Theories:

One major concept throughout Writing for a Change by Kristina Berdan et al. is schema. In
Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies by Buhrow and Garcia, schema is defined as what students
already know and their prior experiences. The National Writing Project and their collaborators at the
Centre for Social Action made schema the key behind bringing Social Action to students in their
classroom environments. Getting students to become more excited and involved in their school work
was manageable by encouraging them to share their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences as core content
in the classroom (Berdan, et al. 84). Allowing concentration towards what the students had lived
through and had on their minds was a powerful tool for getting them focused on their work. The more
the students were affected by an issue in society, the more they cared about the solution, and the more
effort they put forth. When the point is to get the kids excited and enthusiastic about discovery
through content, making connections is crucial as this helps the kids make sense of new information
introduced to them in the classroom (Burhow & Garcia, 65).

A second key concept in Writing for a Change is inquiry. Inquiry is connected to schema because
ones schema is used to ask questions regarding the topic of study. In the case of Social Action, inquiry is
more independence based; leaning on the students to be the leaders, and the teachers to be
facilitators. Facilitation, rather than direction, allows the students to express their freedom to talk,
negotiate, draw, create, and interpret in small groups before the teacher even begins making
assignments and taking grades (Berdan, et al. 58). With the teacher on the side lines of projects,
students can be more open and aware of collaboration with others looking to reach a common goal. The
students form groups where cohesion is important, and questions are asked from all angles without
discrimination or judgement. This learning technique reflects the independent inquiry mentioned in
Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies (92). Though the teacher helps guide the students to find
information needed for the work, being able to choose their topics and direct the work themselves
energizes the students. Motivating the students becomes less of an issue for the teacher, and they can
focus on learning alongside their pupils.

The third concept shared between Writing for a Change and Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling
Galaxies is communication and conversations between the students, group members, and facilitators. In
Writing for a Change, a teacher described the Social Action principle that all people have skills,
experience, and understanding that they can draw on to tackle the problems they face (Berdan, et al.
20). This teacher was able to realize the barrier to tackling said problems was not the students
knowledge of what they need, but them rarely being asked about it. The importance was established as
one of voice. The students have strong voices, but do not use them for fear of rejection. One of the
major struggles teachers need to face as facilitators using Social Action is letting go of their control in
the traditional classroom sense. Faith in their students understanding of what could be done to reach a
goal will only lead to solid communication on both sides. With good communication comes trust, and
Social Action calls for trust in the process. As long as the students and teacher are open to proper
communication, there is little that can obstruct getting kids to feel comfortable about thinking, reading,
and writing (Buhrow & Garcia, 35). Students, regardless of the subject matter, need to understand how
powerful their voices can be when put to the test of persuasion.
Reasons for reading:

Writing for a Change was a powerful, motivating book in regards to bringing about social change
in a classroom setting. The book tackles challenges for teachers, students, administration, parents, and
even community members when focusing on issues as minor as library check-out rules to as major as
the effects of garbage disposal facility locations. As presented, Social Action has a lot to contribute to
the recognition and addressing of social problems. There are multiple steps in the Social Action process,
but none of the steps can be completed without workers and facilitators (students and teachers). If the
students have an issue they want to tackle, they take it to their teacher, but the teacher does not
provide the answer. As a future teacher, you may ask yourself how can this be? As educators, we are
used to, and comfortable, solving our students problems for them, or at least telling them how to solve
it themselves. This is not the path of Social Action, but Writing for a Change is a helping hand in this
discovery.

The beginning of this book describes a teachers initial dilemma of letting go of their classroom
control and putting it in the kids hands. Accepting the power of a students opinion is one thing, and
letting them use it to tell how society should be is another. The struggle is determining how far too
much control on the teachers part is as well as how far is not enough guidance before chaos ensues.
The first step to begin Social Action is asking the students what is an issue in their lives they want to
change, and why. The next difficulty is distinguishing what is the root cause of the issue and how to fix
that, not just get rid of the symptoms of the problem. This may seem like a lot to contemplate from a
teacher/educators perspective, but if you start by asking your students what is an issue you are facing,
it is guaranteed you will be faced with numerous battles to begin with, but you will not be along in the
war.

Throughout Writing for a Change, the reader is bombarded with trusting the process and
having faith in the experiences and enthusiasm of their students to resolve their concerns. The
collaborating teachers all share their surprise, and excitement, at how much information their students
were able to contribute, and how far they took their projects beyond the classroom walls. Social Action
projects can be cross curricular by developing Mathematics, Physical Science, Social Studies, Economics
as well as English and Language Arts. Personal skills such as problem solving, relationships, and business
and time management are also articulated as key concepts for the process of Social Action to be
successful. As one teacher explains, the most valuable lessons come from the youths doing the fixing
(36). Are you ready to begin the adventure of Social Action in your classroom and see where your
students will take you?