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Below is a sample list of community organizations and specializations that call for a preparedness of "synthesizing ideas," generating a compassionate presence of service while strengthening the passions and interests -- and the innate genius of every student.

Humanities and Historical Societies

Libraries

Research Institutes

Vocational and Technical

Animal Protection, Welfare and Services

Beautification and Horticulture

Conservation and Environmental Education

Health Care Facilities and Programs

Addiction and Substance Abuse Study

Health Care Facilities and Programs

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition

What service organizations and topics for professional learning plans can you suggest to engage our students?

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The Genius in All of Us

Whether talking with seniors and staff at public high schools or greeting undergraduates in my college courses, the response is always the same: "Yes, Dr. Lori, the last part of my senior year was a waste! It didn't matter what or how I did. Even if the colleges told me I had to keep up my grades, they rarely check!" Year after year in many public high schools, seniors in their second semester subconsciously take four months off, becoming increasingly bored, restless and unproductive. Research reports that during this period, the U.S. has the highest dropout rate of any country -- almost 40 percent. This is a national crisis.

And yet, at the district and school levels, there is something we can do to change the trajectory of this listless, apathetic and stressful period that plagues many adolescents preparing for one of the most monumental independent shifts in their lives. The change calls for collaboration and engagement. I cannot imagine anything more significant than equipping our young adults with knowledge of their strengths, passions, abilities and the opportunity to experience and discuss this world of future learning before it becomes a reality!

In these late adolescent years, the brain's frontal lobe is still developing based on the experiences and environment provided. This is where the sub skills of decision making, problem solving, empathy, emotional check-ins, planning and organizing are unfolding. It is imperative that educators, parents and community become aware of the high need for experiences that stimulate learning connections in the senior year of high school.

According to research by David Shenk, lecturer, filmmaker and author, we are living in a time when adaptive behaviors are critically important for success. Yes, we need the rigor of math, linguistics, science and technology, but we also desperately need to recognize and tap the creative genius of every student. In David's most recent book, The Genius in All of Us, he writes, "Limitations in achievement are not due to inadequate genetic assets, but in our ability to tap into what we already have." What does this mean for educators and students?

We now know that the environment we create and the classroom opportunities we provide are integrated and interact with the thousands of genes to produce dynamic strengths and expressions of multiple intelligences. Children develop only as their environment demands development.

Asking the Right Questions

So how do we rejuvenate passion, uncover student strengths and, most important, create a service curriculum reaching out to the community and touching our students' minds and hearts in this time of great brain growth? We begin by asking students the questions that drive them to self-reflect while listening to their own passions, strengths and interests. As educators and parents, we have the ability of integrating these questions inside everyday classes and home environments:

If I had all day to spend on one project or activity, what would that be?

What activity or skill has always intrigued me and would I want to know more about?

If I could choose three of my classes for next year on any topic, what would they be and why?

If money didn't matter and I could design my own career, what would that look like?

If I could design the perfect school day, what would that be?

What if we begin annually assessing strengths, passions and interests during freshman or sophomore year using surveys, rating scales and anecdotal notes? What if we incorporate and track these assessments just as we do with end-of-course assessments and AP tests, recording and revisiting this data each semester? What if we began grouping students according to their interests and passions, meeting three times a year in student-led collaborations where second-semester professional learning plans begin to develop?

What if these professional learning plans called upon the community, bringing in guest speakers from civic organizations, businesses, vocational schools and various institutes? What could we learn and apply from listening to the abbreviated seminars with time set aside for questions and discussion two days a week? What if students learned to deeply research their topics of interest, integrating Common Core ELA and math standards, embedding the history and needs of the organizations and businesses, and finding ways to propagate outcomes and production as part of their portfolio? This could become meaningful learning in these adolescent years for students driven by a personal sense of autonomy, purpose and mastery.

What if students took their ideas, studies and questions into various field experiences eight to ten hours a week during the school day, collaborating with these organizations in designing novel ways of service?

What if each student created a professional learning plan of studies and experiences with three actionable ways to improve and build upon those individual field experiences? These professional learning plans would be shared and reviewed by school boards, parents, and the actual business or organization where the student was mentored. What if students acquired hours of experience plus college or trade school credit, scholarships and recognition not only for their project outcomes, but for their effort, their oral and written presentations, and the practical application of their ideas?

Resources for an Action Plan

Below is a sample list of community organizations and specializations that call for a preparedness of "synthesizing ideas," generating a compassionate presence of service while strengthening the passions and interests -- and the innate genius of every student.

What service organizations and topics for professional learning plans can you suggest to engage our students as they battle senioritis?

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Senioritis -- or an Opportunity for Growth? | Edutopia

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Whether talking with seniors and staff at public high schools or greeting undergraduates in my college courses, the response is always the same: "Yes, Dr. Lori, the last part of my senior year was a waste! It didn't matter what or how I did.

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What are some ideas you have to connect with your community while broadening your students authentic learning experiences? Please create a pin on this Padlet to help others brainstorm!

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Twitter: @mcculloughmg
mcculloughmg@schoolcraftcs.org

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We create virtual field trips of relevant places in our community, such as a local rock quarry. We film videos, then have a live Q&A with our local students and personnel.

video.monroeisd.us

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Organizations

There are so many options. Law enforcement, business owners, farmers. I know many that would love to share what they do and the problems they have to solve every day.

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Bookbug or This is a Book Store in Kzoo would be a great business to connect with - discuss problems they work on while connecting to literacy!

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what about identifying physical accessibility issues around school/community and working with metals/woods/fabricating class to solve problems?

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Libraries are great for partnerships! Huge resources for media literacy and digital citizenship related topics. (i.e. library just hosted a panel discussion for the community on fake news- students were part of the panel)

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Use existing programs to coordinate (Craig)

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Use existing programs to coordinate (Craig)

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Kent ISD has a career readiness team that exists to connect businesses to schools. See their site: http://www.kentisd.org/instructional-services/career-readiness/ Ottawa ISD has a program called iChallengeU which pairs organizations w/ student groups to solve real problems: http://www.oaisd.org/oaisd/departments/careertechnicaleducaton/futureprep/ichallengeu/

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One of our 3rd grade teachers has organized trips to local dairy farms. Students learn about how the farm functions. They also discuss what happens to the waste. This leads to discussion of water treatment, etc.

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One of the schools I work with in Hastings had 2nd graders visit the local Animal Shelter. Students worked with teachers and staff at the shelter to determine needs that they could work together to solve. They engaged in a design thinking process and created items using their 3D printers to help the animal shelter.

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Find what makes your community unique and great.

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Find what makes your community unique and great.

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Port Huron has a long history of innovation (Thomas Edison) and an amazing location next to Lake Huron, the St. Clair River and Canada!

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Give students reasons to write persuasive essays! Let me choose a cause that they care about

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We partnered with our local library, and in turn the Suburban Library Collection, to provide e-resources for our students as part of our 1:1 Chrome Book roll out.  This also provides an Internet access place for students without wifi at home as they are allowed to use their e-cards to connect at the library buildings.

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Our students have worked on marketing solutions for our school. Using a SWOT analysis (which I learned at the REMC retreat, ha!) to identify potential marketing opportunities.

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Co-op programs for students to learn job skills...

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Co-op programs for students to learn job skills...

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A new mayor has lots of ideas for modernizing the city - it would be awesome to get the kids on board with brainstorming and implementing these changes.

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A local watershed organization to look at and test water quality. There would be so many ways to organized and analyze data and then upload the data for others to use- other classrooms, other schools, local agencies...

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At the beginning of the year for PD, teachers went to different businesses in a hastings and learned what skills students need to have to be hired. It would be awesome for students to see that.

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Whirlpool offers opportunity for students to solve real-world/company issues and problems to students in our area.  Sort of a competition with prizes for winning idea.  Very engaging!

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Engage students, secondary students are preferred, to interview local veterans; WWII, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and create their story and then turn it into a movie to present to the local community. This movie night could be done at your high school auditorium or even a local movie theater.

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Developing Relationships with the Business Community

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Developing Relationships with the Business Community

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Representation at local economic development group meetings, rotary clubs, etc.

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Take note when you hear a common complaint at your school, home or in your community. Ask questions to mediate Ss thinking about those complaints. Be part of the solution.

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Our GIS club has partnered with a history project to copmlete GIS mapping as an internship project over the summer. Right in our community.

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"Local Guides" assignment for Google Maps

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"Local Guides" assignment for Google Maps

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Students write about various topics connected to local places. Ex. How to stay healthy in your neighborhood, Multicultural experiences in the community, etc.

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Have students create tutorials for community members on everyday technology use. Digital citizenship and passwords info.

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Business Partnerships...have local businesses sponsor school clubs/programs and have their employees volunteer.

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Business Partnerships...have local businesses sponsor school clubs/programs and have their employees volunteer.

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Stryker is very supportive about developing partnerships with kids and their employees. Students had to solve the problem of how to code hospital beds to prevent falls.

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Reach out the local educational outreach centers to help support their needs.

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The logical next step would be to have students seek out the partnerships ... we haven't been able to get there yet but would love to try!
~Matt

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The 'talent gap' is big talk with MEDC/MDE ... who better to help with the talent and growth than the students!
~Matt

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Do students seek out the Co-ops...so much more learning in setting this up with the adults including the expectations
~Matt

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Who better to know what students and families want out of a school than the Ss!
~Matt

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This is exactly what I was talking about!

~Matt

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If it is the Ss and their talents that will grow a town, you better involve your most important resource(them)
~Matt

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~Matt

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Was this an authentic problem or had 1 pre-made answer?  Just curious!
~Matt

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"How do we get more traffic/books checked out/attendance at panels?"

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But how do the students give back to the businesses? We need to strive for a symbiotic relationship.

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How can we get the 'Mom and Pop' groups to jump into this foray?

~Matt

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voice is key in educational needs of fellow students!

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Did any business say they struggle to find ________ skill?  Can students help problem solve why and how to fill?

~Matt

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Has a project that he's done that is AWESOME with this!
~Matt

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Could students then do a PSA for local farmers or businesses that most effect the water?