Authentic learning how to facilitate community improvement through project-based learning (1)

Authentic Learning:
How to Facilitate
Community Improvement
Through Project-Based
Learning
Presented by Rebekah
Cohen Morris

All handouts (including this presentation) are
included in the Authentic Learning (DEAC
2016) group on Office 365.

For the Love of Buford Highway (an 11-minute documentary featuring our work)

Learning Goals and Outcomes
For teachers to learn how to connect
learning to real-world issues that extend
outside of his/her particular subject area
(cross-curricular learning)
To change the way teachers (and students) see “school” by
demonstrating that student work can have an immediate
impact on his/her community
For teachers to learn how to display student work in a
way that effects positive change and facilitates
discussion within the school’s community

Learning Goals and Outcomes (continued)
For teachers to learn how to engage
students in their communities
For teachers to learn how to assess Georgia Standards of
Excellence using innovative, project-based strategies that
truly changes the way that kids view school
For teachers to learn how to design
and implement community-
oriented lesson plans that are
academically rigorous, relevant,
and impactful

Community-Engaged Teaching
Community Engaged Teaching seeks to use the classroom as a way to not only educate
students, but to also engage with the community in a real and tangible way
By utilizing this form of teaching, you will be doing the following:
Increasing student performance
Increasing student engagement & motivation
Using technology in real, meaningful ways
Impacting the community in a tangible way
Demonstrating how the academic world connects with the “real” world
Developing and empowering students to become leaders

Increase Student Engagement
Students who previously did not complete their class work discovered how to apply
their reading/writing skills through:
• Creating websites
• Creating and maintaining social media sites
• Contacting community leaders and city officials through written letters or by phone
• Designing project display boards
• Planning logistics for the exhibit
• Developing creative solutions to their community’s issues

What Does This Actually Look Like?
Project Website
http://buhiproject.weebly.com/
Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699519853629086/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thebuhiproject/
Teacher Website
https://www.thatenglishteacher.weebly.com/
Yearbook Features
https://www.facebook.com/CKHSYearbook/photos/a.1460541827582708.1073741827.146
0540180916206/1528039864166237/?type=3&theater

How Have Students Impacted Their Community?
Summer Projects – Guerilla Gardeners
https://www.gofundme.com/vh4r6vxg
Student Presentation to Brookhaven City Council
http://brookhavencityga.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=1510
Documentary by Graduate Students from Georgia State University
https://www.facebook.com/events/952466238205679/

How Did the Press Respond?
Press Coverage
http://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/dekalb/cross-keys-high-schoolers-
envision-future-of-buford-highway/article_5c2bf86c-f75c-11e5-9dfb-
afab2379b319.html
http://thechampionnewspaper.com/news/local/cross-keys-freshmen-engage-with-
public-officials/
http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2016/03/04/cross-keys-students-plan-buford-
highways-future/
https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/ga/chamblee/city-of-chamblee/cross-keys-hs-
students-invite-the-community-to-share-plans-and-dreams-for-the-future-of-buford-
highway-22672579

Guest Speakers at Cross Keys
Betsy Eggers, Founder of the
Peachtree Creek Greenway
Spoke with our class about pedestrian
access, green infrastructure, community
development, and civic engagement
strategies.
Students responded by reading two
different news articles covering the same
topic (annotated and discussed). Students
also wrote reflections on Ms. Eggers
presentation.

Joe Gebbia, Councilman
City of Brookhaven
Spoke with class about current development plans
and rationale, including affordable housing,
pedestrian safety improvements, public transit,
and gentrification.
He also spoke about financing mechanisms and
civic engagement, extending an invitation to the
class to present ideas at a council work session.

Marian Liou, Founder
We Love BuHi
Spoke with our class about her organization
which envisions a safe, livable, and fun
Buford Highway corridor.
Co-sponsored our BuHi Exhibit at Plaza
Fiesta and hosted a community visioning
session at a local restaurant.

Standards-Alignment: World Geography
The student will understand that humans,
their society, and the environment affect
each other.
The student will understand that location affects a
society’s economy, culture, and development.
The student will
understand that
the movement or
migration of
people and ideas
affects all
societies
involved.
The student will
understand that
when there is conflict
between or within
societies, change is
the result.
The student will understand
that the actions of
individuals, groups, and/or
institutions affect society
through intended and
unintended consequences.
The student will understand that
location affects a society’s economy,
culture, and development.
The student will
understand that
the movement or
migration of
people and ideas
affects all societies
involved.

Standards-Alignment: Science
SCSh8. Students will understand
important features of the process of
scientific inquiry
SCSh7. Students analyze how scientific knowledge
is developed
SCSh6. Students will
communicate scientific
investigations and
information clearly.
use standard safety
practices for all
classroom laboratory
and field
investigations.
demonstrate the computation
and estimation skills
necessary for analyzing data
and developing reasonable
scientific explanations
SCSh3. Students will identify and
investigate problems scientifically
SCSh4. Students use
tools and instruments
for observing,
measuring, and
manipulating
scientific equipment
and materials
evaluate the importance of
curiosity, honesty, openness,
and skepticism in science.

Standards-Alignment: ELA
ELAGSE9-10RI8 Delineate and evaluate
the argument and specific claims in a text,
assessing whether the reasoning is valid
and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;
identify false statements and fallacious
reasoning.
ELAGSE9-10SL3: Evaluate and/or reflect on a
speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious
reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence
ELAGSE9-10RI6 Determine an author’s point of
view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view
or purpose.
ELAGSE9-10SL1: Initiate and participate
effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led)
with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts,
and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
ELAGSE9-10RI4 Determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g.,
how the language of a court opinion differs from
that of a newspaper).
ELAGSE9-10RI1 Cite strong and thorough
textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

Standards-Alignment: ELA Research ELAGSE9-10W6: Use technology,
including the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update individual or shared
writing products, taking advantage of
technology’s capacity to link to other
information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.
ELAGSE9-10W9: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
ELAGSE9-10W8: Gather relevant information
from multiple authoritative print and digital
sources, using advanced searches effectively;
assess the usefulness of each source in answering
the research question; integrate information into
the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.
ELAGSE9-10W7: Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the
subject under investigation.

Standards-Alignment: World History
distribution of power in government is a
product of existing documents and laws
combined with contemporary values and
beliefs.
The student will understand that the beliefs and
ideals of a society influence the social, political, and
economic decisions of that society.
that the culture of a society
is the product of the religion,
beliefs, customs, traditions,
and government of that
society.
The student will
understand that the
production, distribution,
and consumption of
goods/services produced by
the society are affected by
the location, customs,
beliefs, and laws of the
society
that the actions of
individuals, groups, and/or
unintended consequences.
location affects a society’s economy,
culture, and development.
The student will
understand that
when there is
conflict between or
within societies,
change is the
result.

Standards-Alignment: US History
Time, Change, Continuity: The student
will understand that while change occurs
over time, there is continuity to the basic
structure of a society. (6,7, WH)
Technological Innovation: The student will
understand that technological innovations have
consequences, both intended and unintended, for a
society. (8)
Individuals, Groups,
Institutions: The student will
understand that the actions
of individuals, groups, and/or
unintended consequences. (8,
WH, USH, AG)
Scarcity: The student will
understand that scarcity of
all resources forces parties
to make choices and that
these choices always incur
a cost. (Economics)
Location: The student will
understand that location
affects a society’s economy,
culture, and development. (6,
7, 8, WH, USH)
Distribution of Power: The student will
understand that distribution of power
in government is a product of existing
documents and laws combined with
contemporary values and beliefs. (8,
USH, AG)
Movement/Migrati
on: The student
will understand
that the movement
or migration of
people and ideas
affects all societies
involved. (6, 7, 8,
WH, USH)

Application
1. How could The BuHi Project have been adapted in a science classroom? (Science
teachers sit together and brainstorm on paper.)
2. How could The BuHi Project have been adapted in a social studies classroom?
(Social studies teachers sit together and brainstorm on paper.)
3. How could The BuHi Project have been adapted in a mathematics classroom? (Math
teachers sit together and brainstorm on paper.)
4. How could The BuHi Project have been adapted in a language arts classroom? (ELA
teachers sit together and brainstorm on paper)
5. How could The BuHi Project have been adapted in another curricular area? (All
other subject area teachers sit together and brainstorm on paper.)
*Elementary teachers: pick a group based on the area you prefer

Cross-Curricular Application
Instead of keeping your project
within your classroom, involve
multiple disciplines in different
aspects of your project.
Schedule a meeting with other
curricular areas to gauge
interest & discuss possibilities.
In a freshman academy,
teachers with shared students
could work together in
curricular-specific aspects of
project. Will be implementing at
CKHS in Fall 2016.
Counselors could schedule
students strategically in order
to achieve shared students.
UrbanPlan already has a free
curriculum focused on
economics & government –
information on Office 365
Group.
Meet with your API to discuss
additional curricular ideas

Don’t Forget Art!
Even if you can’t get a full
alignment of shared student
schedules, see if specific
teachers would allow
independent, differentiated
projects as a grade (in a way
that meets their standards
but also overlaps with your
own class project).
Click here to view article

Changing the Paradigm
Teaching Students to Focus on Assets – Not Just Needs

Community Development Models
Traditional Community Development…
1. Problem-focused (needs-based)
2. Community viewed as customers or
clients
3. Top-down solutions provided to
community members
Asset-based Community Development…
1. Assets-focused
2. Community viewed as partners,
leaders, and co-laborers
3. Solutions produced by community
members
Much of this information was adapted from Northwestern University’s Asset-based
Community Development Institute. Links available on OneDrive.
http://www.abcdinstitute.org/toolkit/

Throughout your class project, remember:
Sustainable projects are often
powerfully related to the
involvement of residents and
students.
Communities are strengthened
when organizations encourage and
support diversity. Often times,
groups of people, like welfare
recipients, elders, youth and
minorities, are marginalized and
not recognized as contributing
citizens within their community.
In many communities,
voluntary networks of
associations -large and
small, formal and informal -
are overlooked. Sustainable
and effective projects work to
engage these associations in
participation and
governance.

Throughout your class project, remember:
A sustainable and effective project will
first look to identify and connect assets
within the community. After tapping into
these local assets, the project may need
to look outside to satisfy additional
resource needs.
Every community has an array of local public,
private and nonprofit institutions. Each of
these institutions has resources – such as
personnel, space, expertise, equipment, and
economic power – that can be contributed to
your project.

Evaluating Our Pedagogical Approach
• Each curricular group read through the “Principles Of Good Practice For Service-
Learning Pedagogy” and evaluate another curricular group’s pedagogical practices
from the last activity.
• Write comments on sticky notes provided.

Changing the Paradigm
“The needs-based approach, which defines poverty as the absence or
lack of the basic elements required for human survival, was the
preferred NGO approach to development in Africa throughout the
1950s and 1960s (Booy, Senaand, and Arusha, 2000: 4-11).
By definition, its focus was almost exclusively on needs, such as
primary health care, water supply, and humanitarian food aid.
Without a rights-based analysis, however, such a model ignores the
structural causes of poverty as well as the potential capacities that
people may have to respond to their own crises - albeit with outside
help and support as appropriate.” *emphasis added

5 Categories of Community Assets to Consider
1. Local residents – their skills, experiences, passions, capacities and willingness to
contribute to the project. Special attention is paid to residents who are sometimes
“marginalized”.
2. Local voluntary associations, clubs, and networks – e.g., all of the athletic, cultural,
social, faith-based groups powered by volunteer members – which might contribute to
the project.
3. Local institutions – e.g. public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police
stations, etc., along with local businesses and non-profits – which might contribute to
the project.
4. Physical assets – e.g. the land, the buildings, the infrastructure, transportation, etc.
which might contribute to the project.
5. Economic assets – e.g. what people produce and consume, businesses, informal economic
exchanges, barter relationships, etc.

Asset Mapping
• What assets exist in your school cluster?
• How do you identify assets in your community?
• How do you utilize the assets in your community?

Involve Your Students’ Families
• Instructions on how to differentiate this exercise are available in
your OneDrive. (http://www.center-school.org/pa-
pirc/documents/CommunityAssetsMapExercise.pdf)
• Asset mapping could be done as a student-led activity during a
PTSA/PTA meeting, a community meeting, or a
parent conference night.
• Parents could also be invited into the classroom
to help.
REMEMBER: Think
outside the box! As
you generate ideas,
explore how to align
them with the
standards. It’s easier
than you think!

Asset-mapping
• On your table, there is an asset map.
Complete this map as a group, focusing
on your particular high school cluster.
• This will help you guide students
through the process of developing their
project.
• An online workbook is available in
your OneDrive
(http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/Dia
ne%20Dorfman-Mapping-Community-
Assets-WorkBook(1)-1.pdf)

Needs Assessment
• What needs exist in your school cluster?
• How do you identify needs in your community?
• How do you address the needs in your community?
In your group, discuss these
issues and then write them on
the paper provided.

How Do We Start?
After your class engages in the process of asset-mapping and needs-assessment for the
community (large-scale or class-wide or school-wide), have the students begin
researching:
• Organizations and non-profits in the area
• Community leaders
• Foundations (if your school doesn’t have one, maybe your students will work on meeting
someone who could)
• City council representatives
• County representatives and officials
• State legislators and representatives
• Connections with the press

Press Connections (Who Covers Education in
DeKalb?)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marlon Walker
marlon.walker@ajc.com
The Champion
R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
Neighbor Newspapers
Brent Barron
info@neighbornewspapers.com
There are many other local
newspapers, list servs, Facebook
groups, bloggers, etc. that will be
important tools for “legitimizing”
your project and attracting
attention to the work your students
are doing.
ELAGSE9-10W6: Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual
or shared writing products, taking advantage of
technology’s capacity to link to other information and
to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Community Meetings
Begin attending different community meetings with a critical eye for opportunities for
students to become participants in some way. Students can also attend as extra credit
or as an extension of learning.
• City Council Meetings
• Neighborhood Associations
• Community Improvement Meetings
• PTA/PTSA Meetings
• Planning and Development Meetings
ELAGSE9-10SL1: Initiate and participate
effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions(one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on
grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly and persuasively.
ELAGSE9-10SL3: Evaluate and/or reflect on a
speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious
reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence

Displaying Your Project
• Museum night at your school (open to public or parents/school community)
• Find a local community space willing to host an exhibit open to the public
• Malls (i.e. Plaza Fiesta)
• Civic centers
• Community centers
• City council meetings
• Development authority meetings
• Universities
• Invite community and press to view your class project, soliciting feedback and
engaging in meaningful conversations

Neighborhood Fund provides
resources to community groups (non-
501(c)3) seeking to impact their
community at the local level. Since
1991, more than 300 neighborhood
projects have received an estimated
$2,000,000 in grants and technical
assistance to support community
organizing, neighborhood gardens,
youth fitness activities, cultural
events and more.
The Neighborhood Fund offers two
types of grants:
1) Community Building grants are neighborhood-based
project grants addressing a neighborhood issue or
concern. Community Building grants range from
$500 to $10,000 for established groups and
organizations with at least a two year working
history.
2) Love Your Block mini-grants are community-based
beautification or improvement grants to support
citizens and neighborhood groups who want to plan
and organize efforts to beautify their community,
block by block. Love Your Block mini-grants range
from $250 to $1,000 for established, new and
emerging groups and organizations.

Crowdfunding
Students can type up the necessary
information for these websites.
ELAGSE9-10W2: Write
informative/explanatory texts to examine
and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content
ELAGSE9-10W4: Produce clear and
coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
ELAGSE9-10W6: Use technology,
including the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update individual or shared
writing products, taking advantage of
technology’s capacity to link to other
information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.
ELAGSE9-10W5: Develop and strengthen
writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is
most significant for a specific purpose and
audience.

Sample Project-Development
What does this look like for my curricular area?

The Task
In this sample community, the suburban neighborhoods have suffered years of blight –
poverty, disinvestment, plummeting property values, crime.
There are few economic opportunities and many people lack sufficient transportation to
transport them to job opportunities and educational opportunities. The general feeling
is hopelessness and disenfranchisement.
What can your students do about it?

Work Session
As a group, answer these questions:
• What project could you develop for your students?
Timeframe (single unit, month, semester, year)?
• What standards align with this assignment?
• How will you integrate the use of technology?
• How will your students display or promote their project?
• How will you assess student learning?
• How will your students experience the feeling or reality of “success”?
• What extensions or continuations of this project could you envision?

Community Partnerships
• Community resources grouped by high school
clusters are located in the Authentic Learning
folder in Office 365 and also in your folder.
• Don’t reinvent the wheel! Partner with groups
and people who are already doing meaningful
work!

Sample Project-Development
• Each group will provide feedback on sticky notes to the other groups by placing these
comments on each group’s set of ideas (round robin).
• Reconvene and discuss (Use the Project Design Rubric available in your folder)
Creating a Rubric
• Not a one-size-fits-all model (samples provided in Authentic Learning folder on
Office 365) *sample 2 and 3
• Needs to reflect the highest levels of rigor: synthesis and evaluation

Assessments
In project-based community development, you will be intimately involved in the details
of your students’ work. Therefore, there are many opportunities for formative
assessments.
At the end of the semester/year/
unit, your students will be able
to pass a standards-based
assessment and/or the
Milestones.
Assessments can include:
• Writing assignments
• Presentations and speeches
• Reflections

DeKalb
Educator’s
Annual
Conference
June 1-2,
2016
52
Thank You for Attending!
Contact Information
Rebekah Cohen Morris
Rebekah_c_morris@dekalbschoolsga.org
770-715-7200 (cell)
Cross Keys High School
All handouts (including the presentation) is included
in the Authentic Learning (DEAC 2016) group on
Office 365.

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