Attacks vs.

Retreats:

A collaborative model for developing Personal Awareness and

Responsibility in students.

This workshop presents a collaborative (teacher and student-directed) model for the
development of competencies in personal awareness and responsibility. This model
includes modifications to the classroom environment, as well as teacher-directed
activities, that provide for social development and the nurturing of social
responsibility. In addition this model encourages (and even requires) students to
take initiative in such activities, and to eventually design and execute activities of
their own.

Students will be sharing specific experiences (successes as well as failures!) in the

development and execution of their own social and community projects.

Seminar will provide suggestions as to how to build classroom experiences that

foster social and emotional development, awareness of personal skills, and personal
responsibility into your current class environment.

Classroom environment

Front of class, head of class, the student-centered classroom.

Self-selected seating, teacher-selected seating.

Teacher directed activities.

Developing(guiding) student interests

Supporting exploration, opportunities for passion/labour, modelling passion,

giving permission for passion, passion-diversity synergy in the classroom,
leaky-insulation from failure, scaffolding for early success.

Social development

Challenge model of social development, roles switches, role reversals, play,

non-neutral circumstances, leadership roles, gauged responsibility, safety
nets.
 Sample social and community projects

Project initiation, safety concerns, scope concerns, supervision and

responsibility.

Reflective and self-aware leadership

Metacognition, and self-evaluation, reflective leadership, self-

identification,

Memes and values

Exporting expertise, re-creating environments for success, succession for

leadership, mentoring among students