Making a Positive Change in our Community
                                      By:  Kyle Stumpf

Project at a Glance :

Students will be researching government entities or local organizations that make a positive impact in the community?  Students will identify a  major issue in the community, research what is being done to address the issue and utilize a government entity or local organization to make a positive change in the community.         
 
Driving Question:

How can we reform a government entity or local organization to make a positive impact in our West Michigan community?            

Standards:

• Analyze the role of a citizen (Khan Academy)
• Analyze problems and causes of issues affecting the West Michigan community.
• Assess options for action
• Research
• Collaborative discussion
• Peer decision making

Team / Culture Building:

• Value Cards​​

• Flippity

​Entry Event:

• Panel or field trip to dive into the issue.
• Roundtable discussion with panel from Grand Rapids, Holland, Jenison, etc.

Stakeholders:

• Community members
• Government entities
• Local organizations

Empathy:

• ​Panel Interviews
• Stakeholder Map ​

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• ​Hopes and Fears​

• Classroom discussion of the need to knows for the driving question, maybe even rewriting or rephrasing the driving question.
• Circulation and daily check ins with each group and each student.

Incubation:

• Investigate what has and has not been tried in an attempt to solve the problem that they are looking into.  This way they know what has been attempted. 
• Use the Tell it to a Toddler protocol to help them think outside the box with their ideas.​

• Idea Quota protocol - generate as many solution ideas as possible in ten minutes or fifteen.
• Checking in:
• Conduct a SWOT analysis​

• Daily check ins to see how teams are doing to solve to the DQ.

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Solution Building:

• SCAMPER
• 3/12/3 protocol
• Rule of Thirds
• Amazing Analogies
• Saturate and Group 

Critique and Revision: 

• Use $100 Test or Dot Voting to ensure that this is the group consensus to advance forward with the proposed solution.
• Individual NUF tests then group discussion to truly see how everybody feels about it.
• Critical Friends with another group before the pitchout.​

Authentic Audience:

• Administrators
• Government officials
• Leaders of local government agencies or non-profits

Final Presentation:

• Students will present their solutions In person in either the classroom or a different audience setting - such as the Jenison Center for the Arts, the Library or the Auditorium.

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

•  Use the New, Useful, Feasible rubric as students work to revise their solution ideas.
• Implement the I like, I wonder, What if protocol to gain feedback for moving forward.
• Reflection at the end of project asking -What worked?  What could have gone better?
• Group/Class reflection with authentic audience following presentations.

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:
Kyle Stumpf teaches AP Government and US Government at Jenison High School. 

     "I love how PBL promotes responsibility, empathy, and collaboration to the next generation of problem solvers.  It gives me great hope for the future because I have seen the great things that young minds can accomplish with projects like these.  The future looks bright!"