Community Improvement in the School Library

COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT

Community Improvement is a class designed to allow the student to learn how to be a collaborator and problem solver with those in their community. The term community is up for your interpretation. It can mean your school community, Elizabethton, Carter County, Northeast Tennessee, Appalachia, etc. The essential question and theme for this course is "How do I, as a citizen, work to better the lives of those around me?" You may work independently or as part of a group for your project.

My job as the instructor of this course is to help guide you in your journey, be a sounding board for ideas, and facilitate finding a mentor from the community to partner with you. It is also my job to assess your personal growth as a learner and leader and also your demonstrations or mastery of standards (listed below).

ASSESSMENT

Your grade for the course will come from:

—Displayed mastery, or project standards

—Completed portfolio*

—Project proposal form

View the PDF

—Weekly planning and reflections

—Class participation.

*A portfolio must be turned in at the end of the semester that has substantial evidence of each of the project standards as well as personal growth as a learner and leader.

PROJECT STANDARDS FOR MASTERY

1. Use a variety of partners and collaborative efforts to analyze a problem and create a workable, creative solution.

2. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence to partners and the community, acknowledging and addressing opposing views and questions that arise.

3. Make use of digital media and visual displays to enhance interest and understanding of the project, helping partners and the community have a better understanding of the end goal and the process to get there.

4. Use appropriate research methods, verifying the reliability and authenticity of sources, to gain understanding of the problem and guide your thinking when creating a solution.

5. When presenting ideas/solutions, create a cohesive relationship among ideas and concepts to a variety of people, selecting the most relevant facts and information informing and persuading your audience, gaining support for the project throughout.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For more on this activity, see Courtney Pentland's editorial, "Inspiring Changemakers with Project Based Learning" and the accompanying episode of the SLC Podcast, "One Lesson at a Time," where Dustin Hensley shares the process of bringing this project to students.