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Based on Draft Module by Eureta
Janse van Rensburg
and Trials in Thailand, Vietnam and Australia
INTRODUCTION
This workshop introduces participants to the use of Community Problem
Solving as a teaching and learning strategy. Community Problem Solving
acknowledges the importance of students developing skills to participate
in the solution of community problems. Learning how to investigate community
problems and evaluate solutions so they can take actions is an important
part of becoming an environmental citizen. This workshop explores the
questions and issues teachers might face when they use Community Problem
Solving.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this workshop are:
- to develop an understanding of Community Problem Solving;
- to identify the types of skills students need to participate in
Community Problem Solving;
- to explore the questions and issues teachers might face when teaching
through Community Problem Solving;
- to develop plans for using Community Problem Solving as a teaching
strategy; and
- to recognise the importance of teachers sharing their experiences through presentations and reports of their use of Community Problem Solving.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE
1. Introduction
This introductory activity explores participants' responses to local
community problems. It also examines the notion that much education,
especially in the past, has provided learners with the skills necessary
to participate in community problem solving. The workshop objectives
and outline are also introduced here.
2. What is Community Problem Solving?
Participants review a case study of Community Problem Solving to gain
an insight into how this teaching and learning strategy might be used.
A mini-lecture provides participants with a model of Community Problem
Solving and explores educational considerations.
3. Developing Student Skills
This activity explores the types of skills students need to participate
in Community Problem Solving.
4. Questions, Issues and Possible
Solutions
Based on their understanding of Community Problem Solving process and
their own experiences, participants suggest questions and issues they
might face when teaching through Community Problem Solving. They also
consider the range of possible solutions or strategies that might be
used to address them.
5. Planning to use Community Problem
Solving
This activity asks participants to develop plans for using Community
Problem Solving with a groups of students they teach.
6. Conclusion
The workshop concludes with participants considering how they could
share their experiences of teaching through Community Problem Solving.
NOTES FOR FACILITATORS
- The degree of curriculum choice and flexibility for teachers can
be very high in certain education systems and countries. However,
syllabus and examination requirements can exert a strong influence
in other education systems, especially for secondary schools. Workshop
facilitators will need to adapt activities and emphasise different
aspects of the workshop according to the curriculum contexts and needs
of participants.
- The depth of treatment and amount of time allocated to each activity
will vary according to the background experiences of participants
in classroom teaching and in environmental education. The activities
may need to be adjusted according to whether participants are experienced
environmental educators seeking to update their appreciation of environmental
education, experienced teachers who are relatively new to environmental
education, or pre-service trainees relatively inexperienced in teaching
and environmental education.
- Facilitators should analyse all resources and activities for educational
and cultural relevance and adapt and/or replace any ideas in this
module with local examples.
- Facilitators should also review their national and local curriculum guidelines to identify the place of teaching through community problem solving methods.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
A. Provided
Overhead Transparencies
OHT 1 Objectives
OHT 2 Workshop Outline
OHT 3 Some Learning Outcomes of Community Problem
Solving
OHT 4 Community Problem Solving is Different
OHT 5 Community Problem Solving
OHT 6 As a Teaching and Learning Strategy
OHT 7 Objectives of Environmental Education
OHT 8 Skills for Community Problem Solving
OHT 9 Sharing the Experience
Resources
Resource 1 Case Study
Resource 2 Community Problem Solving: A Teacher's
Guide
Resource 3 Planning for Action
Resource 4 Skills for Community Problem Solving
Resource 5 Action Planning Matrix
Resource 6 Report or Presentation Structure
B. To Be Obtained
Activity 3 Copy of Resource 4 enlarged to A3 size
for each group of 3-4 people
Activity 4 Chart paper and pens for all groups
ADDITIONAL READING
Bardwell, L., Monroe, M. and Tudor, M. (1994) Environmental Problem
Solving: Theory, Practice and Possibilities in Environmental Education,
North American Association for Environmental Education, Troy, Ohio.
Bull, J., Cromwell, M., Cwikiel, W., Di Chiro, G., Guarina, J., Rathje,
R., Stapp, W., Wals, A., and Youngquist, M. (1988) Education in Action:
A Community Problem Solving Program for Schools, Dexter, Michigan:
Thomson-Shore.
Hungerford, H. et al. (1988) Investigating and Evaluating Environmental
Issues and Actions: Skill Development Modules, Stipes Publishing
Company, USA.
Jensen, B.B. and Schrack (1997) The Action Competence Approach in Environmental
Education, Environmental Education Research, 3 (2), 162-
178.
Stapp, W. B., and Wals, A. E. J. (1994) An Action Research Approach
to Environmental Problem Solving, in Bardwell, L., Monroe, M. and
Tudor, M. (1994) Environmental Problem Solving: Theory, Practice
and Possibilities in Environmental Education, North American Association
for Environmental Education, Troy, Ohio.
Stapp, W. B., Wals, A. E. J., and Stankorb, S., eds. (1996) Environmental
Education for Empowerment, Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque.
OECD (1995) Environmental Education for the 21st Century, OECD,
Paris.
Wals, A. E. J. (1994)
Wals, A. E. J. (1996). Back-alley sustainability and the role of environmental
education, Local Environment, 1(3), 299-316.
ACTIVITIES
1. Introduction
A. Icebreaker: Community Problems
- Ask each participant to write on a piece of paper a list of five
problems they worry about in their local community.
- Ask them to tick those issues that they are actively involved in
addressing.
- In groups of four to five, ask participants to make a combined list
of their community problems on a piece of chart paper. Each group
should then discuss the level of involvement of group members in the
community problems. Ask participants to discuss in their groups whether
they feel that their education at school helped them to understand
how to get involved in addressing these community problems.
- Ask each group to display their list of community problems on the
walls. Discuss the following general questions as a whole group?
- What are some examples of local community problems?
- To what extent are people involved in local community problems?
- To what extent did our education prepare us to participate in local community problems solving?
- What can/should we do about this?
B. Workshop Overview
Introduce the focus of the workshop as Community Problem Solving teaching strategy for environmental education. This teaching strategy helps students to develop their skills and abilities to investigate and take actions that seek to address local community environmental problems. A suggested list of objectives and a workshop outline have been included as OHT 1 and OHT 2.
2. What Is Community Problem Solving?
A. Case Studies of Community Problem Solving
- Resource 1 is a case studies of community problem
solving. Ask participants to form groups of 3-4 and give each group
a copy of the case study (Resource 1). Ask participants
to read the case study ask then to discuss the questions at the end.
- Discuss responses to those questions as a whole group. OHT
3 and OHT 4 might be a useful summary of some
of the discussion on the questions.
- Indicate to participants that the workshop will address in more details a number of the issues raised in this discussion. For example, skills students need (Activity 3) and issues teachers might face (Activity 4).
B. Mini-lecture
The purpose of this mini-lecture is to provide participants with some background about Community Problem Solving as a teaching and learning strategy. A suggested sequence of ideas for the mini-lecture with reference to OHTs and Resources is provided below. The key points to make are:
- The ice breaker activity allowed us to consider the extent our education
developed our ability to actively participate in addressing local
community problems. Community Problem Solving is a teaching and learning
strategy that seeks to address this concern.
- Use Resource 2 and OHT 5
to describe Community Problem Solving. OHT 5 lists
eight phases for Community Problem Solving. It is important to note
that this process is not a linear model. The eight phases have been
listed to explain the ideas rather than as a set of steps to be followed.
- Discuss with participants each of the phases. Resource
3 might be useful to illustrate a possible class worksheet for
students undertaking Phase 6 of action planning.
- OHT 6 outlines some of the key educational features
of Community Problem Solving as a teaching and learning strategy.
Point 1 acknowledges that it is important to involve young people
in their local community.
- OHT 7 lists the objectives of environmental
education. Discuss with participants how this teaching and learning
strategy could help to achieve these objectives. (see #2 on OHT
6).
- Point 3 on OHT 6 suggests that Community Problem
Solving also develops a range of other educational objectives such
as: group work skills, investigation skills, critical and creative
thinking skills and evaluation skills. Can participants think of others?
- Point 4 on OHT 6 identifies the most significant achievement of this teaching and learning strategy is the development of active citizens. To develop citizenship skills students need to have 'action competence'. The best way to develop this is for students to become actively involved in Community Problem Solving while they are at school.
- Suggest that students will need to draw on a range of skills when
they use Community Problem Solving. OHT 8 suggests
such a list. Ask participants to suggest others.
- Ask participants to work in their groups to identify the specific
skills that students may need in each of the eight phases of Community
Problem Solving. Provide an A3 size copy of Resource
4 for this.
- Ask each group to pin its completed copy of Resource
4 on the wall. Ask participants to walk around and view the suggestions
of other groups.
- Discuss the importance of gradually developing students' skills and providing less teacher support for Community Problem Solving as students become more familiar with the process. For example: if students have not previously worked in groups then they should be have some structured classroom activities that introduce them to group and interpersonal skills.
4. Questions, Issues and Possible Solutions
- The review of the case study in Activity 2 identified
a number of questions and issues teachers might face when using Community
Problem Solving as a teaching and learning strategy.
- Ask participants in groups to divide a piece of chart paper into
two columns. Ask them to list the three questions and issues they
are most concerned about in the first column and, in the second column,
to list the strategies they might use to address them.
- Ask each group to share its ideas with the rest of the group.
- Place these charts on the wall around the room.
- Conclude with a discussion of some of the common issues and possible solutions as well as those issues for which no strategies were identified.
5. Planning To Use Community Problem Solving
- Brainstorm a list of places where Community Problem Solving might
be used in the school curriculum or a subject or topic taught by participants.
- Ask the groups to identify one specific subject, class and topic
relevant to their teaching. If the participants are not currently
teaching, they could choose a context (including geographical location
and age group), which they can use to make plans for teaching through
Community Problem Solving.
- Resource 5 provides guidelines for participants to design the steps in teaching through Community Problem Solving for the first time with their nominated groups of students. It includes the types of considerations and decisions that might need to be made along the way. Indicate to participants that they can work individually or with others working in a similar context to complete this activity. Allow up to 30 minutes for group planning.
Note for facilitators
If possible, participants should undertake to put their plans into action
within their school contexts. This could take up to 3-4 weeks. Thus,
a second workshop for sharing experiences could be planned.
6. Conclusion - Sharing Experiences
Teaching is usually a very individual activity. Sharing experiences about the use of alternative teaching and learning strategies can be a great professional development process. OHT 9 outlines two main advantages of writing a report and sharing these experiences. First, it is a useful process of reflection for the teacher contributing to their professional development. Second, by sharing their experiences other teachers can learning about Community Problem Solving as a teaching and learning strategy.
- Ask participants as a whole group to brainstorm onto a board or
flip chart some forums that they might be able to share their experiences
with others in both written and presentation format. For example as
a written report in a newsletter or professional journal. Make a presentation
at a conference or present your work at the next curriculum meeting
or staff meeting.
- Resource 6 is a suggested outline for a written report or presentation.
Objectives
- To develop an understanding of Community Problem
Solving.
- To identify the types of skills students need to
develop so they can use Community Problem Solving.
- To explore the constraints teachers might face when
using Community Problem Solving and possible solutions.
- To develop plans for using Community Problem Solving
in teaching.
- To recognise the importance of teachers sharing
their experiences through reports of their use of Community Problem
Solving.
OHT 2
Workshop Outline
1. Introduction
A. Icebreaker: Community Problems
B. Workshop Overview
2. What is Community Problem Solving
A. A Case Study of Community Problem Solving
B. Mini Lecture
3. Developing Student Skills
4. Teacher Constraints and Possible Solutions
5. Planning to use Community Problem Solving
6. Conclusion - Sharing Experiences
Some Learning Outcomes of Community Problem Solving
- Learn that it is possible to take action in the
community.
- Learn about the local community.
- Learn to do research, including collecting, interpreting
and communicating data.
- Learn to plan and work independently of the teacher.
- Learn to work in groups with peers.
- Learn to link school learning with the community.
Community Problem Solving is Different
Community Problem Solving differs from other teaching
strategies because it combines the following:
- Active investigation of a community problems, though various investigation strategies
(scientific and social).
- The aim is real action aimed at solving
a local community problem.
- Ongoing action in
phases that allow for redefinition of the problem.
- An emphasis on local problems.
- Attempts to involve the community affected by or responsible for the problem.
Community Problem Solving
- Exploring Community Problem Solving
- Selecting Problem(s)
- Developing Student Skills
- Investigating
- Developing Visions
- Planning Actions
- Taking Actions
- Evaluating Actions and Changes
As A Teaching And Learning Strategy
Community Problem Solving as a teaching and learning strategy:
- Involves students in their local community.
- Develops environmental education objectives of awareness,
knowledge, attitudes, skills and participation.
- Develops a range of education objectives for example:
investigation skills, creating and critical thinking, group work skills,
literacy and evaluation skills.
- Develops 'action competence' through students' first hand experience of taking actions that they have freely chosen and that are aimed at solving the community problem they identified.
Objectives of Environmental Education
Source: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Experts' Meeting on Overcoming the Barriers to Environmental Education through Teacher Education, Griffith University, Brisbane, 1993, p. 34.
AWARENESS
To help individuals, groups and societies
acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and issues,
questions and problems related to environment and development.
KNOWLEDGE
To help individuals, groups and societies gain a variety of experiences
in, and extend current understanding of what is required to create and
maintain sustainable futures.
ATTITUDES
To help individuals, groups and societies acquire a set of values and
feelings of concern for the environment, and motivation for actively
participating in environmental improvement and protection.
SKILLS
To help individuals, groups and societies acquire the skills for identifying,
anticipating and preventing environmental problems.
PARTICIPATION
To provide individuals, groups and societies with an opportunity and
the motivation to be actively involved at all levels in working toward
creating sustainable futures.
Skills For Community Problem Solving
Source: Adapted from Bull, J., Cromwell, M., Cwikiel, W., Di Chiro, G., Guarina, J., Rathje, R., Stapp, W., Wals, A., and Youngquist, M. (1988) Education in Action: A Community Problem Solving Program for Schools, Thomson-Shore, Dexter, Michigan, pp. 267-269.
Group Process Skills
- Consideration and respect for others
- Listen and comprehend
- Clear verbal expression
- Take on a variety of roles within a group
- Be a group leader when appropriate
- Provide constructive feedback to others
- Explore group decision making processes
- Monitor 'on-task' behaviour of the group
- Monitor the time allocated for tasks
Information Gathering Skills
- Use the library including print and electronic resources
- Design data gathering strategies for the problem being investigated
- Use scientific and social science techniques (e.g water quality testing, social survey) for investigation
- Identify relevant agencies, organisations and members of the community
- Request information from sources by writing letters, making telephone inquiries, or using e-mail
Analysis and Decision Making skills
- Analyse data gathered using scientific and social science techniques
- Think critically and creatively about possible alternatives
- Consider the values of other people and their own
- Decide a course of action
- Justify decisions
Action skills
- Decide on steps in an action plan
- Freely choose to take actions
- Evaluate whether the changes that were the result of the actions addressed the problem
Sharing the Experience
Sharing the experience of using Community Problem Solving provides professional development opportunities for:
- The teacher using Community Problem Solving
Writing the report and/or preparing the presentation engages the teacher in a process of reflection.
- Other teachers who might like to use Community
Problem Solving
Teachers can lean about what Community Problem Solving is and make plans to use this teaching and learning strategy based on reports from their colleagues.
Case Study Sorrell School - Park Beach Coastcare Project, Australia
Source: Adapted from K. Willing, Tasmanian Coastcare Co-ordinator, Australia.
In 1994, the beach adjacent to Sorrell State School was not an attractive place. The dunes were becoming eroded, the noxious weed, African Boneseed, was threatening to inundate native flora, litter was abundant and the toilet area was in need of repair. The teachers and students of the school asked the local Boardriders Club for help and together they put forward a "Management Plan" to the Sorrell Council Parks and Wildlife Service for consideration.
The Plan consisted of a strategy to protect the sand dunes from erosion by fencing off the dunes and constructing a walkway to the beach. It also suggested beautifying the toilet area by painting murals on the water tanks, providing more rubbish bins and planting shade trees around the carpark. The plan targeted the eradication of African boneseed and the re-establishment of native plants. Additional plans were also made to build a viewing platform for the disabled, to establish a picnic and barbecue area, construct a community notice board and organise regular litter clean ups.
The school, in conjunction with Lions, Rotary, Boardriders, Council and Parks and Wildlife formed the 'Park Beach Coastal Care Group' and received $3 500 from the 1994/95 Save the Bush Grant and $2 000 in 1995/96 as a continuation of this grant. This was put towards fencing off the dunes and establishing a walkway, painting the mural, planting trees in the carpark, the ongoing removal of Boneseed and building the viewing platform. In addition the group has also held celebrations in the area for Clean Up Australia Day and Ocean Care Day. Members have cleaned graffiti from the sandstone cliffs and are monitoring the effects of the release of 4 000 African Boneseed beetles in the area.
In 1995 the Park Beach Coastal Care Group won the Telstra Landcare Education award for Tasmania. The group's co-ordinator said:
The aim of the Park Beach Project is to restore the sand dunes at Park Beach, re-establish the natural vegetation and eradicate African Boneseed in the area. The project offers a unique opportunity for the children at Sorrell School to learn about the local environment, the problems of environmental degradation and the care, patience and commitment required over a long period to rehabilitate damaged land. The project also offers the opportunity for the school to co-ordinate resources and community groups to achieve their aims. Management plans were collated and discussed at school. The children drew up their management plan for the area. This plan was sent to the Sorrell Council and the Department of the Environment and Land Management.
Questions
- How does this case study make you feel?
- What were the learning outcomes for the students?
- How is this case study different from tradition teaching and learning
strategies?
- What skills did the students?
- What skills did the teacher need?
- What problems do you think the teacher might have faced when they included this as part of the curriculum?
Community Problem Solving: A Teacher's Guide
Source: Debbie Heck, Griffith University, Australia.
1. Exploring Community Problem Solving
This first phase involves providing students, teachers and school administrators
with information about the nature and purpose of Community Problem Solving.
Other community and educational groups who have used Community Problem
Solving may be invited to explain the process and give examples of how
it was used in their context. An important part of this phase involves
teachers and administrators consciously deciding to use Community Problem
Solving as a teaching and learning strategy because it acknowledges
the importance of students working in their local community.
2. Selecting Problem(s)
Problems can be selected in many ways. For example, a tour of
the school grounds or local community may provide the impetus for students
to generate a list of problems they would like to investigate. Students
could then decide on one problem, as a class, or a number of problems
in small groups. An important consideration when selecting a problem
is to ensure sufficient resources are available and that the problem
is manageable within the time frame for the students involved. Students
and teachers may need to consider questions such as:
- Why is this important to us?
- What is its significance to us/others? - now/in the future?
- Do we have sufficient resources?
- Do we have time to undertake the entire community problem solving
process?
- Should we choose a smaller problem?
3. Developing Student Skills
Students will need to draw upon a range of problem solving, investigation
and group work skills as they work through the phases of the Community
Problem Solving process. Teachers should continuously monitor students
skill levels and provide opportunities as part of classroom activities
for ongoing skill development. The level of teacher guidance throughout
the Community Problem Solving process will depend on the students' past
experiences with the process and the specific problem solving, group
work and investigation skills of the students. Teachers may need to
consider questions such as:
- Do these students have Community Problem Solving experience?
- What skills do they need to develop to get started?
- What level of guidance will students need?
- What skills do students need for the next phase?
4. Investigating
The investigation phase is where students explore the full scope of
the problem. This includes understanding the current situation and the
reasons why the problem developed. Teachers and students might consider
questions such as:
- What is the current situation?
- How significant is this to me, the local community, nation, world?
- What were things like before?
- Why have they changed?
- What has influenced these changes and why?
- Do other communities - nearby or in other countries - experience
the same problem? Why or why not?
- How do other people see it?
- Are there any conflicts of interest?
- Who gains? Who loses?
- What formal decision making processes could be used to solve this issue?
5. Developing Visions
In this very important phase, teachers encourage students to develop
visions of how they would like the current situation to look in the
future. Students and teachers could consider questions such as:
- What are our visions for the future?
- What would other groups and cultures think about this vision?
- What are the alternative visions imaginable? · Which vision do we prefer and why?
6. Planning Actions
This phase involves students developing an action plan that will seek
to achieve their selected vision for the problem being investigated.
An essential component of this phase is the evaluation of the action
and careful consideration of whether those actions will result in the
desired changes. Teachers and students may need to consider questions
such as:
- What changes will bring us closer to the visions? Are they changes
within their own lifestyles and families and/or in the wider community?
- What barriers might prevent these changes for taking place?
- How could these barriers be overcome?
- What are the steps that need to be taken to make these changes?
- What barriers might prevent us from carrying out these steps?
- How could these barriers be overcome?
- What is the action plan for each change? See Resource
3.
- How will we choose to evaluate this action plan?
7. Taking Actions
This is the phase where the action plan is implemented by the students
and teachers. In order for the Community Problem Solving Process to
be truly democratic, it is important that students are allowed to freely
choose to take actions that address the community problem identified.
These actions may be within their own lifestyles and families and/or
in the wider community. Teachers and students may need to ask questions
such as:
- Do the actions we are taking address the problem?
- Are students able to freely choose the actions they take?
8. Evaluating Actions and Changes
It is important that this evaluation phase follows the action taking
phase. It is at this point that teachers and students review the actions
and identify the changes that have taken place. They then compare these
changes against their vision for the future for the community problem
they have been working on. This evaluation may lead the groups to revise
their vision from Phase 5 or develop a revised action plan from Phase
7. Students and teachers may need to consider questions such as:
- What actions did we take?
- What changes resulted?
- How does this compare with our vision from Phase 5? Should we return
to Phase 5?
- What barriers did we face?
- Were we able to overcome them? Why/why not?
- What other actions could we have taken? Should we return to Phase
7?
- What did we learn from Community Problem Solving?
Resource 3
Action Planning Matrix
Problem Statement: ____________________________________________
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1.
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1.1
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1.2
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1.3
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1.4
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2.4
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3.3
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3.4
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Skills for Community Problem Solving
This resource lists some of the skills student might need to use as they undertake community problem solving. Make any additions to the list as required. Identify in the column provided the phases from Resource 6 Community Problem Solving: Teacher's Guide where students might need to use these skills.
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Action Planning
Teacher(s):_________________________________________________________________________
Class/Group:_______________________________________________________________________
Curriculum Area:____________________________________________________________________
Steps required to introduce Community Problem Solving to this group
for the first time.
1._________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________________________
Further considerations/decisions _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Resource 6 Report or Presentation Structure
The following headings are given as a suggested format only.
Background
This section should give a brief description of the teaching
context, school location, age of students and the community background.
Also outline the part of the syllabus you are teaching and the objectives
you hoped to achieve by using Community Problem Solving with this topic
in the syllabus.
Community Problem Solving Phases
In this section give an overview of the Community Problem
Solving process. Include details of the teaching and learning activities
that were used. Highlight the various phases of Community Problem Solving.
Teacher Reflection
Discuss your experiences of using this teaching and learning
strategy. What were the constraints you faced and how where they overcome?
What were the learning outcomes for the students? What worked and what
did not work? Why?
Future Plans
Discuss whether you would use this teaching and learning
strategy again? Why or why not? How different would the approach be
if you used this strategy with the same group as opposed to a new group
of students? What would you do differently next time and why?
