Linked to the Australian Curriculum for Health and PE
Youth Action links to the Australian Curriculum by adopting an educative focus, taking a strengths based approach and including a critical inquiry focus.
Specifically, Youth Action contributes to healthy and active communities by asking learners to:
Specifically, Youth Action contributes to healthy and active communities by asking learners to:
- Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of their communities.
- Plan and evaluate new and creative interventions that promote their own and others connection to community and natural and built environments.
- Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence the health and wellbeing of their communities.
- Devise, implement and refine strategies demonstrating leadership and collaboration skills when working in groups.
What is Authentic Learning?
Check out a Blog Article on Authentic Learning related to Youth Action. Click here to read more about Authentic Learning. We feel Youth Action aligns well with this approach.
What is a student as researcher?
"...the practice of students as researchers offers one way of creating such opportunities for engagement, so that students whose voices may have been silenced or devalued within traditional schooling systems can be heard..." (Bland. D,C. & Atweh, B., 2007, p.339)
Particpatory Action Research involves students selecting an issue that is important to them (and their school/others). Ideally they are working from the top rungs of Hart's participatory ladder (see diagram below). Students then set about exploring the issue, asking questions, doing some reading and identifying potential issues in their communities. They then gather evidence that will inform strategies, solutions or 'answers' to these problems. The data collection is important because it shifts from being one persons idea, to something more substantive and evidence based. From here, students partner with adults who have some knowledge of the issue (school council, local government, facilities coordinator, PE teacher) and co-construct strategies/solutions and ideas for action. These solutions are presented to stakeholders for action to occur. Why is this important? Click here to read about it from Bland and Atweh
Particpatory Action Research involves students selecting an issue that is important to them (and their school/others). Ideally they are working from the top rungs of Hart's participatory ladder (see diagram below). Students then set about exploring the issue, asking questions, doing some reading and identifying potential issues in their communities. They then gather evidence that will inform strategies, solutions or 'answers' to these problems. The data collection is important because it shifts from being one persons idea, to something more substantive and evidence based. From here, students partner with adults who have some knowledge of the issue (school council, local government, facilities coordinator, PE teacher) and co-construct strategies/solutions and ideas for action. These solutions are presented to stakeholders for action to occur. Why is this important? Click here to read about it from Bland and Atweh
What is a researcher?
A researcher is someone who is curious, creative, organised, critical, persuasive and determined.
- Being curious is about having a need for knowledge. An inquisitive mind. Someone who asks questions.
- Being determined is about seeing something through. That might mean following a lead or an idea until you get some answers. It might be looking at something in a different way.
- Being critical means we don't accept things at face value, rather we check to see if it has been validated or evaluated, we ask for evidence, we challenge assumptions.
- Being organised means we have a process that we manage and we follow.
- Being creative is about extending ideas, joining ideas together, filling gaps and using the information we have to develop new ways of knowing and doing.
- Being persausive is about making an argument that has influence. We need to be able to communicate our message to people across a diverse range of perspectives.