Start thinking about the issues that interest you. Think about what’s been discussed in the lesson and inquiry media stories. What feels relevant to you? What makes you upset? What do you want your future to look like?
Take your time with these questions.
Now, reflecting on your answers to the questions above, ask yourself: How should we – locally or nationally – balance the needs of people and nature?
(Why nature? Why is the question so vague? In case you haven’t already, check this out!)
Maybe you think this question is easy. Maybe you’ve got a knee-jerk answer at the ready. That’s great, but our first answer is rarely the best answer. The better answer? It requires – you guessed it – a little context. In this case, ask yourself why the obvious answer hasn’t been acted upon? After all, if the answer is obvious, you’re probably not the first person to have come up with it. Which means the easy answer is stuck. There’s a problem that requires solving. There’s context that needs to be understood. And what does that all mean? Well, your first step to answering this question is actually to brainstorm more questions:
Why is the obvious answer, in fact, not so obvious? Why is the issue stuck? Who needs to have a say in the answer? What are their perspectives? What are their concerns and fears? What’s their geographical and historical context? How has the issue been handled in the past? Are there feelings of injustice, alienation and frustration? How can we move forward – together, as a community or country – on this issue? What conditions need to be met?
Take your initial knee-jerk answer and brainstorm every question you think needs to be explored in order to understand why your answer isn’t the right answer. And as you’re brainstorming, keep this question in mind: how can visual storytelling help find the better answer?
Write down your thoughts. This isn’t a final list. Keep adding to it as you continue to explore in this class. And if you get stuck, browse the Curated Library! This activity can be done individually, in groups and/or as a class.
Brainstorming Tools:
- Post-it notes: Jot down ideas on sticky notes and post them on a wall, either at home or as a class, to really visualize your questions and ideas.
- Blackboard/Whiteboard/Smartboard: Write your ideas on the board and keep evolving them as you answer your questions.
- Group brainstorm: Join small groups and brainstorm ideas. Peers are great at helping pull an idea out of your head. (Make sure someone records the ideas somewhere!)
- Google doc (or another preferred sharing platform): Pose your questions and have classmates add answers, questions and ideas that might help evolve your thinking.
- Google Jamboard
- Padlet
- Miro.com
- TheBrain.com
- SimpleMind app