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.

1. Classroom environment

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

BL: Self-selected seating, teacher-selected seating.

1.b. What modifications does IA have compared to a traditional classroom that

fosters/hinders?

Social interactions

- Inter-a has a very group based environment. It encourages interactions with people of
different grades/genders
- certain aspects of Inter-a strongly encourage integration with different genders and age groups
such as service, choice, leadership, etc.

- service allows you to take initiative and increase your leadership skills. It's an environment
where all students of any age group in the program can volunteer and interact with each other
where as with mainstream they don't have this opportunity readily available to them that often.

- In a traditional classroom, tables are usually placed in a manner where only 1-2 individuals
can be seated at where as in inter a we have tables that allow 1-6 individuals to sit together.

These tables allow many students to be seated together and allows for them to create social
relationships with their peers and ask for help from each other

- composites allow people in inter-a to see the strengths of their peers around them. It also
encourages group work, cooperative problem solving.

Sanjam, Ashley, Ginny, Kartar, Colton

2. Teacher directed activities.

BL: Developing(guiding) student interests

BL: 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.

2.b. How do Inter-A teachers create opportunities for passion/labor?

We are provided with the chance to lead our own seminars in grades 8-9. Fine-Arts and
Physical Education can be lead by students at any grade, but is recommended to do it in senior
years. If a student has an idea for an event such as a festival, they may approach a teacher with
a proposal. They will have to prepare to face opposition to it and feedback although. Often ideas
that are allowed to be explored in the program must fit into a tight set of regulations, limiting
growth. However, when student's interests align with these regulations their ideas are able to be
thoroughly developed.

Micah

3. Social development

BL: Challenge model of social development, roles switches, role reversals, play, non-neutral
circumstances, leadership roles, gauged responsibility, safety nets.

4. Sample social and community projects

BL: Project initiation, safety concerns, scope concerns, supervision and responsibility.
 5. Reflective and self-aware leadership

BL: Metacognition, and self-evaluation, reflective leadership, self-identification,

5.c. How do I-A teachers support/discourage Metacognition (especially about

leadership)?

Provide an environment where a student can develop a thought for leadership

Because of this, students help support the environment

Provide general guidelines for leadership and enforces it

CSL Logs, Journals etc.

John

5.d How do I-A teachers support/discourage Reflective leadership?

Inter-A teachers help support reflection leadership by providing an open and welcoming
environment. They are very willing to give feedback about ones leadership style, though not
really forcing them to a set path. Each individuals style is different and they acknowledge it.

Give a lot of freedom/unrestricted

Students can run a variety of leadership opportunities, though must be school appropriate and
safe

Allows time to reflect on ones leadership

Students are not rushed into their next subject/opportunity

Gives feedback on leadership style

Students can meet with the teacher and have a dialogue about leadership.

Patrick

5.e. How do I-A teachers support/discourage Self-identification/self-discovery?

Support:

- ia teachers give students the freedom to try and explore new leadership roles.

-when students talk to teachers about their idea, teachers will support or suggest other possible
ideas/ways to do that thing

Discourage:

-ia teachers can discourage students by puting their "radical" ideas down instead of giving
them options on what they can do next or instead

- ia teachers can also discourage students

-ia teahcers can discourage students by favouring other students. It can make us feel less
important, or not good enough

Raven et al.

Choice program allows easier ways to find passion

Students have the freedom to pursue their passion and integrate it with leadership

Easy to run an opportunity that one student is passionate about

Allows exploration of different subjects a student might have interest in

Environment allows a safe space for exploration without discrimination

Juniemar

6. Memes and values

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

mentoring among students

BL: teaching and evaluation of mentoring is on-going.