Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part B: Understanding Your Idea
10 minutes	Part C: Getting Others Involved
15 minutes	Part D: Planning The Details
60 minutes	Part E: Sharing your ideas
10 minutes	Part F: Test And Retest
5 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Differentiation:

Where students have completed this earlier lesson (SWOT Solutions):

Remind students of the Global Problem Solvers team and how they developed a solution for a problem with wells in Malawi. Invite students to suggest what this problem is and what the solution was that was developed by the GPS team.
You can also invite students to remind themselves of the solution their group created in response to the same problem. Where students have completed the previous lesson in this unit (Technology Pros and Cons), you can also ask them to review the technology they have incorporated into their solution.

Where students haven't completed the SWOT Solutions lesson:

Explain to students that in this lesson they will be exploring a problem based in North America. This problem will be identified and discussed by the characters of an animated series called Global Problem Solvers: A massive hurricane has hit the Gulf Coast of the United States and damaged areas of the city of Tampa, in Florida. The storm damage includes power cuts and flooding to many parts of the city, including in schools around the city. This has meant that students are unable to go to school. Teachers and principals would like to start classes for students but are unable to do so without a safe space to do it in, without electricity for lighting and without the internet for students to access coursework and to collaborate. The GPS team has proposed a solution for this problem: An emergency classroom kit that allows teachers to create a “pop-up” classroom at a shelter. The kit will include lights, internet hardware for accessing course material and solar panels.

You could share the trailer for Series 2 with students:

(Source: https://vimeo.com/273541111)

2. Further information can be found here: Background Information Season 2

Part B: Understanding Your Idea

Step 1.

Explain to students that now they have an idea about what they can do to help the students missing school in Tampa (either their own ideas generated in the SWOT Solutions lesson or the ideas generated by the GPS team), they can start thinking about how they would bring this idea to life. This means identifying what you will need for your idea to be successful, such as:

How you will get all the gear you need for your kit
How you will get your kits to the students who need them
Who you will ask to help and support you
What you will do if something goes wrong
How you will know if you are successful.

The GPS team call this process ‘developing a business plan’. A business plan is a document that includes information about what you are trying to do, why you want to do it and how you will do it.

The GPS team want people to buy their kits so they can make more kits and can help more students get back to school sooner. Because they want people to invest money in their idea, they need to be able to show they have really thought about how their idea will work and be successful. Having a document like a business plan is an easy way to show that you’ve thought about how your idea is a good investment.

Step 2.

Students will now watch the following clip from GPS. As they watch, invite them to record anything they find interesting or important about developing a business plan.

(Source: Global Problem Solvers: The Series - Episode 2.5: The Business Plan, https://vimeo.com/267619501.)

Once complete, invite students to share what they have observed. You could point students to the statement (from 1:55) where Cristina says she will create a business plan to “build, sell and deliver the kits.”

Step 3.

Explain to students that they will now start developing their own business plans for their solutions.

Differentiation:

Distribute one copy of the Business Planning Tool to each group and ask them to navigate to Page 1.

Working in their groups, ask students to discuss each point and record their answers, explaining that although they may feel they have already explored their responses to these points in detail, they need to imagine that this document will be read by someone who knows nothing about what they are doing.

NOTE: At the bottom of each page of the Business Planning Tool is a space for ‘Notes’. This space can be used to record any other useful information or ideas that students have while discussing their responses.

Part C: Getting Others Involved

Step 1.

Before students move on to the next few pages of the Business Planning Tool, remind them of some of the ways the GPS team sought out support from their community.

Consider watching the clip again, this time looking for examples of how other people were involved.

For example:

At 2:18 we meet the promoter of the monster truck showdown. How do the GPS team encourage the promoter to get involved with the delivery of their kits? By allowing the monster trucks to promote the showdown as they deliver kits. Because there is no power in the area, the promoter would otherwise be unable to promote his event via television, radio or internet.
At 2:46 we meet the commissioner from the Department of Education. The commissioner is worried about students missing school and is pleased to be presented with a sound solution, and buys the GPS team’s kits.

Step 2.

Explain to students that there are different ways to get people involved in a solution like the one they are planning for. Some involve the exchange of money but others don’t. Read the following to students:

Buying products or services - We’re all familiar with the idea of handing money over in exchange for a product or service (where you pay someone to do something for you). This is a very simple and straightforward transaction, but it does require us to have money. In the case of the project you are working on, let’s imagine you have enough money for the contents of five kits. But you don’t have enough money to distribute them or to create and distribute more than five kits.
Donations - Another way of getting people involved is by asking people to donate time, money or goods. Many people are very generous and are often willing to help, especially in an emergency event like in Tampa. However, it may be that the things you need aren’t the things people are able to provide for free. For example, in the case of Tampa, someone might have lots of blankets - but maybe you don’t need blankets in your kit. That donation would be no good.
Bartering - Another way of getting people involved in supporting your solutions is through bartering, which is making a trade that doesn’t involve money. For example, as we saw in the clip, the GPS team created a deal with the showdown promoter where he could promote his event while distributing kits. This way both sides (the GPS team and the promoter) got something they wanted.

Before moving on, allow time to clarify any questions students may have about this content.

Suggest to students that some of the other organisations or groups who might be able to be involved in their project could include:

Businesses who make equipment suitable for their kits
Businesses or organisations that specialise in transport that isn’t reliant on smooth roads (such as air or water transport)
Local businesses or people who might want to buy a kit and donate it to a school
People willing to help assemble the kits.

Part D: Planning The Details

Step 1.

Working in their groups, students access pages two to four of the Business Planning Tool and begin discussing and working through the points on these pages.

As students work, move around the room, assisting groups where necessary.

Part E: Sharing Your Ideas

Once complete, each group needs to plan a pitch to share their solution with the class.

Option 1: You could ask students to swap their completed documents for review:

The reviewing group should read through the document and use a lead pencil to make any notes or suggestions, remembering to be kind, helpful and specific when providing feedback.
The original group can then spend some time making any necessary amendments to their Business Plan.

Option 2: Each group could plan a ‘pitch’ to share their business plan with an audience.

Each pitch needs to:
- Describe the problem
- Describe the group's solution and explain why it is great
- List what resources the solution requires and who could be involved
- Last for about three minutes.
Share the Pitch Factsheet with those students responsible for developing and delivering the pitch. You could also give students a copy of the Pitch Assessment Rubric so they know what is required of them.
Following each pitch, give students explicit feedback: What works with this idea, and what can be improved?
You can also use the Pitch Assessment Rubric to assess each pitch and provide feedback.
After hearing the feedback, students may require some extra time to update their plans.

Part F: Test And Retest

Step 1.

Explain to students that before launching your project, it is useful to test your idea. In this case testing would mean:

Testing to see if your kit is complete
Testing to see if your delivery system is successful
Testing to see if students can use your kit.

Student can now watch the following clip from the GPS series:

(Source: Global Problem Solvers: The Series - Episode 2.6: Test and Retest, https://vimeo.com/267619762.)

Once complete, engage students in a class discussion around the following questions:

What did you find interesting or important about this clip?
Why is it important to test an idea before launching it? Use examples from the clip to support your answers.

Explain to students that unfortunately because the solution they have developed is for a problem in Tampa, students won’t get to test and retest their own solution. However, if you are planning to complete the Change in Our Community lesson, students will have the chance to explore this step in more detail.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to complete the following reflection (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How are the ideas and information presented in this lesson connected to what you already knew?
What new ideas did you get that pushed your thinking in new directions?
What is still challenging or confusing for you? What questions do you have?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Cisco GPS - Planning For Change

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