Climate/Future Teaching & Learning Sequence

This module explores action and activism from the past right up to the present.

 

This will help young people understand that, often, great efforts are needed to achieve a better world and, often, those great efforts are made by one person or a small group of people who live their convictions and ideas or ‘walk their talk’.

 

Curriculum links

1: HASS – Civics and Citizenship

• Understand how Civics and Citizenship works

• Civics and Citizenship Skills.
   

2: The General Capabilities of:

• Personal and Social Capability

• Ethical Understandings

• Critical and Creative Thinking.

 

Teaching and Learning Sequence

Adapt these activities and their order to suit your specific situation.

 

1: As a whole group, watch or read the story of the Flight of the Hummingbird

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This is the video accompaniment to the book "Flight of the hummingbird," which was reviewed in the 2008 Summer issue of Granville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJGNmgy676I

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The parable of a hummingbird that takes small steps toward achieving a big goal has its origins with the Haida people of the Pacific Northwest and the Quechan people of South America. 

 

It forms the basis for this slim volume illustrated by Vancouver-based artist Michael Yahgulanaas in his contemporary "Haida manga" comic book style. Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas produced this short insightful clip highlighting the main character (Dukdukdiya). Animated in the same 'haida manga' style, the animals are displaced after their forest catches fire. Dukdukdiya carries single drops of water to the raging fire, doing what she can herself to fight the flames.

 

Small in length but huge in feeling, this video is only the beginning of the message.

 

• Discuss the story with your students and have them determine the key messages.

• If this is about one “doing what they can” then how does that relate to local issues of sustainability in your area?

• Are there people in our communities “doing what they can” about particular issues?

• Are they activists?

 

2: What does it mean to be an active citizen?

Read the article ‘Learning and Active Citizenship for Sustainability’

• Discuss as a group

  • Clarify words and meanings

  • Who is the intended audience for this article?

  • What is one key message from this piece of writing?

  • Discus the role of lobbyists. Why do corporations need to influence Governments?

  • Who or what else can influence government policies?

  • Discuss examples of policies at local, state and federal levels and how they affect how we live and what we can do. Make the point that people/governments made these policies and that people/governments can change them. What is one policy you would like to change in your local area to improve the quality of the environment? Who would you talk to? How would you go about it?

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3: There are ‘Hummingbirds’ in history and around us. 

In this task, students are asked to research a movement or an activist.

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Australia has a long record of activism. The history of the Union movement dates back to 1789 with Convict Strikes and continues now with paid maternity leave.

 

In the 20th century, Individuals and organisations fought for better working conditions, the franchise for women, land-rights and the vote for Aboriginal people. History also gives us Vincent Lingiari and Wave Hill and the Tent Embassy outside Parliament House in Canberra. Note also that Australia’s Citizen’s Parliament was the first in the world in 2009.

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Students are to conduct research on a movement or an activist. Look at the similarities and differences across the various movements or activists that are researched. Consider such things as focus and strategies used to win broad support for the issue. You may be able to use their representations (see end of this activity for description) to draw some conclusions about what/who makes change and how this happens.

 

Movements: Here are some of the global movements mentioned in the Story of Change.

Students can research one of these or any other global movement.

• Indian Independence Movement

• Anti-Apartheid Movement

• Civil Rights Movement

• Environmental Movement.

 

Activists: Below is a list of some widely-known activists.

Students could identify an activist from this list or someone who is active in their local area.

• Rachel Carson (Environment, use of chemicals)

• Tim Flannery (Australian Zoologist)

• Jane Goodall (Wildlife protection)

• Eddie Mabo (Indigenous land rights)

• Vincent Lingiari (Indigenous land rights)

• Manika Gandhi (Animal rights)

• Greta Thunberg (Climate change)

• Julian Assange (Wikileaks)

• Xavier Rudd (Socially conscious songs)

• Erin Brockovich (Environment)

• Margaret Atwood (Environment)

• Malala Yousafzai (Education for girls in Pakistan)

• Rosa Parks (Civil rights)

• Helen Caldicott (Anti-nuclear)

• Ai Weiwei (Human rights)

• Chris Jordan (Midway Island, plastics and the Albatross)

• Mahatma Gandhi (Independence)

• Nelson Mandela (Civil rights)

• Paul Watson (Greenpeace)

• Burnum Burnum (Aboriginal rights)

• Adam Goodes (Racism)

• Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil rights)

• Marina Debris (Trashion artist)

• Banksy (Political street art)

 

The research could consider such things as:

• What changed as a result of their efforts and why they sought to make change?

• What tools/mechanisms are/were used to communicate and inspire change? (e.g. writing,  photography, film, marches, music.)

• What was the ‘evidence’ they used in their arguments and how did they present it?

• How did they bring other people along with them?

 

Present the findings in an A3 poster. 

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Below is a template for this poster. Note, this is not a usual template – it is one focused on communicating one key idea/message – this communication strategy is a great tool for developing skills in summarising and for sharing information in manageable ways:

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• Middle: name activist and give key message of activist in the middle half of the page, large font, 20 words or less.

• Left hand side: list of key moments of the activist’s work.

• Right hand side: list the tools and mechanisms used to bring others along.

• Students may include 1 image.

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If you want to know more about this interesting way to adapt “the poster” check out Mike Morrisons messages in the video below. You can also use QR technology to make this interesting.

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4: Present posters around the room and conduct a Gallery Walk. 

 

This activity is done in reflective silence and people move to posters that catch their eye and engage with the key messages. Each person is looking for those messages, moments and mechanisms that are similar/different to what they discovered in their own research. Hold a group discussion after the gallery walk to explore ideas of similarity and difference and to deepen the understanding of what and why activists and movements are important.

 

Consider using peer review for assessment – see Teachers notes below

 

5: Checking in on influence.

 

Use the Spheres of Influence representation (below) to map action.

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Can your student map their activist (or movement) on this map and indicate the directions of action or change or influence? This may be a difficult task (depending upon the activists chosen); however, it introduces the idea that we are central as active citizens and that our influence is what drives social change.

 

This final activity in module 2 (the active citizen) connects to module 3 (communication and persuasion) which explores HOW social change happens.

 

Notes for Teachers

1. Read the relevant outcomes from HASS and general capabilities. Know what is being asked of your students through this learning engagement/opportunity. How will you assess their achievement of the outcomes?

2. It is important that you know some information about local (environmental or social) issues.  Know how they are managed through policy – locally, at the state level and federally.

3. Take time to research, for yourself, local activists.  Know who they might be and consider how you feel about their actions or issues. You will be asked your opinion; it’s ok to share it, but remember it is yours and not what others must think. Not agreeing about the importance of local issues is fine.

4. Make time to explore the resources you will be using in the module.  Especially check out the video about how to generate posters with only one key message. This strategy for communicating will be useful. Also consider carefully how you will conduct the Gallery Walk – what do you need to do to make it a showcase or learning and a valuable experience for all students? You may even invite other classes to conduct the Gallery Walk.

5. Peer assessment could be a useful strategy to use to assess student learning as a result of this module. If using this strategy you will need to negotiate criteria for assessment with the group prior to their conducting the activity. Similarly, negotiating how to conduct peer review is important (keep it polite, but useful, and imagine you were receiving the same review – how would you want it stated?).  Set some ground rules.