Appendix D.  Sample Staff Development Activity

Purposes.

Through their participation in this activity, staff members will:

·        develop awareness and understanding of the performance standards

·        consider the nature of the role-models their students choose

·        plan one classroom learning activity related to social responsibility

Materials:  post-it notes in three different colours (small size); social responsibility Quick Scales for relevant grade levels; chart paper

Process.

1.      Organize staff members into grade-level groups (primary, grades 4/5; grades 6-8; grades 8-10), with 4-5 teachers in each group.

2.      Distribute pads of post-it notes to each group and explain that each group member will need 5 post-it notes of each colour.

3.      Explain the process of silent brainstorming – when you provide a prompt, each group member will, silently and independently, write down five relevant ideas, one on each post-it note, and place them in a common stack in the middle of the table.  This process will be repeated three times, with participants using a different colour for each of three prompts you will provide.  At the end of the activity, there will be a stack of post-it notes, 15 from each person, in the middle of the table.

4.      Provide the following prompts, in turn:

·        Think of 5 characters in movies or TV shows you have seen.  They do not have to be particularly good or bad characters—just any characters at all.  If you can’t think of their names, write down a short description (e.g., “Archie’s wife.”)  Write one name on each of your (colour) post-it notes.

·        Next, think of 5 characters in books and stories that you choose to use in your classroom.  They may be real people or fictional characters, including animals.  You can include stories you plan to use later this year, or materials you have used in past years.

·        Finally, record 5 real or fictional characters your students like to talk about and emulate who are not the focus of your instruction—athletes, community members, celebrities, heroes, musicians, TV or movie characters.

5.      Distribute copies of the relevant Quick Scale to each group, along with a piece of chart paper.

6.      Explain that each group will create a chart by sorting the characters they listed during their silent brainstorming into the four levels on the social responsibility scale:

·        Not yet within expectations

·        Meets expectations (minimal level)

·        Fully meets expectations

·        Exceeds expectations

They are to work together, making decisions by consensus, using the descriptions of behaviour from the Quick Scale for social responsibility.  They should be prepared to defend their decisions by providing specific evidence of the character’s behaviour that matches descriptions on the scale. (Note: They can discard any duplicates.)  When they are finished, they will post their chart for other groups to look at.

7.      Provide time for groups to view each other’s chart.  Explain that each of the groups is allowed to make one challenge of a character’s rating where they disagree with the group who prepared the chart.  They are to use the following form, and try to provide specific, convincing evidence:

We challenge the rating of (character’s name) as __________ expectations because

___________________________________________________________________.

8.      Reassemble, and invite each group to present its challenge, with an opportunity for the original group to defend their choice.  (Remind everyone to disagree in socially responsible ways!)

9.      Offer the following questions for discussion, first in small groups; then in a general session.

·        What did you notice about characters you select for learning activities, and those students focus on in their leisure time?  What are the implications of these differences for our school focus on social responsibility?

·        How did you get along using the rating scale?  What parts were easiest to use?  Most challenging?  Do you have any questions about the scale?

·        How could you adapt this activity to use with your students, or with our parent community?

10.  Provide time and support for staff members to develop a simple action plan, outlining one instructional activity related to the social responsibility standards they will initiate within the next week.  Encourage them to collaborate with a partner or group.  Emphasize that they do not need to plan an elaborate or extended activity—just one small step to begin implementation in their own classrooms.

Variations

·        Provide participants with recent newspapers; have them find articles that illustrate various sections and levels of the scale.  You can assign a different category (e.g., contributing, solving problems peacefully, valuing diversity, exercising democratic rights and responsibilities) to each group.

·        With students, brainstorm a list of characters they have studied (or people they admire.)  Choose 10-20 names from the list and have students work in groups to categorize them using the scale (as above.)  Each group records the names on recycled cards and uses glue sticks to make a chart.  Groups them compare results and issue challenges as described above.

·        Create a classroom chart, using the four levels of social responsibility.  Invite students to add names of characters from stories, novels, and media; community, national, or global figures; and those featured in current events.