Step 05

Build Motivation

Having students choose their own issue inherently improves students’ motivation; however, everyone needs a little extra motivation some times, so please consider the suggestions below.

Spend time allowing students to describe the reasons to care about this issue. This will be the foundation of motivation you will draw on throughout the project. Take time to build motivation well and to revisit this process often.

You may also wish to:

• Visit the humans and non-human others that you are working with in your groups issue (take pictures)

• Create a group mural about the issue – perhaps a now and then! (visioning for the future)

• Get outdoors whenever possible, not just when necessary

• Tune into what is going on outdoors (seasonally, locally, daily)

ACTIVITY So What? (45 minutes)

Adapted from: LSF – Engaging Students in Sustainable Action Projects

Students create a concept map of their issue. The central picture of the map depicts the issue. Each line away from the central picture asks the question “so what?. At the end of each line is a new picture which tries to address the “so what?” question.

Objectives

• Students explore the diverse reasons to care about something.

• Students draw upon emotional and rational dimensions of their responses to an issue.

Materials

• Chart paper (preferably already used on one side)

• Crayons, pencil crayons, etc.

• Old magazines, glue, scissors (not essential but very helpful)

Procedure

1. Model the activity described below using an appropriate issue.

a. In the centre of a piece of chart paper, draw a shape (square, circle, squiggly shape). Inside that shape, draw a picture (or use pictures from a magazine) that represents something that bugs you. NOTE: trying to use pictures rather than words can help students to try to think about the issue in a more holistic way (eg. Lots of roads are being built in the area in which I live).

b. Draw a line away from the picture. On top of the line, write the question, “so what?”.

c. Connect the line to a new shape.

d. Inside the shape, draw a picture of one of the consequences of the thing that bugs you (eg more roads means more cars on the roads).

e. Draw a line away from the picture of the cars. On top of the line, write the question, “so what?”.

f. Connect the line to a new shape. In the shape, draw a picture of the consequences of the situation in the previous picture (eg. More cars means more air pollution).

g. Continue with this one line of thinking until you no longer have an answer to the question so what (for example, my next picture would be of my grandfather dead because older people and very young people are very vulnerable to air pollution.)

h. Start a new spoke from the central picture with a new line of thinking (eg. More roads also bother me because they take habitat away from animals. So what? = fewer animals. So what? = fewer animals for me to see. So what? = less happiness for me.

i. Continue

2. Have the students create their own “So What?” maps using the issue that they chose for their Action learning Group Project.

3. Have the students post their maps around the room and invite everyone to look at everyone else’s. Students should be given the opportunity to not post their maps.

Taking time to refer back to these concept maps might support students to reflect back on why they initially chose this issue. This could be important when they are experiencing road blocks or difficult times, or in times of success.

ACTIVITY Visioning a Change (30 minutes)

Adapted from: LSF – Engaging Students in Sustainable Action Projects

Sometime students might need more encouragement. This next activity might be just what they need: a chance to vision a change in the future that they have had a hand in creating in response to their issue.

Part I:

• Use the chart below. Discuss the meaning of each of the headings, using the example to illustrate the meaning. Solicit other examples from the whole group.

• In small groups, have students work on generating more examples.

• Debrief in large group.

What would a school that is working toward a sustainable future look like?

Part II:

Ask students to brainstorm in small groups: what are some things that happen at your school that are not Earth-friendly? Consider the rules, and practices. Use the value-line activity (page ??) procedure to have students choose: if you could change one thing about your school, what would be the non-Earth-friendly thing from your list that you would most like to change?