Assignment:
Based on your readings in the required resources, identify the main ‘barriers' that you see to activating sectors in your community. What about building consensus? Why? Be specific, but not critical, in your examples. Which of the examples and suggestions in our required readings do you think would be the easiest to implement and would work best in your community? Why?
Instructor Guidance
Week three is very much a continuation of week two. We will continue to look at barriers, ways to build assets, and how to utilize community resources, schools, administrators, teachers, and parents in providing opportunities. But what is different in week three is that we also begin to work on your final assignment for the class. We will consider all the resources we have examined so far and what you have learned about your own school or community to begin to focus your final project. There are many resources for this week, both reading and video, that will help you develop ideas for your project.
In the first discussion for this week, you must first review the required resources. Then you are asked to identify a barrier in your school or community that prevents you from activating portions of the community to come together to solve the problem. For example, you may decide that building consensus cannot be done. But why is that? Rather than being emotionally critical about the barrier, please be analytic and reflective as you discuss it. As part of this discussion, you should also identify any of the required readings and videos that you think would be easy to implement and what might work in your particular school or community. Be sure you explain why you chose the resources you chose.
In the second discussion for this week, you again have a number of readings and videos to review before you begin to write your response. From the resources, you are asked to identify at least three examples of how the educators were able to incorporate developmental assets into their school operations. You should also identify at least three examples of where the educators could have gone further in developing or using the assets. Finally, reflect on which of the methods observed might work for you personally. Do you see any barriers to incorporating the strategies in your school or community?
For the Journal this week, you are asked to be reflective and consider the statements listed. For example based on the work so far in this class, where do you feel you can make an immediate impact in your school or community? What leads you to believe this? While there are emotions to consider, please analyze your beliefs so that you will have a basis for your final project.
The written assignment for this week picks up where your Journal stops. In a well-reasoned and analytically reflective paper, describe your vision of the initiative you would like to start in your school or community. Summarize the developmental assets that we discussed in week one, and then identify the specific assets that will be necessary for your initiative. You should also defend your choice of assets based on your own understanding of the need and what you see in your community. Of course, your paper must be formatted in APA style and must cite at least three scholarly resources in addition to the textbook. It will be helpful if you review this additional resource concerning the developmental assets: 40 Developmental Assets - Kyle.
It is still another great week for learning!
Reference
City of St. Albert. (2010, April 26). 40 Developmental Assets - Kyle
Required Resources
1. Read from your text, Assets in action: A handbook for making communities better places to grow up.
o Chapter - Activate Sectors and Invigorate Programs
o Chapter - Influence Civic Decisions
2. Read from your text, Quick-start guide to building assets in your prevention program:
o Pages 21-24
o Pages 25-26
3. Edutopia. (2009). Classroom Management Video Tips for Teachers
• High Tech High engineering teacher Darrell McClendon quizzes his student on content questions as they enter the room.
4. Edutopia. (2007). Smart Hearts: Social and Emotional Learning Overview
• This video describes how emotional intelligence must be developed in children before any other learning can effectively take place.
5. Lenz, B. (2007). A community of learners: Building a supporting learning environment
• Bob Lenz discusses the Envision Schools and reviews how these schools support and empower their students.
6. Scurry, A. (2011). How to provide meaningful support services in a virtual school: Robust family support (part 1 of 4)
• Adrienne Scurry discusses the Diamond Model that the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School uses to identify and define their Family Support Department.
7. Search Institute. (2010). Sparks Matter: Finding Your Spark
• In this video, students discuss the concept of sparks and how they motivate and empower them.
8. Search Institute. (2011). Sparks Matter: Listening for Sparks
• In this video, students discuss listening for sparks.
9. Sheninger, E. (2011). Student driven schools
• This blog contains a guest post by two students at New Milford High School who wrote about a student initiative supported by administration.