Student Action/Service

At ICS Addis, we believe that education must extend beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action. An explicit expectation of the ICS program is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process. This action will extend the student’s learning or it may have a wider social impact and will certainly look different within each age range. We see it as our responsibility to offer all learners the opportunity and the power to choose, to act, to decide on their actions, and to reflect on these actions in order to make a difference in, to and with the world. 

Action as Service:

The action component can involve service in the widest sense of the word: service to fellow students and to the larger community both in and outside the school.

Through such service, students are able to grow both personally and socially developing skills such as cooperation, problem solving, conflict resolution, and creative and critical thinking. These actions are ways in which the students exhibit their commitment to the attributes of the learner profile that we seek to engender within the classroom. In fact, the actions the students choose to take as a result of the learning may be considered the most significant summative assessment of the learning.

Guidelines for Implementing Effective Action:

• It should be modeled by the adults in the school community – the action(s) that are approved will be based on the needs of the school community and the local community.

• It should be voluntary and involve students in exercising their own initiative.

• It is best grounded in the students’ concrete experiences.

• It is most beneficial to the students when they are able to witness the outcome.

• It usually begins in a small way and arises from genuine concern and commitment.

• It should include anticipation of consequences and accepting of responsibility.

• It may require appropriate adult support in order to facilitate students’ efforts and to provide them with alternatives and choices.

Any student wishing to engage in action wider than extending their own learning, needs to complete an Action/Service Form available in the ES office. The form will be reviewed by the principal and our elementary Action/Service Coordinator to ensure all the components mentioned here are present.

Note: The action of fundraising, either modeled by adults or initiated by students, is common in schools. Although the outcome of the fundraising is worthy for students whose participation is limited to the giving of money, it may not require much in the way of personal commitment or reflection. We will attempt to challenge the student(s) to find more interactive ways to take action.