Day 38: Dreaming as Big as We Can

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a day visiting the grade 12 World Issues class at Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School. What a visit! The class is currently engaged in an inquiry project related to the United Nations 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. I should also add that their teacher is involved in New Pedagogies for Deep Learning.

The class established a goal: to educate others about the UN Sustainability Goals and to prompt people to take action to achieve these goals. Based on the interest they felt most connected to and the issues they felt passionate about, students divided into seven groups. Each group chose one of the 17 global goals to focus on. (#npssglobalgoals)

This inquiry project had some parameters established by the teacher. Student work had to include:

• learning about the issue

• sharing learning with others  
• blogging about it and using social media to help achieve their goal
• taking action - at a local level and a global level
• identifying connections to Fullan’s Six Cs
• documenting their learning journey

For me, part of being in the class for the day involved interviewing some of the students about their learning as they launched into this project. I have to admit, I was quite emotional as I listened to what students had to say about their learning, their teacher, the choice and trust that was given to them, the risks they were taking, and the fact that they felt empowered to make a real difference. As one student said, “Dreaming as big as we can...going all out.” Their excitement was evident. I also found it interesting that not once did the conversation with these grade 12 students centre around marks. It was all about the learning, achieving their goal, working together and making a difference.  

The students have wonderful ideas about how they can share their learning and have already been very active in using social media to spread the word and in planning their local and global actions. They have already established partnerships with other departments in their school, community organizations, elementary schools, and global organizations. To get a glimpse of what is happening, check out their blog posts on: http://thegreentimberwolf.blogspot.ca/.

I can’t wait to see what happens as their learning continues. I am confident that this class will make a difference. Additionally, I believe the learning opportunities facilitated by their teacher will also make a difference in their lives in helping to foster a mindset and a skill set that will serve them long after their high school days.