Service as Action
Service as action is an important component of MYP education because it encourages students to learn outside of the classroom, to recognize their roles and responsibilities in their community, beginning with their family and gradually expanding to the entire world. Students learn to make connections between what they learn and their society while working on S&A. Furthermore, it assists students in improving their ATL skills, learning perseverance, and being able to take on challenges.
Service - to do something for someone other than for yourself, often the case of fulfilling a need (like working in an orphanage, helping out at a school event or cleaning up the school campus).
Action - contributing towards a healthy and balanced lifestyle (sports teams and musicals for example).
SA activities and projects can be undertaken either as an individual or as a group. The quality of an activity is more valuable than the hours devoted towards it.
Students of Dunya School are expected to:
-
Complete at least one in-school and one out-of-school project
-
Supervised by a subject teacher or SA advisor
-
Achieve all 7 outcomes through projects and activities
The 7 SA learning outcomes are:
|
Awareness Become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth
|
Individuals have strengths and weaknesses. MYP Students should be able to identify them and understand how they can continue to develop their strengths and address their weaknesses. They understand that the choices they make can help increase their skills and abilities. |
|
Challenge & New Skill Undertake challenges that develop new skills
|
MYP Students participate in activities and projects that they have NOT participated in before. The experiences are novel and challenging. Students develop new skills from participating in Service as Action. |
|
Initiative Discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities
|
Student-initiated activities may originate from various sources subject group lessons, classroom discussions, collaborative work, and a wide variety of stimuli that prompt the desire to take action. MYP Students develop the ability to plan activities by discussion the purpose ahead of time, evaluating the activity and its goals, and developing a detailed plan to achieve the goal. This planning can happen in collaboration with others, including other MYP Students, parents, teachers or other individuals
|
|
Perseverance Persevere in action
|
MYP Students should select service activities that they will want to complete. Perseverance is a key skill in achievement in all areas of life. Students should show commitment and responsibility. They should be regular and dependable participants in their service activity of choice.
|
|
Collaboration Work collaboratively with others
|
Collaboration is a fundamental priority of IB. MYP Students must develop the ability to collaborate with a wide variety of individuals, including adults and people they have not met before.
|
|
Global Value Develop international mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding
|
Many global issues are addressed at a local level. MYP Students may select service activities that are with global or international organizations, but they can also use vision to see how local agencies are contributing to global problem-solving. |
|
Ethics Consider the ethical implications of their actions
|
MYP Students must be able to determine who will be impacted by their actions and in what ways they will be impacted. Students should be principled in their choices so that their actions have a positive effect on others.
|