About our project: How Can We Contribute to Our Community in Positive Ways as Conscious Citizens?
Is there a difference between being a local and a national citizen? As a citizen of Rockingham, how can we positively contribute to our community? What does it take to make a positive contribution? Can one person make a difference? These were some of the questions that 26 Year 8 students pondered during their Creative Schools HASS project focusing on Civics and Citizenship.
What happened:
Under the guidance of teachers Rob Elliott and Jesse Hutchinson and sculptor Melanie Maclou the project began by researching inspiring young people who make a positive difference in the world.
This led us to connect with Dean Morris, a local young person, who at 10 years of age started up his own not-for-profit organisation ‘Give Our Strays a Chance’. Dean raises awareness of adopting strays and actively collects food and medical donations for animal shelters, the homeless and wildlife affected by bushfires. He’s a good example of a young person who saw something contrary to his beliefs and was passionate enough to make a difference. Dean visited the school along with his dog Otis and they were an immediate hit with other teachers and students coming to visit the class. Dean is a strong believer that youth have the power to change the world and hopefully he inspired our students to believe that they too can make a difference in their world.
There’s talking. There is excitement. Rather than being told to be quiet.
- Student
We had originally planned for students to undertake a form of voluntary work experience in the local community but were unable to proceed so instead asked the students to undertake a ‘random act of kindness’ in the community and document it. As inspiration, we watched some of the movie Pay It Forward. Students reported sharing food with a homeless man, assisting a man with mobility challenges on public transport and doing chores without being asked. They put together an iMovie that provided examples of these random acts of kindness. In our final session we made thank you cards to give to people we value in our lives.
Creative Schools is a lot more hands-on work. You have to think about it, not just writing things down. In normal lessons I keep quiet and focus on my own work. In Creative Schools you get to work with others.
- Student
We also spent a couple of sessions looking at how Design Thinking could help make positive change in the school community. The students formed groups as ‘Principals for a Day’ to explore the possibilities. They created posters and presented their suggestions to the rest of the class. We also invited a group of Year 12 HASS students and their teacher, who provided feedback on their ideas.
How did we use the Five Creative Habits of Learning?
Based on the well-known starfish story about a boy returning starfish one at a time to the ocean, we wrote down on pieces of coloured paper which of the Five Habits we used the most in a session. We then attached these to the classroom walls. Melanie often encouraged students to reflect on what they were doing and which Habit of Learning it was related to at the time to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning.
I’ve learned collaboration. Usually I like to work on my own. But I’m learning to work with others.
- Student
You have to do a lot of things that are out of your social boundaries which is scary. I don’t usually do this sort of thing, I have social anxiety. But I pushed past it to take part in the warm-ups.
- Student
What did we discover?
We found that incorporating a lot of creative group work into our sessions provided the opportunity for some normally quiet, withdrawn students the opportunity to blossom and shine. They were afforded a voice because they felt safer in groups. Melanie also pushed this further by asking them to present their work often and was surprised that they often stepped up to the challenge.
I’m noticing kids who are insecure are expressing who they are. They are encouraged to be in groups.
- Student
The Design Thinking sessions provided a concise breakdown of how to tackle projects simply and creatively, providing a tool they can hopefully use in the future. Incorporating the Five Habits into each session also provided the opportunity for students to observe and take ownership of their learning. Most students enjoyed the collaborative nature of our sessions.
There is nothing like meeting the real thing! The visit by change-maker Dean and his companion Otis was definitely a highlight for our Creative Schools program.
I’ve enjoyed it. The Creative teaches me new skills and a new way to learn that I wouldn’t usually get in a classroom. I feel like I’m not competing. In regular classes you compete against others. But in Creative Schools you work with others.
- Student
The impact of the Teacher/Creative team:
I see the value in the creative sessions and wish I was involved from the beginning. Teacher
The new teacher is really on board with the Creative Schools project and has assigned the project 20% of the student’s assessment for the term. We are hoping this is a motivator. We are keeping the project flexible around the format of their projects to give them ownership. Creative Practitioner
Main Curriculum Focus: Humanities and Social Sciences
Cross-curricular Links:
• Personal, social and community health: contributing to active and healthy communities.
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