for the children to understand complex top- ics about sustainability.


COLLABORATION


In addition to curriculum expectations, an important aspect of any real-life project is the opportunity to develop learning skills and work habits, as defined in Growing Success, the Ministry of Education’s 2010 assessment and evaluation guide. Te sustainable future community we created allowed students to understand and develop collaborative skills. I applaud the words and thoughts of Ni-


gerian writer and activist Bayo Akomolafe and Salvadoran feminist theologian Marta Benavides, shared in their co-published ar- ticle Te Times are Urgent: Let’s Slow Down (full text available at bayoakomolafe.net). “Tough civic efforts have been worth-


while, they have done nothing to change our relationships with the planet, with people, and with ourselves; we are still tethered to the deadening values of consumerism, and have not reclaimed our roles as living co-creators of a society we prefer to live in. If we beat the system at its own game,


we’ve lost. It is no longer time to rush through the contested world blinded by fury and anger – however worthwhile these are. Now, we think, is the time to ‘retreat’ into the real work of reclamation, to remember again our humanity through the intimacy of our relationships. Te time is very urgent – we must slow down.” Our relationships (with each other, with


the planet) need to be nurtured, and children need to be taught. Listening deeply to chil- dren, teaching them to listen to each other and helping them understand unique per- spectives and differences is part of our work as educators. For this project, I created mixed-grade


groups, taking into consideration social rela- tionships, different abilities and special learn- ing needs. I also wanted the students to take on different roles within the group.


Te project roles were: 1. Project manager 2. Designer 3. Materials supplier 4. Accountant (Grade 5 role) 5. Measurer Te communities were each given a $500,000 budget to use to buy their sup- plies (for example, part of an egg carton cost


$3,000; a square Styrofoam slab cost $20,000; a glue stick for a hot glue gun cost $5,000). One of the Grade 5 math expectations in


the Financial Management section is to “de- sign sample basic budgets to manage finances for various earning and spending scenarios,” so I wanted my Grade 5 students to play a leading role. Collaborative problem-solving with financial implications encouraged the groups to really examine their needs. It forced the students to truly listen to each other about what they felt their projects needed and where their community was going.


MATERIALS


I wanted to ensure that the project was based on the use of recycled and reused materials. Tis was partially to think about how a future world can be created using what we have, but also connected to my own reflection about how our society, including our public schools, create a huge amount of waste. I collected small boxes and plastic that


cannot be recycled. I brought in egg cartons and cardboard and cut up Styrofoam leſt over from packaging. I had on hand bristol board, balsa wood, popsicle sticks and hot glue guns with the required glue. I also gave students a copy of their printed SDG to physically integrate into their community, so it would be obvious and informative to the audience when they shared their projects.


CREATIVITY


Each group was given a large piece of bristol board on which to create their community. Within it, they needed to have essential ser- vices (including food, health, education), a transportation system, recreation, at least one solar panel and sustainable technologies. Sus- tainable technologies could exist in the pres- ent or be created (for example, one group dis- cussed the use of light waves as power and the possibilities of using sound waves as power). Projects also needed to include one three- dimensional building, allowing students to participate in hands-on innovation. Te communities created were all unique,


and students were intentional about con- necting their community to their SDG. For example, Solar City used both solar rays and wind power to create clean, sustainable ener- gy. Wonderville had a school, café, food bank, a large hill constructed out of Styrofoam, as well as a UFO visiting town. Banana Capi- tal, initially named as a bit of a joke, delved


into the issues surrounding hunger and built raised flats for transporting bananas. Using the information learned, and then


working together to apply that learning and do the hard, messy work of creating a sus- tainable future community was engaging, rewarding and fun. Te students loved the project, and their engagement allowed me to circulate among the groups easily, sup- porting their inquiries and challenging their ideas. My trust in their abilities also deep- ened our teacher-student relationships and contributed to our classroom community.


COMMUNITY SHOWCASE


We concluded the project with a community showcase hosted in the school library, invit- ing other classes to come and see what we had created. Students shared their learning, inspiring other students with our future vi- sion. Significantly, students spoke with pride and enthusiasm about their community’s SDG. Tey learned that sustainability can be a priority for a community. I invited parents to attend the show-


case, as well as other adults who are part of my community (including former teacher candidates, a retired teacher friend and a community member). I also invited a few superintendents to see what


the students


had created and accomplished, as a way to celebrate their work. Te community-building aspects of the


showcase were notable: students shared their work with a variety of grade levels, and invit- ing parents and community members deep- ened relationships. Students also began to see themselves as capable change-makers who can imagine, design and build more sustain- able and caring communities for the future.


TOUCHING THE FUTURE


Many years ago, when I was a teacher can- didate, we were asked to create posters in groups that provided direction for our teach- ing journey. One of the groups developed a poster that read: “I touch the future – I teach.” I never forgot this small pedagogical ex-


ercise. Teaching students who will be alive in 2100 is a responsibility, for the lessons taught now will carry them forward. Developing realistic optimism for our planet, and then teaching our students the skills necessary to create that world, is our work. n Jen Reid is a member of the Halton Teacher Local.


ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 37


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