Environmental Action Learning Group Project
PERSONAL/SOCIAL [3 tasks]
Action Learning Group Project: used to deeply explore ideas, issues, and actions of interest. This is a group project and all members will receive the same grade (unless the instructor has reasoning to differentiate).
Please address the following statement:
“My body is a ‘site’ for describing how the ‘ecological crisis’ is re-inscribed and/or disrupted by my actions or interactions” Payne (1997)
Payne, P. (1997). Embodiment and Environmental Education. Environmental Education Research, 3(2), 133-153.
Use the action learning 12 step process to explore environmental issues (ecological crises) that are of interest to you (your body) and your group. This may be an aspect of how you live, what you believe in and practice, and/or something your society practices. Re-inscribing these practices implies assigning a value to that practice that results in its repetition (consciously or not). Disrupting these practices implies a change is implemented (consciously).
The 12 step process will be introduced to you in an Action Learning Workshop.
To scaffold your success the following 3 tasks are required:
Task 1: Initial group presentation (5%)
Possibility of ideas: present your group, the ideas you talked about and the possibilities you have decided upon for further investigation, the action learning cycles (with some detail), and the evaluation strategy
Evaluation Criteria
• group name
• group project and ideas regarding actions
• information about each step you have progresses through already, and
• plans for the future
During class planning time each group will be asked to present the 12 Minute Briefing (Step 7) to the instructors. The purpose of this is to ensure that you are on track and are accessing useful resources.
On your own time you are expected to maintain written reflections about the Action Learning Group Project journey. You may choose to use the questions in Individual Reflection Questions (Step 12) as prompts.
Task 2: Planning paper (15%)
Describing your project in detail (rationale, specific goals, intended audience), present the background information that is necessary to understand why it is an important issue (include references), summarise the research that has been conducted to date, describe your action learning cycle to-date and propose your actions for the steps planned for your group to take to “get there” in the time remaining, and your communication strategy(s) and why this particular strategy(s) was chosen. Submit 5 single spaced pages (max) word document. Include the completed Team Charter and the completed Planning Framework (step 6) as appendices. Each group will be asked to give a quick presentation describing where they are at the morning this planing paper is due.
Evaluation Criteria
• describe your project in detail (rationale, specific goals, intended audience),
• present the background information that is necessary to understand why it is an important issue (include references),
• summarise the research that has been conducted to date (and ensure it is correctly referenced),
• describe your action learning cycle to-date and propose your actions for the steps planned for your group to take to “get there” in the time remaining,
• describe (briefly) your communication strategy(s) and why this particular strategy(s) was chosen,
• include your team charter,
• indicate whom you are going to invite to be present for the final presentation.
Task 3: Final group presentation (20% - including 5% self reflection)
Presentation: any media. 30 minutes. Engage your fellow class mates in a 30 minute presentation and activity based workshop so that we can all come to understand your experiences with this pedagogical strategy and about your issue and resulting actions. As a part of this final presentation, each group member is expected to complete a self-reflection describing the group process and how you performed, how your group worked together, and critique the Action Learning Group Project pedagogical strategy – this is worth 5%
Evaluation Criteria
• Selection of issue (addressing statement)
• Use of action learning process (illustrate your journey through the 12 steps)
• Evidence of planning (use a process, creative, critical)
• Evidence of research (broad, deep, critical, well analysed, referenced)
• Selection of action/s (appropriate, targeted, definable)
• Action/s taken (describe those achieved and planned)
• Evidence of reflection (iterative process)
• Evidence of a communication strategy (describe and show some “products” if possible)
• Presentation (creativity, clarity, effectiveness, content)
• Group process (team charter reflection on group performance as a group and self evaluation from each member) (5%) – submit 2 page (max) word document