Teacher Resources

Are you UP4 facilitating youth-directed activities?

The UP4it Activity Guide is written so that children can have a self-directed experience.

Studies show that problem-solving, leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork, and the ability to follow directions are crucial 21st century skills. These skills are best learned in real world experiential ways. They cannot be taught so much as practiced. This activity guide is written to promote that learning.

This can be a new and exciting challenge for many teachers and students. As such, allow for the extra time it will take for the students to group themselves, read the instructions, prioritize steps, set-up the learning environment, and negotiate roles. While it may seem like wasted time, recognize that it is the very core of teamwork and self-directed learning. This does not mean students are left all alone. Your role becomes one of a facilitator, providing feedback, suggestions, and ideas as needed. You do not however need to solve their problems for them or find the answers when they inevitably ask “what do we do next?”. Ask follow-up questions to help them figure it out. Here are some suggested questions to get you started:

Where can you find the answer to that?
Who else might be able to help you?
I’m not sure, what do you think?
What have you tried so far?
What ideas do you have?
How else could you try to solve this?

This might be a totally new style of learning for your students. Provide extra time the first lesson to lay out the groundwork. Here are some items you may want to discuss with your students during that first lesson.

Group Agreements and consequences
Team roles and selection
How to set-up the environment
Timeframes
The teachers role
Reading and following instructions
What to do when stuck
How activities will be selected
Ways to break into groups

UP4it Lesson Objectives Lesson objectives