Step 3

Understanding the relationship between policies and practices; learning the history and context of an issue; identifying key stakeholders and decision-makers about the issue; and knowing how to influence stakeholders, policies and practices, are key to making a deep and sustainable impact. Students should understand that different approaches apply to policies and practices, but both are important and interconnected.

Use the following tools to:

• How to identify credible sources of, and access, quality information about an issue
• How to facilitate research with students when you’re not an expert in the subject and how expert volunteers help
• How to determine when you have enough information to select a single policy or practice to change

Step 3 Resources

A Note on Facilitation: Researching in a distance learning environment can look different depending on your students’ access to technology. All types of research can be conducted from home, online searches are not the only option. 

Consider the following tips and resources to help students research independently: 

Trello: An online team communication tool where educators can oversee student communication. Use this to create research teams and help them communicate their findings. 

Emphasize Community Knowledge: Have students interview and/or survey their parents, peers, and other community members about their selected issue. This does not require technology and can add depth to the research experience. 

As mentioned in Step 2, use Fun Retro to organize research committees’ thoughts and group their findings in a logical way.