#nwais

By Becky S, Director

Last week, I discussed an exciting question with educators across the Northwest: how can teaches empower students’ voices? Although the potency of young people’s ideas comes from their originality, teachers can play a key role in supporting and inspiring their students.

The presentation started out as I discussed my own experiences with Youth Powerhouse, and shared my ideas for how teachers could not only support their students, but also integrate their voices into class projects. Students can apply their learning to solve a real-world problem, or share their ideas on an international discussion platform. They can connect with experts who can help students develop and share their ideas. Most importantly, teachers can tell their students that they are capable of making an impact, now.

Some interesting questions came up after the presentation, such as “How can I keep students engaged?” and “How might collaboration skills be taught through real world problem-solving activities?” What makes real-world problem-solving different from other educational strategies is that it allows students to take ownership of their project to solve a problem they really care about. When students get to work on a project they might do even if it weren’t for a class, they become invested in it and build real-world skills and self-confidence along the way. Better yet, problem-solving can be applied to a wide range of school subjects, from history, to science, to foreign language. What could be cooler than that?