And Now…the Grand Finale: Taking Action

By Carly Muetterties

The fourth post in Carly’s exploration and reflections on the four Dimensions of the C3 Framework Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

December 3, 2014

Cue the music – this is the climax of our voyage!  We have asked the right questions, we have looked in the right places, now students will show us the results.  Everything we have done in and outside the classroom will now take center stage. 

The students will rise…. The trumpets are blaring….“Oh Captain, my captain!” 

Alright, I’m exaggerating a bit.  But when I have reflected on the final dimension of the C3 Framework, I can’t help but get a bit excited in terms of what can be accomplished – excited, but overwhelmed at the same time.  Seeing my students take initiative, applying their cumulative experiences in school to their community is exhilarating, but how can I contribute to it in a meaningful way?

The fifth instructional shift for the C3 Framework is to “provide tangible opportunities for taking informed action.” Why does this cause my heart skip a beat? It’s a combination of my ambition and recognition of reality. Do I tell my students on the first day that we are going to change their community? Change the country? Change the world?  Sounds a bit schmaltzy, clichéd, eye-roll inducing – you name it.

For my own sanity, I need to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. 

We are turning students into active and engaged citizens.  This is one of the most important functions of a social studies education, but is often not directly addressed.  

Olympic swimmers know the physical and nutritional requirements they need to succeed.  They practice exhaustively to meet these demands.  Michael Phelps wasn’t breaking records when he first got into the pool.  We can’t expect our students to know how to engage in civic activity if they never have the opportunity to dip their toes in the water.

More importantly, I need to remind myself of a key aspect of the larger goals of the C3 Dimensions – specifically the goal of turning students into the producers of their own education and transforming myself from an instructor to facilitator. 

At the NCSS Conference in Boston a couple weeks ago, the C3 Clinic addressed teacher concerns and confusions regarding “taking informed action.”  The idea can be a bit overwhelming.  In the clinic, we explored practical ways for us to have our students take action without necessarily needing to leave the classroom.  One way is to rethink the summative assessment – have students create a documentary or PSA.  Their argumentative essay could help them create a Letter to Editor or to a political representative.  Later on in the year, my students will write an essay about Pearl Harbor using primary documents including letters to FDR and man-on-the-street interviews.  One way my students could take action after this is to create their own oral history project.

Throughout December, I will post other ideas and resources related to this dimension.  Please share your own efforts to have students take action.  Just as they are members of a community, we are members of a teacher’s community – let’s help each other out on this integral, yet difficult, task!