Section 4: What is Activate, Reflect, Connect and Communicate?

The Teaching Nelson Mandela Advisory Developed the ARCC for the operationalization of the lessons and learning experiences, specifically in relation to the African Epistemology. In this section Anneke McCabe reflects on the meaning of the ARCC as a curriculum design model. Furthermore, she discusses the innovative processes it garners for the TNM Project.

ARCC: A Curriculum Inquiry Design Model

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ARCC, through the four stages of the inquiry, promotes a critical learning stance and positions student experience as central to learning. The process of inquiry is sustained through the four stages of learning, allowing for a responsive approach to teaching that supports community dialogue and conversations. As an arts-based teacher and working musician, I reflected on the process of inquiry from a creative point of view, when I brought the concept of the ARCC to the Teaching Nelson Mandela Advisory Committee.

When learners activate their thinking, an initial reaction sparks conversations and students are invited to approach from a place of curiosity. As students reflect, the learning invites students and teachers to contemplate ideas and provides an opportunity to support and guide emerging inquiry questions. As we bridge to connect, students draw from each other’s strengths in order to focus on competencies that draw on new learning. As we prepare to communicate, the voices in the classroom contribute to conversations in a way that is authentic to student learning. As teachers and students learn through the interactive process of activating, reflecting, connecting, and communicating, they experience a continual process of inquiry.