Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Welcome to the Service Learning Texas Summer Institute! Presenters: Kristin Foster & Su Mohr

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Thank you Westwood High School Student Leaders: Divya Rayapati Gunjan Singh Noor Momin

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Service Learning is: • “A way for youth to gain knowledge and develop skills while meeting real community needs” –Service Learning Texas • The object is to ensure that the service is meaningful and will meet the needs of those being served.

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Student Leadership is: • Personalization, strength building, and bridge building • Focus on algebra and science classrooms • Requests by teachers and students • Never “target” students; Trust instincts and work with all students • In High demand; Requests for support are frequently denied due to unavailability

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Student Leadership is also: • A Service Learning project designed to collaborate with school district initiatives to close the achievement gap • Students partner with teachers and provide service in classrooms • State elective credit

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Conference Mission Statement • Utilizing the 2010 youth track service learning curriculum and the leaders model, a framework to hear youth voice and implement curriculum linked service learning will be provided • We brought duct tape in case you are struggling

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Ice Breakers and Team Builders Break into pairs or trios… Interview each other and gather the following information (5 minutes total) • What do you enjoy? Hobbies? • What are you good at? Hidden talents? • What do you want to learn about? Introduce each other to the entire group, but only share their name and 1 thing you want the entire group to know about your partner (remaining 5 min).

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Look & Listen • Use the notebooks at your table and your own experiences and knowledge base to discuss local community issues or social “hot topics” • Relate each to what you are learning/teaching in the classroom “L” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Student Reflection Questions “L”: Look and Listen • Has every voice been heard? • Has the youth voice been heard? • Is someone taking a leadership role? • Can you clearly see how the social issue relates to what you are learning or would like to learn in your class? “L” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Teacher Reflection Questions “L”: Look and Listen • As the adult facilitator/teacher, how would you ensure that youth voice has been heard? • How would you ensure clear curriculum links are being made? • Discuss possible service learning projects/programs you might use or have used on your campuses and the challenges you might face when implementing them. More on Next Slide…

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice More Teacher Reflection Questions “L”: Look and Listen • What procedures would need to follow in order to begin a service learning project on your campus? • Discuss how an adult/teacher might “sabotage” listening for youth voice and the impact that might have on project outcomes

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Examine the issues! • Using the notebooks, identify the local community resources and pick two to explore more deeply. Divide your group in half so each role plays the following: • Utilizing the phone script provided in your notebook, appoint one person in your group as the “volunteer coordinator” representing the community partner you have chosen to explore. • Have the remainder of your group act as the youth team/class making the calls. Practice the script as though you are actually making the calls. “E” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice StudentReflection Questions “E”: Examine the Issues • How did your group rule out issues along the way? • How hard was it to find a community partner? • What kind of priorities do you need to have in order to make a partner “official”? • Ease in Partnering • Communication • Level of impact • Greatest need • Clearest link to curriculum “E” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “E”: Examine the Issues • How do you decide if you need to narrow the potential partners prior to student involvement? • How much money could you anticipate budgeting for this project thus far? • What was your groups’ experience with the phone script.

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice How to Decide “A”: Agree to Take Action Using the “decision making matrix” sample provided in your notebook, decide how long we will take break. “A” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Decision Making Matrix

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Decide “A”: Agree on a Project Using the “decision making matrix” and possibly the following criteria, decide on a service project: • timeframe • cost/materials • transportation • accessibility • accomplish the concerns/priorities • skills within the group • weather forecast • learning goals: project design linked to curriculum? “A” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice StudentReflection Questions “A”: Agree on a Project • How important were team dynamics in agreeing on a project? • Was their conflict in coming to agreement? • If so, how did you handle it? “A” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “A”: Agree on a Project • What other ways might you encourage group consensus on a service project? • How much time might this step of the project design take? • What is the teacher’s role if it is already anticipated that the project design is not feasible? …more on next slide

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice …more TeacherReflection Questions “A”: Agree on a Project • How might you modify the student’s reflection questions in order to ensure they have had the best opportunity to be successful? • What problems or concerns do you anticipate encountering; both with the students and with the district/campus?

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Student Reflection Questions : “D” – Develop a Plan When considering who would fill these possible roles, consider these questions: • What are your skills? • Would you like to learn a new skill? • How do we chose who does what? Project Manager Time Keeper Storyteller/thank you notes Communicator/Public Relations Artist/thank you notes Note taker/data & results Budget Manager Cheerleader/Encourager Devil’s Advocate Musician “D” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice …MORE student reflection questions How can you document your progress and impact during the project? • Results (ie. # bags of trash) • Creative documentation (film, photos, comments) Documentation team • Photographers • Videographer • Journalist • Project manager Are the goals of the project specifically outlined? Have you considered contacting the partners who weren’t chosen? “D” of the Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “D”: Develop a Plan • What possible structures might you put into place to ensure each student’s skill base is utilized to its potential? • At what point, and at what level, might a teacher intervene when the plan does not include the original priorities and clearly indicate curriculum links?

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Execute the project! …now this is fun stuff! How are you documenting what you are doing? • Before/after pictures • Results and responses, including: feelings, thoughts, impressions “E” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice StudentReflection Questions “E”: Execute the Project • Did you consider reflecting on progress throughout project implementation? • Were any modifications to your plan necessary during the project? • How important was team work during this phase? • Did any conflict arise? And if so, how did you handle it? More on Next Slide…

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice More StudentReflection Questions “E”: Execute the Project • What was surprising? • What was challenging? • What was most disappointing? • What did you enjoy? • Would you repeat this elsewhere or in another setting?

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “E”: Execute the project • How many roles of duct tape will you need during “your execution”? • Why is duct tape even more important during this phase of the project? “E” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Students Review Outcomes …Reflection taken to the next level! Utilizing a note taker (noting reflections), communicator (facilitator) and project manager (driver), document the following: • What did we accomplish? • (How many bags of trash, how many people served, etc) • What did we learn? • (curriculum links and other surprises) • What would you change? • How are we going to share our process and outcomes (what you learned)? More on Next Slide…

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice …More “Student” Review Outcomes • How did you monitor progress? • How flexible were the project activities and did you modify as needed? • Have you written thank you notes? “E” of Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “R”: Review Outcomes! • How might you receive and utilize feedback from students, community partners and administrative staff in order to improve your overall project design and implementation? • Discuss the possible budget issues and time constraints you might confront on your campuses?

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice Students Developing the Showcase Hints: • Consider using the decision making matrix? • The focus of the showcase is best centered on what you learned throughout…rather than what you did for the project, although that should be included. • How do you best demonstrate your learning gained from the project and how it was linked to curriculum? …More on Next Slide

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice …MORE Students Developing the Showcase • How can everyone be involved in the presentation? • Has the project manager delegated assignments and tasks? If not…why not? And then…WHO? • How do you celebrate the results if you didn’t meet the project goals? • How do you share/include your showcase with the community partners? ”S” of the Leaders Model

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice TeacherReflection Questions “S”: Showcase • How will you showcase what you have learned today with your campus, district and community? • Complete post test and evaluation.

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice For the past year, I have told Divya, Gunjan and Noor: “I bow to you”. So, please stand and help me thank our student leaders with a group bow! To request the youth track curriculum prompt cards and other digitized forms, please email: su_mohr@roundrockisd.org

Duct Tape Increases Youth Voice