{"id":96,"date":"2022-04-06T12:43:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T16:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/amygreig\/?p=96"},"modified":"2022-04-06T13:55:56","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T17:55:56","slug":"creating-opportunities-for-student-leadership-through-service-learning-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/amygreig\/2022\/04\/06\/creating-opportunities-for-student-leadership-through-service-learning-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating opportunities for student leadership through service learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My \u201cHow Might We\u201d question started out as a very specific and wordy question. I think this is because I began this cohort 21 journey with a preconceived plan for what I wanted to create this year. It has shifted in recent weeks to be more broad, which I think is quite helpful as I have realized through conversation with colleagues that there are many ways of achieving my end goal. It has morphed into \u201cHow might we use service learning to create meaningful opportunities for student leadership\u201d. My initial question implied that I was going to be doing all the work, so \u201cHow might we\u2026\u201d just didn\u2019t sound right. I have to remember that delivering big programs such as this always requires time, energy and buy-in from a team of teachers and not just me.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my quest for more opportunities for student leadership in the junior school, I landed on service learning as a great way to motivate students to step up and make a difference in their community. I know that time is a limiting factor in most independent schools as teachers are all trying to implement their programs and compete for time for planning and delivery.\u00a0 I wanted to create a template and provide some inspiration that teachers could use as a launching point so that students work through the process of service learning without a lot of teacher planning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have created a series of steps that could be used with students in grades 6-8 and would give students a voice, a sense of empowerment and opportunities to take responsibility for the project that aligns with their passions and interests. These ideas came from several places including MAD projects run at HSC (thanks to Lindsay Welsh), student leadership projects run at KCS (thanks to Shelley Gaudet) and great publications put out by the National Leadership Youth Council (https:\/\/www.nylc.org\/).<\/span><\/p>\n

STEPS<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Hook the kids by showing<\/span> Kid President-How to Change the World<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. What are you passionate about and what are your strengths? <\/span>This activity is all about self-awareness and discovery and should lead to successful service projects that students will care about.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  3. Establishing group norms. <\/span>This activity is to establish the importance of teamwork and good communication when working in groups.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  4. Identifying Issues. <\/span>This initial brainstorming activity may help students form groups with like-minded individuals.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  5. Please watch the video and read through the<\/span> UN sustainable development goals.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>The goal is to have students create a service learning project in which transdisciplinary skills are developed and students use academic knowledge while helping out in some way.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  6. Go through the Design Thinking Process in groups to come up with a \u201cHow Might We\u2026\u201d question.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Choose a cause to support and create a service learning project that is linked to a topic that has been covered (or will be covered) in an academic course.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Complete the proposal form. <\/span>This form must be reviewed by supporting teachers to ensure the scope is feasible and appropriate.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  9. Complete the Student Leadership Strengths survey.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Leadership styles and goal setting. <\/span>Students will identify their leadership style so that they become aware of their strengths and challenges and are better equipped to set goals.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  11. Create an action plan by completing the template. <\/span>This tracking page is for students to take on responsibilities and for teachers to be able to check in and monitor progress.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n
  12. Carry out your project. Decide how you will share what you have accomplished.<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Complete the project reflection.<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Wrap up project with a kudos circle. <\/span>This should be a celebration of everyone’s contributions to this experience.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Just before the pandemic the Junior School introduced Interdisciplinary Projects to our students. While this was already something that was happening organically in many courses, we wanted to be more intentional about having students work with kids from other classes based on shared interests. We delivered preliminary lessons that forced students to think about a problem from the perspective of specific courses. There were several problems that we ran into with this process, but at the end of the day, the students enjoyed having a chunk of time each week to collaborate with their peers and work on a project of their choosing. I have realized that this chunk of time is perfect for service learning. These types of projects will naturally incorporate skills from different academic subjects so adding the service element is a natural progression.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Questions…<\/span><\/p>\n

    How often should students engage in this process? How long will it take for students to get through their projects? Can we orchestrate field trips to get students off campus to engage with the various organizations that they are supporting? Outdoor education is another sphere that includes many opportunities for student leadership. Is there a way that service learning and outdoor education can be integrated?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Logistics are always at the forefront of my brain when planning a program so I can\u2019t help but consider what the scheduling of all of this will look like. If the timetable is adjusted so that each wednesday morning includes a block of 90 minutes for service learning, can we fill this period of time each week from September until June or should we be rotating between different programs throughout the year such as outdoor education, SEL, passion projects, pluralism, STEAM projects etc. Maybe each grade should focus on a particular program during this block of time; while the grade 7’s focus on a service project, the grade 8’s could prepare for a canoe trip!<\/span><\/p>\n

    While this project has left me with many questions, I feel that I have uncovered some great ideas that might inspire students to develop and use their leadership skills to carry out a service project and make a difference in our world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Click here for slide deck<\/a><\/p>\n