Lesson 6.1: Reflecting on My Role as a Citizen of the World

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Use a rubric to reflect on their participation in this project and consider how they have grown personally, professionally, and as a citizen of the world valuing other cultures.

• Document their thoughts and insights about the activities in this lesson in a journal.

Assessment Opportunities

• Contributions to class discussion

• Quality of teamwork

• Journal entries describing key takeaways from this lesson

Background

A sense of agency is invaluable for all of us to develop. Agency or self-efficacy is the sense of control that you feel in your life, your capacity to influence your own thoughts and behavior, and have faith in your ability to handle a wide range of tasks and situations. Your sense of agency helps you to be psychologically stable, yet flexible in the face of conflict or change. Having a strong sense of agency helps us make decisions and feel able to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be.

One of the goals of this project is to support students in developing their capacity as change agents able to influence and catalyze actions on their own school grounds. These skills are transferable to other aspects of life. In this lesson, students will self-assess their growth and reflect on what participating in this project has meant to them.

Getting Ready to Teach

This lesson follows a sequential step pattern and requires background knowledge (see above).

Students should be prepared to spend part of this lesson outside on their school grounds.

Please open the links prior to teaching the lesson. You may also refer to additional resources at the bottom of this page.

The Lesson

Part I. Understanding the Concept of Agency or Self-Efficacy

1. Talk with students about the concept of agency, also referred to as self-efficacy. Show them these videos:

a. What is Self-Agency? (you can stop at about 3:15, before the ad at the end)

b. Importance of Self-Efficacy

Ask students to work in groups to discuss the concept of agency/self-efficacy. Have them consider these questions and make some notes in their journals:

• When have they exhibited these characteristics?

• When have they cheered others on as they worked to overcome obstacles, and how did that feel?

• How did it feel to accept feedback and try to incorporate it into future work?

• How has this project impacted your feelings of agency?

Part II. Assessing Growth in Our Own Personal Agency

2. Part or all of the rest of this lesson can take place outdoors on the school grounds.

3. Give students the Agency Rubric. Middle School version High School version

4. Review the rubric to ensure that everyone understands all of the questions. Ask students to fill it out based on their assessment of their own personal agency.

5. Explain that you will not collect these rubrics, that they are intended as a means for personal reflection and identification of areas for self-improvement.

Part III. Reflecting on Our Project

6. To cap off the project, engage in discussion about how students think about what was accomplished and how they feel to have been involved as change agents.

7. Here is a list of questions you could use to guide the conversation:

   • How would you define success with regard to our project?

   • How do you feel about your role in the project?

   • Which parts of the project did you enjoy the most, and which parts did you enjoy the least?

   • Do you believe you have grown in your knowledge and acceptance of other cultures?

   • What aspect of the project are you interested in learning more about? Biodiversity, nature-culture connection of cultures in different places, science behind evaluating biodiversity, policy making, being an advocate, others?

   • What steps do you think could be taken to further the project?

   • What knowledge, skills, and values will you take from this project to other parts of your life?

Part IV. Lesson Wrap-Up

8. Have students open their journals and record their main takeaways from this lesson, including big ideas, relationships, and goals.

9. Collect the journals for assessment, then return the journals to students for them to keep as a personal record of their participation in this project.

Additional Resources

• How to Develop Your Sense of Agency article

Extensions

• Students could follow up on the steps that need to be taken to implement their plans for improving biocultural diversity on the school grounds.

• They could also branch out into the community with their plan and explore different types of support, including financial, volunteer help, donations of plants or materials, etc.

Thank you for engaging in the Schoobio project! If you'd like to comment or share what your class has accomplished, please send your thoughts, photos, or other artifacts to shari@schoobio.earth!

Acknowledgments:

• Thanks to all of the reviewers who took the time to evaluate and give feedback on this curriculum project!

• Thank you to all students, teachers, and others taking action to increase ecological, bioculturally diverse school grounds around the world!