2D — Teaching Style & 2E — Class Norms

Introduction

Chapter 1 — Overview

A — Social Action’s Role & B – US College Social Action

C — Benefits of Social Action & D – Bringing into Classroom

E — Overcoming Challenges

Chapter 2 — Developing a Social Action Class

A — Academic Course vs Co-Curricular / B — Prerequisites  C — Creating a Social Action Syllabus D — Teaching Style / E — Classroom Norms F — The Students G — Building Campus Allies and Community Partners H —The Role of Place / I —Each Semester vs Every Year (or Other Year) J — Maintaining Momentum

Chapter 3 — Launching Student Campaigns

A — On Your Mark: Preparing Students for the Road Ahead B — Students Choose Their Issue - GO! C — Group Dynamics, part 1-Setting the Tone (Get Set) D — Change Theory E — Building Power F — Social Action Campus Tour G — Research: Historical Overview, Power Mapping, & Target Analysis H — Group Dynamics, part 2 I — Strategy & Tactics J — Campaign Kickoff

Chapter 4 — Campaign Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

A — Timeline & Campaign Plan B — Campaign Implementation: "Series of Actions" Begins C — Campaign Execution & Case Studies D — Campaign Evaluation E — Day of the Final: Campaign Notebook & Group Presentation

Chapter 5 — Where to Go From Here

A — Next Semester B — Mainstreaming Social Action C — Social Action Internship Program D — Pipeline to Jobs & Graduate School E — Status of Current Campaigns F — Impact of Social Action on Former Social Action Students

CHANGE! A Guide to Teaching Social Action

• Chapter 2D: Teaching Style (p. 42-43)
• Chapter 2E: Classroom Norms (43-44)

Discussion: Teaching Style

Teaching style focuses on what happens in a classroom, and how it happens. The goal of the teaching style for social action is an engaged classroom; thus, a social action teacher is more “a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage." The professor in this model yields the central role by having students practice their organizational raps, giving mini-lectures, providing them time to work on their campaigns (with you being available to help address problems that have come up in real time), and bringing in speakers (both alumni and from the community).

This is a democratic education model grounded in an engaged or Freirien pedagogy where students and teachers are co-creators of knowledge and where students have agency. Listen to SML discuss this teaching style:

Listen to Sydney Rittershaus from Northern Arizona University discuss how she balances her faculty role to encourage a democratic classroom:

Listen to Heather Pollock from University of Akron discuss how she has her students lead group discussions:

Class Format

To create a participatory, engaged classroom, the class structure has to be changed from the professor up front, and the students in rows, which is that old style of "the sage on the stage" to where the  teacher is the "guide on the side". Thus, the physical setting changes (students are in a circle), and the class format is different too. Below are some of the class format features that will create an engaged social action class:

• 5 min: Business & Social Action Activities (with a focus on youth, both nation & world)
• 5-7 min:  Quizzes (on reading)
• 7-10 min: Organization Raps (start on Class 10)     
• 15 min:   Mini Lectures
• 20-30 min: Campaign Work in Teams (sometimes this needs to happen at beginning of class)
• 10-15 min: Speakers (both alumni & local social action folks)
• 5-10 min:   Videos

Examples of the Class Format

• 7-10 min:  Organizational Raps

• 15 min:  Mini Lectures 

• 20-30 min: Campaign Work in Teams

• 10-15 min:  Speakers: Alumni on Zoom 

• 5-10 min:  Videos

Discussion: Classroom Norms

But what if the students don't believe social change is possible? Helping students to understand that change is possible is key. Everything done in the first third of the class is to help students believe change is possible and to encourage engagement.

Check out Scott’s discussion of what to do if students don’t believe change is possible:

Question:

• How many ways can you identify in the CHANGE books where it is shown that change is possible and where an active learning stance is supported?