efficacy, and internalization. Students self-reported and were observed to have an increased ability to create and direct actions towards a specific purpose fueled by their own belief in themselves. Further, students developed an increased belief that their actions were related to this project were intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically. Many schools, including my own, are moving towards a project- based learning model, and the observations and findings of this study support the fact that this model empowers stu- dents25. Education is often ineffective if it is not connected to real-world issues and if it does not build skills in students that they can put to use in their future as citizens. Addition- ally, students need to have the confidence and empowerment to believe that they can use these skills to make a differ- ence. Project-based learning units, when integrated with conservation and built with a strategic lesson design, have the potential to empower our students and can be useful tools for teachers cultivating the next generation of citizen leaders.


Andree R. Philpot is a former middle school Science and Language Arts teacher and currently volunteers at an after-care home for trafficking victims in Kathmandu, Nepal. She completed this piece as part of her graduate program with Miami University and Project Dragonfly in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Her broader goal through her graduate work has been to empower others to believe that their actions have a broader impact on a global scale.


Endnotes:


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