Collaborative Learning Group Assignment

“The Bolivar County Sustainability Initiative”

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Working in Collaborative Learning Groups provides you with an opportunity to practice and develop critical thinking skills through active, collaborative engagement in learning.

Learning Objectives:

(1)  Understand and compare different perspectives on what sustainability means and entails;

(2)  Conduct effective research, including a literature review, data analysis, and writing collaborative research papers;

(3)  Think critically about the concept of sustainable development and its application to a specific social context.

Assignment:

The class will be divided into four Collaborative Learning Groups (CLGs), each of which will represent a particular perspective on sustainability and development in Bolivar County.  Each CLG is responsible for learning as much as possible about the perspective you are representing, and for completing a set of activities that are due through the semester.  Drawing on readings that your group locates, your group will submit a position paper that outlines how your organization views sustainable development.  Each group member will also submit two letters to the editor of a local newspaper, that analyze specific issues in Bolivar County, in response to current events in the county.  You will submit each document, and after they have been graded, you will have an opportunity to revise the documents before posting each online for the other groups to read.

At the end of the semester, the groups will meet and debate their positions at the “Let’s Make Bolivar Sustainable!” Summit, coordinated by the Bolivar County Committee on Sustainable Development.  Each student is expected to read all of the papers and letters prepared by each CLG, once they are posted on the web.  This will help you prepare for the Sustainability Summit.