Sustainability Leadership Cohort Action-Research Project and Film Production

Sustainability Leadership Cohort Action-Research Project and Film Production
By: SDI Education Intern, Ella Keenan

Students learn about film production

After much anticipation, the Sustainability Leadership Cohort’s action-research projects are finally underway. The Action-Research Project will give students the opportunity to research a topic that interests them and help them get more involved in their community. The action-research project is designed to teach students valuable researching skills with the end goal of their project being implemented and communicated in the community. Through the process they become the directors of their own learning as they are in charge of choosing what they learn.

The action component involves engaging the community in some form—whether implementing a project, interviewing community members, or addressing an important community need.  Students must then translate these research and implementation experiences into a communication form of their choosing.  As we enter the information age, communication skills will be crucial for students’ success.  A potential medium for communication could be, though is not limited to, film--using documentary, news, or fiction formats to tell a story about a topic. Students who elect to put together a film will have a great foundation after attending a film workshop run by filmmaker Reynaldo Morales from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the workshop, Reynaldo introduced the basic techniques of filming and the many parts of a film production.

Sustainability Leadership Cohort students learn film software

Cohort students will be working collaboratively in groups of three or four depending on the amount of people interested in a topic. Group members not only have to agree on a research topic, but they also have to come to a consensus on the type of project they want to implement. In this way, cohort students will learn valuable group dynamic skills that will benefit them later in life.

So far, the students have determined their groups and have narrowed down their research topic. They are now working on their Project Proposals which will clearly outline and define the parameters of their project. The proposals will have to be approved by the Cohort Mentor Team before the group is able to proceed with their project.

After about a week of planning, the groups have only three weeks remaining to research and implement their project. So far, the research topics include the importance of oral traditional through the eyes of a sturgeon, planning and planting a traditional garden with medicines and foods, and researching what is preventing natives from reaching their full potential in areas like sports.

Reynaldo Morales, Filmmaker

Throughout the process, the groups will be required to check in with the Cohort Mentor Team at various stages. Since the goal of the Action-Research Project is for the students to define their own projects based on their own interests, the Cohort Mentor Team’s role is merely to guide the group into a project with a scope can be completed within the time limit.

By completing this process, the students will realize that through film and action they can create awareness in their communities and make a difference.