Photo Voice Social Action Plan

My time in Ms. Johnsons 3rd grade class was very rewarding and improved my

confidence as a teacher. The class is made up of a very diverse group of students with different

backgrounds, personalities and beliefs. Ms. Johnson has done a tremendous job to create a

classroom community where everyone respects each other and works together. There is no big

issue with bullying, respect or caring in this class. The one issue in this class affecting the

students is the motivation to learn and focus on completing work.

Motivation to learn and complete assignments is an issue plaguing Ms. Johnsons class.

Every student in the class is very bright and creative as well. I have personally seen every student

produce quality work and contribute to the class community. Some students just do not want to

complete their work. One day in the field, I noticed one student, Will, just siting staring at the
ceiling while everyone else was working on a very important assessment. I approached Will to

make sure he was ok. He told me that he was doing good and even seemed to be in a good mood.

I then tried to tell Will to start working on the assignment and his response hurt. Will confidently

responded with Nah, I dont want too. Sometimes students will complain about work but will

complete the assignment. This time Will was very serious. I then tried to motivate Will telling

him he can do it. Will did not budge and even said he did not care. This came to my attention

immediately as an issue in Ms. Johnsons class.

The photo above is a perfect example of the motivation issue occurring in Ms. Johnsons

class. This is actually a screen shot from my Re-envisioning the day lesson. The photo shows

some of the students covering their eyes and others looking all over the room. The similarity

connecting all the students together is that not many of them were focused on the assignment.

Originally the students were working with the lights off. One student asked me to turn the lights

on because they were having a hard time seeing their worksheet. After turning on the lights,

many students lost focus and started focusing on how bright it was and were distracted instead of

working on the assignment. I tried to quickly regain the students focus but some of them lost a

little motivation to complete work. Something as small as lighting affected the students

motivation to complete the assignment. I knew that the students sometimes struggle to stay

focused and stay motivated but this event completely supported my theory.

In order to motivate students, they have to be excited to learn. One way students engage

in activities is to challenge students. Students do not want to constantly lectured and given

information. When given the opportunity to discover information and complete a challenge or

puzzle themselves, students want to jump in and contribute their abilities (Ferlozzo). Motivation

is an issue in my current class but the whole school community at Forestville Road struggles
with parent involvement. A possible opportunity to not only promote motivation and hard work

but also include parents would be to have students come up with either a service project or

fundraiser that included the community. This task would give students the opportunity to think

creatively, work as a team, and organize a large scale project. I would give the students freedom

to come up with realistic ideas that could either help the school, community, or charity.

First I would want my students to brainstorm one idea themselves for a service project or

fundraiser. After coming up with ideas, I would review the ideas as the instructor to make sure

they were realistic. For those not realistic, I would praise the student for the idea but let them

know that the idea was not possible. The next step would be to review the ideas approved by the

instructor and as a class decide on our top three. During this section of the planning process it is

important to once again remind the students that we are working as a class and not individuals. I

would split the class into three groups and give each student their ideas back. Then, I would give

the groups time to discuss the ideas using positive communication and listening skills, and

choose their favorite idea from the members of the group. Next as a class, we would share the

three ideas each group came up with. These groups will work together in order to plan their

event.

The next step of the project would be to plan and organize the event. As the instructor, I

would have to get permission from administration and promote the events. After that, I would

have my students create a list of materials and resources needed to implement the project. The

students will need help thinking of materials so be patient, let their ideas come first and then

provide assistance. During planning, the workload needs to be distributed equally between group

members. A possible solution would be to dedicate jobs and everyday rotate. Finally after
completing a materials list, I would have to again clear plans with administration and begin the

promotion process.

Promoting the service projects and fundraisers will not be an easy tasks. I will challenge

the students to promote their projects throughout the school and to parents. Promoting

throughout the school could include posters, promotion on the announcements, newsletters etc. I

want the students to show persistence and come up with their own ideas. Promoting this to

parents will be difficult. As we read in The Myth of Culture of Poverty article, parents may work

many hours and do not have the opportunity to participate. This is where the students must show

motivation (Gorski). I would encourage the students to talk to their parents and explain how

much work they have put into the project. I want the students to show organization and maybe

ask the parents time and dates that they could participate. Hearing positive reinforcement from

their teacher, parents and classmates will motivate students to stay persistent and excited.

School
Announcement
s

School
Newsletter

Finally after deciding on a date and time, we would host the three events at school. The

event would be open to everyone and give participants the choice of where they want to help.

This project will build the community and benefit the students, parents and staff. It is important

as the instructor to be very enthusiastic and help students whenever needed. This project will

hopefully show students that with motivation and drive, they can accomplish anything. After
implementing the event, have the students reflect. Talk about what went well and what they

would do differently. Remember to praise the students on their hard work and persistence.

Step 1 Introduce the project and have each student

brainstorm one idea. After students create an
idea, review each project and make sure it is
possible.
Step 2 Break the class into 3 groups. Give each
student their idea back and have each group
chose one idea that they believe will be the
most beneficial. Get approval from
administration.
Step 3 Planning. Have students think of all materials
and resources needed to implement the
projects. After students come up with a list,
gain approval from administration and reach
out to businesses and sponsors.
Step 4 Find a date that will work by talking to
parents and administration.
Step 5 Promote the event at school and to parents.
Step 6 Host the event.
Step 7 Reflection

This project is obviously focused to promote motivation and hard work to every student,

but the students that will benefit the most are the students who do not complete work or refuse to

complete work. This project requires every student to contribute. In order to engage these

students, I would constantly remind my class to keep an open mind, contribute to the group, and

build off each others ideas. Doing this will make every student feel a part of something

amazing. They will understand that they can make an impact on their community. I want these

students to show leadership and motivation to work hard and work as a team.

Students that may be struggle with this social change are the ones who show strong

leadership qualities but are not very open minded. These students will be set on their own idea
and will not want to work with others on a plan that they did not create. In order to keep these

students motivate, I would urge them to show their leadership qualities but to be a moderator

instead of a boss. This way they can hear ideas from each group member and motivate the group

to build off each others ideas. These students will lead the discussions and urge group members

to share ideas.

When implementing this action plan, results may vary. As always it is crucial as a teacher

to set high expectations for your students, give clear instructions, and have faith in the abilities.

If this project is introduced with those three actions, the beginning will already be moving

upwards. If the beginning of the project does not start as planned, do not panic. Stay calm and

give support to the students as they plan and figure out how to implement their project. A big

responsibility of the instructor is to stay organized and make sure the project is approved,

materials are available and the students are receiving constant feedback and support. Students

will not be able to complete this project without a teacher. Therefore, I must be organized and

always willing to help when implementing this.

After the project is implemented, be sure that not only the class reflects on the event but

ask parents, staff and other participates to give the students praise and feedback on the project.

The students will benefit from hearing from others. It is important to view what went well and

what we should change for the event. This teaches students to understand the importance of

reflecting in order to improve something. I believe that the reflection of this project is crucial.

Finally do not let the students forget about the hard work put into the event. The whole theme of

the project is to promote motivation and persistence. By running such an amazing and large scale

event like this, students will now feel confident in their abilities and be motivated to try their best

whenever faced with a challenge.

References
Ferlazzo, Larry. "Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves." Edutopia.

George Lucas Educational Foundation, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Gorski, Paul. The Myth of Cultural Poverty. Educational Leadership. April 2008.

Accessed April 26, 2017.