C15: Unlocking Action at the Highest Level

by Lu Gerlach

​If you’re like me, my head was reeling a bit last time when discussing the different types and levels of action students can take.  As a result, I decided to go on a hunt to better understand this process. Here’s a deeper understanding of Level 3 types of action.

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Participation

Being actively involved in a community through individual or group actions

How to Participate: 

• Take responsibility of learning
• Work with others to take collective action
• Actively contribute to learning and discussions
• Inform family and community members about potential actions 
• Get involved in projects on an individual, group, community level
• Be apart of the decision-making process
• Find consensus

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Advocacy

Supporting positive changes for social, environmental, and political issues through individual or group actions. 
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How to Advocate: 

• Support each other
• Take ownership of unsolved problems 
• Share findings with the community
• Share your voice
• Demonstrate leadership roles in class or school
• Be apart of a campaign for positive change

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Social Justice

Taking positive action to support human rights, equality, and equity.  This action is centered on societal advantages, social well-being and justice for all. 
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How to Support Social Justice:

• Explore issues about fairness from multiple perspectives
• Challenge assumptions and generalizations
• Be aware of challenges in the local and global community
• Volunteer in response to your community needs
• Reflect on positive experiences of social change
• Reflect on ethical implications of certain decisions

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Social Entrepreneurship

Looking at local, national, and global needs and identifying opportunities to innovate in resourceful and sustainable ways. 
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How to Initiate Social Entrepreneurship:

• Design and create a prototype to solve a real-word issue (life straw)
• Initiate positive projects to lift up your local community (recycling, peer tutoring, gardening club, etc.)
• Connect with corporate sponsors to donate time and support to local projects

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Lifestyle Choices

Making positive lifestyle changes in response to learning.

How to Make Lifestyle Choices

• Reflect regularly on personal choices
• Think about choices that are impacting your physical, personal, spiritual and emotional health
• Take responsibility of your actions within relationships
• Examine the consumption of food, water, energy, resources, technology, etc. 
• Address issues around consumer activism: no plastic bags, good pay, etc.

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If you’re like me, you wonder how they will work with kids.  We know that not all types of action need to be done at the same time, but for this example, I’m going to show you their connection as I see it in my brain. I could be wrong, so leave me some comments on my website thinkchat2020.weebly.com or on twitter @thinkchat2020

A topic that has been on my mind a lot has been racial inequity.  I work in a school that serves about 98% Black American and 2% Hispanic students in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Houston, Texas.  WIth the events this past summer, this question has been brewing in my mind.  

Issue:  Why is there such a racial divide of opportunity in America? 

Participation: In speaking with black colleagues, I asked specific questions about racial inequality they faced when shopping, driving through predominantly white neighborhoods, getting into higher education, and job placement

Advocacy: I started speaking to different non-Black friends about the racial divide in our society and our part in that process.  We spoke about systemic racism and I debunked misconceptions on social media. 

Social Justice: I participated in an anti-gun rally through our community to remind people that violence is not the solution to the problem.  

Social Entrepreneurship: I partnered with our after-school program to teach them about the PYP and the exhibition. They are supporting our mission to better the lives of our students by connecting to the ideas they are learning in school with after-school mentorship.

Lifestyle Choices: I’m being more aware of how I am supporting systemic racism by the things I say, the way I think at times about the black community, the things I could to view that perpetuate stereotypes, and so on. 

This is how you build up action as a disposition. Next time, we will explore how to bridge the three types of action together to change the dispositions of even our youngest learners.  Together, we can do this.