Action in the PYP
Action: How do we want students to act?
The International Baccalureate Organization states, "In the PYP, it is believed 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 PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process."
A note about fundraising: "Although the outcome of fundraising is worthy ... it may not require much in the way of personal commitment or reflection. It is intended that the person taking action will grow from the experience, and that the process of taking action or not will contribute to each student establishing a personal set of values."
The International Baccalureate Organization states, "In the PYP, it is believed 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 PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process."
A note about fundraising: "Although the outcome of fundraising is worthy ... it may not require much in the way of personal commitment or reflection. It is intended that the person taking action will grow from the experience, and that the process of taking action or not will contribute to each student establishing a personal set of values."
So what does Action look like?
- Action can be as simple as children actively turning off the water when they brush their teeth (and, even better, persuading their families to do the same) after learning about water conservation. Other Action requires more reflection and planning.
Below are some examples of Action that Mrs. Aho's students have taken in recent years:
-students raised money for thewaterproject.org to help give the gift of clean water to people in Sudan
-students sponsored a canned food drive for The Kitchen
-one student and her mom donated toothbrushes and toothpaste to the Missouri Hotel
-one student persuaded his family to start recycling
-students collected gently used clothes from their homes and neighbors' homes to donate to the VA
-one student collected books for Isabel's House
-one student picked up trash in a park, another cleaned up an alley near her house
-students donated food and supplies for the Humane Society
-students participated in raising money for food shipments to Haiti
-students volunteered for Convoy of Hope and sorted hundreds of cans of food
-students helped the cafeteria workers at Field clean tables after lunch
-students have raked neighbors' lawns, painted mailboxes, and cleaned elderly relatives' homes
The more experience our kids have with this kind of work, the more powerful it becomes; the goal is to light a fire from within. The goal for my class is one Action Plan per student per unit. Students will present completed action to the class, and WE WILL HANG THESE UP IN THE FOURTH-GRADE HALLWAY, so PICTURES are appreciated!