Aspire Generation: Social Action - Work Studies - Years 9 & 10

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students will think critically about their own community and the change that they would like to make within it. Over several sessions, students will work in groups to plan and deliver an action project to make positive change in their community. They will reflect on the process, as well as their growth and learning. Students will present their learning in a public arena, such as an assembly, or creating a video and publishing it.

This lesson supports La Trobe University’s Aspire Generation initiative, which empowers students to drive change through community engagement, volunteerism and leadership opportunities.

Essential questions:

How can we make a positive change in the community?
What do we need to do to plan and deliver a project?
What are the benefits of completing a social action project?

21st century skills:

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 9 Work Studies

Explain how the application of entrepreneurial behaviours can address a range of work and community challenges and provide benefits personally and to the community (ACWSCL011)
Practise the skills and attributes underpinning entrepreneurial behaviours (ACWSCL012)

Year 10 Work Studies

Complete an action project utilising entrepreneurial behaviours to address an identified challenge or opportunity (ACWSCL031)

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability

Relevant parts of Year 9 achievement standards: Students plan and implement strategies to improve their learning and strengthen their individual learning skills. Students research and analyse information, organise teams, and communicate effectively using appropriate types of communications in a given context. They practise entrepreneurial skills and attributes and propose actions in response to identified work and community challenges.

Relevant parts of Year 10 achievement standards: Students apply entrepreneurial skills to plan, implement and complete a negotiated action project. Students evaluate their findings, propose actions, make recommendations and present these to an audience of stakeholders.

Topic: Enterprise Learning

Unit of work: Aspire Generation – Work Studies

Time required: To be determined, based on the scope and requirements of student’s social action projects.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion.

Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet. Device capable of presenting a website/online video to the class, 10 sheets of butcher’s paper, textas, Online stopwatch, Project Planning Tool (one per group), ‘How might we’ question template, World Cafe instructions for hosts, Project Checklist, small prize for work well done (optional).

Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities.

Keywords: Social action, volunteerism, community service, community engagement, entrepreneurial behaviours, collaboration, project.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Overarching learning goal: Students will work collaboratively with each other and the wider community to identify a challenge in the local community, plan a project and take action around the challenge. They will carry out their project, and reflect on their experiences, including how they can apply their learning to their own personal and professional development.

Teacher content information: This Work Studies unit has been developed in partnership with La Trobe University Aspire Generation. The Aspire Generation connects a community of young people who aspire to make a difference through community service and leadership. They are the givers, the dreamers, the doers and the leaders who passionately pursue opportunities to address the big issues of their time. They think boldly and act responsibly and strive to leave a lasting impact on the world.

Through classroom-based experiences students will learn about the world of work, as well as to trust themselves and f

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Student Worksheet

Thought Starter: “Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations.”- Jean Paul Richter

1. Write the issue you will focus on here:

2. Write your "How might we...?" question here:

Project Planning Tool

Project team:

Proposed date:

Project title:

Location of project:

Type of project:

types of projects

	People responsible	Date to be completed	Completed (Write 'YES' when completed)
Project description: (What are you going to do?)
Why is this project important to you?
Aims of the project: (What do you hope to achieve? What might you change?)
Who might benefit from the project? How? (Your school? Your local community? Will the beneficiaries be local or global?)

What response might you receive from your target audience?

Background research:

(What examples of a similar projec

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Activity: Aspire Generation: Social Action – Work Studies – Years 9 & 10