What happens when we elevate the voices of students to address issues that matter to them?
Challenge
Our last two Collab Labs of the season focused on the factors that drive feelings of safety and affirmation for both students and teachers. The output from those sessions is a system map that shows both the factors noted by participants and how they connect. The map is a tool, but not nearly as powerful as the voices of students we heard at those sessions. Our challenge to students is to:
- Identify one more factors that drive feelings of safety, affirmation, or well being at school that matter most to you.
- Develop the story of how those impact you, your peers, or others at school
- Design a response, or intervention to drive a positive change in those factors
- Make the case to gain the support you need to bring your idea to life
Approach
Teachers will have full access to the Community Engaged PBL Framework materials for this challenge. Teachers will have the flexibility to adjust how it is implemented to respond to opportunities and constraints at their school. They will also benefit from the experience of other participating teachers through regular check-ins, and events involving multiple schools.
Support
Learn Deep will:
- Work with participating teachers to talk through implementation and identify specific needs they have to work within curriculum and schedule requirements at their school as well as address specific goals they have for involvement with the project.
- Recruit outside reviewers for problem story, and intervention design
- Create opportunities to collaborate with students from other participating schools
- Organize Field experiences with program partners
- Coordinate a year end review and project pitch event
- Offer a virtual platform (inspirEd) for check-in meetings and on-line collaboration with participating teachers.
Timing & Deliverables
Fall Semester:
- Identify an area of focus, and develop the story
- Problem and story review
Spring Semester
- Response design and feedback
- Presentation of design proposals and pitch
Participation
Participation is open to middle and high schools within Milwaukee County. Limited to 8 schools and no more than 200 students.
