: What Do I Care About?

Step 1.

Inform students that they will be embarking on a project to take action around an issue that matters to them. They will be aiming to concentrate on making positive change in their local community and will be working together with each other, the school and the wider community.

Students would also benefit from knowing that this action project is a great opportunity for them to build and practise the work skills they have been finding out about throughout the Aspire Generation - Work Studies unit. They could also form or contribute to the community service that La Trobe University values in Aspire Program applicants. Successful Aspire applicants receive an early conditional university course offer in September for the following year. For Year 12 students, this is well before they sit their final exams and receive their ATAR. While they are still attending secondary school, students could also apply to join the Aspire Generation and be empowered to drive change through community engagement, volunteerism and leadership opportunities.

To inspire students to think about the power of young people and the social action of which they are capable, watch the following clips featuring two La Trobe Aspire Program students.

Aspire: Rebecca (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpGBO6YRHk)

Guide a class discussion around the question: What was the action Rebecca took to make positive change in her community?

Aspire: Lachie (https://youtu.be/almxes69EI8)

Guide a quick discussion around the question: Lachie’s community service was different to Rebecca’s. How did he work to create positive change in his community?

Step 2.

Explain to students that they are going to contribute to their school community by taking action to address the issues affecting them or members of their local community.

One way you could get students to start thinking about their school and the connections they have to the wider community is through a collaborative brainstorm. The aim of the brainstorming process is to ensure that students think tangibly about the place that they live, the great things about it, the not-so great things and what is important to them. This is so they can identify the issues that they see in the community and begin imagining how they can make a positive change.

Invite students to form groups of four to five, and move the tables and chairs so that they are sitting in small groups facing each other. Give each group the first in the set of brainstorm questions, and allow five minutes for students to brainstorm and write down as many different ideas as they can around the question. Whilst they are brainstorming, circulate around the room and encourage students to think widely around the prompt. Students will be prompted to brainstorm their thoughts around the following prompts:

What do you like about your community?
What do you not like about your community?
What things in your community are important to you?

Call time once five minutes is up, then ask each group to choose three to four ideas that they would like to share with the rest of the class. While they are doing so, stick a piece of butcher’s paper with the related prompt written in the middle of it to a wall. Ask each group to share their contributions, and scribe on the butcher's paper to create a collaborative class brainstorm. Repeat the process for the remaining two prompts.

Step 3.

Invite students to choose (from the class brainstorm) an issue that they have identified and would like to work on.

This could mean choosing something they like about their community and joining in or extending the reach in some way, or identifying something they don’t like, and acting to change it.

Students can write the issue on which they will focus on the 'How might we...?' question template or on the Student Worksheet.

Step 4.

On the same template, students are prompted to think about how they can frame the issue as a “How might we…?” question. In doing so, they will identify the change they would like to make, as well as the result that they are hoping to achieve.

Ask students to use the issues they’ve raised to come up with an inquiry question using the following template as a guide:

How might we (action to be taken) so that (describe the change that will occur)?

For example:

How might our class help a Homeless Youth Shelter (action) so that young people experiencing homelessness can access support services and get off the streets (change)?

OR

How might our class share our personal experiences as young people with the local council (action) so that they prioritise meaningful activities for us to participate in (change)?

OR

How might our group find a volunteering position that aligns with what we care about (action) so that we can make a positive contribution to the local community (change)?

One of the key things to remember with the setting of the “How might we…?” question is that it is not supposed to be identifying the solution! It should be asking about the change that students would like to see.

Step 5.

Encourage collaboration amongst the class by providing some time for students to mingle with each other to share their “How might we…?” questions. Invite students who are addressing a similar issue or who have a similar question to consider work together. Alternatively, invite the class to create four to five different groups based on the people they would like to work with, and choose the issue that they would like to address together.

Invite students to choose one “How might we…?” question that they will focus on addressing for their action project.

When students are forming groups, see if you can encourage students to work with classmates who might have different abilities, or who are of a different gender or cultural background.

Step 6.

Groups work better when people know what is expected of them. Assigning specific roles to individuals is a good way to ensure that the group work runs smoothly. Sometimes this happens naturally, but if not, assigning roles can be a way to ensure the workload is distributed amongst all members of the group. In light of this, once groups have been established, encourage each group member to take on a role. Explain to students that all members will share leadership responsibilities. This means that each group member will need to ensure that the project stays on track and should be able to explain how the results were achieved. Each group member should be aware of how each member of their group is performing. Group members can take on one of the following roles:

Part B: Ideation - 50 Ideas in 5 Minutes

Step 1.

Now that students have identified the “How might we…?” question they will address, they need to start thinking about the specific action that they will take to make change. This activity will guide them in brainstorming ideas by completing the '50 ideas in 5 minutes' challenge.

Students will work in their groups to come up with as many different and varied ideas as possible in five minutes. The ideas can be as abstract and off-the-wall as students like, but they should also add some practical and realistic ideas as well. The aim is to have as many ideas as possible, with a view to being able to choose one that can be developed, refined and put into action.

The group brainstorm could be run like this:

Give each group a piece of butcher’s paper and each person a texta.
Before starting the five minute countdown, ask students to write their “How might we…?” question on the top of their piece of paper.
Students should stand around the tables rather than sit in their chairs as this encourages more creative thinking.
They should:
1. Write everything down as fast as possible on the butcher's paper.
2. Work fast: they only have five minutes and they need 50 ideas.
3. Do not discuss the ideas at this stage ... just get them recorded.
Give time markers as they progress: "Three minutes left! Two minutes! One minute left!". You could project a countdown of five minutes using this online stopwatch.
Share a rough figure of how many ideas have been generated across the whole class. Remind students how productive they can be in five minutes.
You could offer a prize for the group that creates the most ideas within the five minutes.

Step 2.

Once groups have completed the '50 ideas in 5 minutes' challenge, ask each group to spend some time viewing and discussing their list of ideas. Invite students to nominate their favourite ideas by drawing a star next to the idea they think is the most creative and drawing a smiley face next to the idea that they like best.

Step 3.

Invite each group to select one idea to bring to life. It is important that each group selects 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 as described below.

Ask each group to use the S.M.A.R.T. project criteria to select one idea that they will complete. Explain to students that S.M.A.R.T. project criteria can help: 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.

Step 4.

Explain to students that if any of the ideas don't stand up to the S.M.A.R.T. criteria, they should be discarded. If they have more than one idea that stands up to the S.M.A.R.T. criteria, then the group should decide fairly on which one to choose. If none of the ideas stand up to the S.M.A.R.T. criteria, then groups will need to adjust or adapt existing ideas to meet the criteria.

Part C: Project Planning

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it's the only thing that ever has
Margaret Mead

Step 1.

Write the above quote on the board and explain to students that now they have developed an idea for action, it’s time to start planning a project around this action.

Step 2.

Using the idea developed and refined in Part B, groups should complete the Project Planning Tool (also available on the Student Worksheet). Groups should fill in one per group.

Some tips for supporting groups through the project planning phase:

*Be clear about time allocation
Remind students the time they have to complete the project and encourage them to be realistic about the tasks they have to complete.

*Keep communication high
Make 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
Communicate about what students are doing and how/why they are completing their projects.

*Remind students to prepare for setbacks
Remind them that making change can be hard, encourage them to continue even in the face of obstacles or challenges

Step 3.

Encourage students to check in with people from the local community about the viability of the project they are planning. This could be done through a “World Café” style consultation session. Invite members of the local community into the classroom (e.g. council workers, school management, local business owners) so that they can provide some real-world feedback to your students about what they are planning. This session can take up to an hour from start to finish. If a World Café-style session is possible, use the World Cafe instructions for hosts to help you run the session.

If external guests for the World Cafe session are proving hard to find, ask your colleagues to make some time to visit your class for this important session.

Step 4.

Once students have received feedback around their planned project, give groups some time to revise their plans.

Part D: Execute the Project

Step 1.

After students have completed the planning process, allow time for students to action their projects. This could be done in one day or over a number of weeks. This Project Checklist can be used to help groups keep on track of what they need to do to deliver their project.

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

*Ensure Groups are allocating roles and dividing up the workload fairly

*Encourage all group members to contribute so that all students have ownership over their projects

*Remind students to be realistic and make the project achievable

*Advise students to consider possible challenges and obstacles - being prepared is a great way of ensuring the plan will be a success

*Encourage groups to keep communication lines open at all stages of project planning and actioning

Reflection

A whole-school approach to understanding and taking positive action in the local community isn't just about what happens in the classroom or school, but, importantly, also how it involves the wider community. Furthermore, an important part of real-world learning, such as in this project, is the opportunity for students to present what they learn throughout the project in a public arena.

This could mean hosting people from the local community at an exhibition where the process and final ‘result’ of students' projects are displayed as posters or interactive displays. It could mean creating a class newsletter about students' projects and distributing it to parents and community members. Another option could be producing and screening a two-minute film that documents students' social action projects.

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

What impact did our project have?
Was our project a success? Why or why not?
What parts of the project were the most successful and why?
What parts of the project were the least successful and why? How would we improve these parts?
Overall, how would we improve the project?
What challenges did we face and how did we overcome them?
How could we extend or continue our project?
Does our project have a legacy?

Self reflection - Personal development of Work Skills.

How did I work in the group?
What would I do differently next time?
What was the best part of working on this project and why?
What was the worst part and why?
What impact did I have?
What am I most proud of?
Three transferable skills that I have demonstrated throughout the project are: (give some specific examples around how you demonstrated them)
Click here to register with Aspire Generation and continue to contribute positively to your community.

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. Making change is hard and efforts to make change should be acknowledged and celebrated.

Aspire Generation - Social Action

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