Scoping the Problem Space for Action
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Before inviting students to imagine futures, co-plan impact, or take action, educators must first engage in a process of defining and bounding the problem space. The problem space refers to the boundaries, dimensions, and initial framing of the climate or sustainability issue that students will investigate and take action on. This is a crucial early phase as educators build the “runway” for AOP—a path of thoughtful preparation that sets the stage for co-produced, meaningful, and feasible action.
Scoping the Problem Space for Action
Scoping the Problem Space for Action
Why Scoping Matters in AOP
Why Scoping Matters in AOP
Action without direction is overwhelming. Direction without flexibility is limiting.
Problem scoping is the process of identifying and defining the issue(s) that will anchor students’ action. In AOP, this is not about rigid planning or pre-determined outcomes—it’s about creating enabling constraints that provide structure without shutting down agency.
Educators are responsible for:
Establishing a clear starting point for action (issue/topic/challenge).
Determining a feasible scope of work based on time, systems, and spheres of influence.
Creating space for students to co-define and expand the challenge as their inquiry unfolds.
Words of Advice for Scoping the Problem Space
Words of Advice for Scoping the Problem Space
It is very easy to either over-define or under-define the problem space. Here’s some advice to help avoid this.
DON'T
Pre-script the entire challenge and pathway
Leave everything completely open
Assume "small" = insignificant
DO
Offer a focused invitation, and leave space for students to shape the direction
Provide constraints and structure to support meaningful action
Recognize that localized, deep action can be transformational
Components of Scoping the Problem Space
Components of Scoping the Problem Space
- Define the Challenge
Choose a topic that is authentic, interdisciplinary, and broad enough to allow for student agency, but bounded enough to focus learning and action.
What sustainability or climate issue will anchor your students' work?
What systems (social, environmental, economic) are implicated?
How does this connect to your curriculum and your students’ lived experiences?
2. Consider Three Dimensions of Contexts and Systems
2. Consider Three Dimensions of Contexts and Systems
Use these dimensions to analyze the action context and define what’s possible and meaningful for your students. These dimensions help avoid over-scoping and help students identify actions with meaningful potential.
Scale of Time: Over what time frame will students act? Will the project unfold over a week, a month, or a semester? When might outcomes or impacts be visible—immediately, mid-term, or long-term?
Sphere of Influence: Where can students make a difference? School? Neighborhood? Online community? Peer network? How do students define their community or realm of influence?
Magnitude of Impact: Will the action be small but deep (e.g., one redesigned space)? Broad and public (e.g., awareness campaign)? What scale of effort is realistic—and what kind of change is possible?
What Educators Can Do: How to Scope the Problem Space
What Educators Can Do: How to Scope the Problem Space
Before students begin imagining futures or planning for impact, educators must do the foundational work of scoping the problem space. This isn't about narrowing students' choices — it's about providing enough structure to support agency, while ensuring the learning is grounded, feasible, and meaningful.
Below are key actions educators can take to effectively define and prepare the problem space in ways that align with Action-Oriented Pedagogies (AOP).
Select a Topic That Is Real, Relevant, and Responsive
Select a Topic That Is Real, Relevant, and Responsive
Choose a climate or sustainability issue that:
Is connected to real-world systems (social, environmental, economic)
Has local resonance—something students see, feel, or care about
Supports multiple entry points and student-defined actions
Can be reasonably explored within your classroom or school context
Tip: Start with a local lens, then zoom out to broader systems.
Define the Boundaries of the Problem Space
Define the Boundaries of the Problem Space
Provide enabling constraints that guide the work without prescribing it:
What time frame is realistic? (1 week? 6 weeks? A semester?)
What geographic or social scale will be the focus?
What spheres of influence are accessible to your students? (school, peer networks, digital spaces, neighborhoods)
What is the magnitude of effort you anticipate or can support?
Tip: Think of this like setting a trellis in a garden: you create just enough structure to guide growth, but the plants (your students’ ideas and actions) take their own path, shaped by light, space, and care.
Make the Systems Visible
Make the Systems Visible
Help students understand:
The interconnected systems at play (e.g., environmental justice is not just about pollution—it’s about housing, race, infrastructure, health)
The leverage points where action is possible
That actions in one sphere (e.g., school) can ripple into others (e.g., family, policy)
Tip: Use tools like systems maps or storytelling to make complexity approachable.
Identify Constraints and Possibilities
Identify Constraints and Possibilities
Clarify early:
How much classroom time is available
What materials, tools, or community partners are accessible
Where students may need scaffolds, especially for systems thinking or research
Where flexibility exists for students to reshape the challenge
Tip: Small does not mean insignificant. A bounded project can still have deep and lasting impact!
Leave Room for Students to Co-Define
Leave Room for Students to Co-Define
While initial framing is the teacher’s responsibility, students should be invited to:
Expand or reshape the framing
Investigate root causes
Identify what outcomes matter most to them
Ask new questions
Tip: Think of scoping as a dialogue—not a blueprint.
Document Your Scope as a Living Framework
Document Your Scope as a Living Framework
Create a working document that includes:
The initial issue or challenge
Systems involved and likely affected
Anticipated time frame and spheres of influence
Constraints and open areas for student voice
Plans to revisit and reshape the scope with students
Tip: This becomes part of your AOP “runway”—the thoughtful, flexible path that leads to student-driven action.
"Real Work, Real Consequences" Stories
Stories of students and educators taking meaningful action for sustainability—real work with real consequences that shape just and livable futures. These narratives highlight experiences, actions, and reflections through the lens of Action-Oriented Pedagogies."Real Work, Real Consequences" Stories
In this Arizona middle school, students worked with nonprofits and county partners to design solutions for urban heat, stormwater pollution, and carbon emissions. By co-planning projects from tree planting to drain mapping, they discovered how their learning could directly shape community sustainability.
Curated Resources for Exploration, Planning, and Practice
Curated Resources for Exploration, Planning, and Practice
Further reading on "Action" in the AOP framework
School Participatory Budgeting: The Green Participatory Budgeting for Green Schools and Colleges initiative enables students to directly engage in democratic decision-making by proposing, developing, and voting on sustainability-related projects that use real school funds to improve their campuses and communities.
The K–12 Environmental Education: Guidelines for Excellence is rich with examples of student-centered, real-world, consequential learning that meet AOP’s definition of action—as informed, intentional, meaningful, contextualized, and consequential.
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