Consider the often-heard lament, “some students are just not cut out for school.” The statement -Michael WeschWed, 04/23/2008 - 18:11 -- adminConsider the often-heard lament, “some students are just not cut out for school.” The statement passes without question or even a hint of protest, yet think about what the statement says when we replace “school” with what school should be all about: “learning.” Some students are just not cut out for learning?
Secondary [should be] the final shift over to project-based learning and allow much more freedom to -Paul HillsdonThu, 03/13/2008 - 16:31 -- adminSecondary [should be] the final shift over to project-based learning and allow much more freedom to students on their choice of topics..[students] will learn whom to go to for certain problems...will not be in classrooms much at all anymore ... will have to organize their time properly and meet with peers and facilitators when necessary. Once completed, if done throughly enough, the student will progress to graduation. Using their skills, portfolio and connections, they will then be able to sell themselves and their capabilities to employers or organizations, or advance to university.
School Design for Small Learning CommunitiesThu, 03/13/2008 - 14:48 -- admin Jeff Lackney of School Design Studio facilitated a month long series of design workshops with students and teachers from West High School in Madison, Wisconsin aimed at creating smaller learning communities within the large 2,000 student school. This process was one of many activities involved in a planning grant awarded the school in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Education.
What we need most to improve the quality of our le-a group of teenagers in the UK, as quoted by John AbbottMon, 02/18/2008 - 17:06 -- adminWhat we need most to improve the quality of our learning is more contact with adults other than parents and teachers. We know what our parents think, because we’ve heard it every day for years. We’re slightly suspicious of what teachers say because they’re actually paid to say that. What we want to know is what do other adults think… and we don’t meet very many of those.
Imagine a School: Students Describe What Schools Would Look Like If We Got It RightImagine a School was a dramatic performance created by high school students from Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver that opened CEA’s symposium “Getting it Right for Adolescent Learners” in 2006. Find out what adolescents are saying about their experiences in high schools and what schools would look like if we “got it right”.
Read more about/order the DVD of this student performance, or read an article by Kathy Gould Lundy exploring the creative process of the actors and teachers involved in the project
Elementary Students Design Own ClassroomWhen a dozen or so educators from Indianapolis traveled to Reggio Emilia, Italy, several years ago to study the famous constructivist approach in that city’s preschools, they came back prepared for more than project-based teaching — they came ready to decorate. Last fall, the group offered elementary school teachers a classroom makeover in the Reggio Emilia style, and Sharon Olson, a teacher at Winding Ridge Elementary School, immediately volunteered. Their decor strategy was based on the idea that to take ownership of their learning, children must own their learning space.
The Unprocessed Child: Living Without SchoolThu, 01/31/2008 - 18:51 -- adminLaurie Chancey spent her childhood immersing herself in topics of her own choosing. She was never forced to learn something simply because tradition and/or society said it was necessary. No one was looking over her shoulder to make sure she was learning the “proper” subjects.
She enrolled in college when she was eighteen, and graduated summa cum laude three and a half years later. Laurie is a bright adult, but her IQ is not why she did so well. She spent her life learning to learn and it’s something that now comes easily to her.
Developing More Curious MindsThu, 01/31/2008 - 17:47 -- adminThis volume presents approaches to eliciting students’ natural curiosities through journals, questioning frames, critical thinking challenges, visits to museums and long term curricular projects with authentic assessments. It challenges existing school cultures and presents models of leadership and professional development. Includes self and organizational assessment protocols and extensive web-site references.
(Source: John Barell’s website: morecuriousminds.com)
The population of the Outer Gulf Islands in British Columbia (Pender, Mayne, Galiano, and Saturna) is aging. There are relatively fewer school-aged children every year, and opportunities for school aged children and senior citizens to interact and form the constructive relationships that infuse and support healthy communities are diminishing.
-Deborah MeierFri, 01/18/2008 - 12:36 -- adminThe notion that all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other people’s ideas, analyzers of evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on this own complex world - this is an idea with revolutionary implications.
Science literacy bolstered by free-choice learning beyond the classroomScience is playing a growing role in public policy and in the daily lives of most citizens. As a result, science literacy skills are becoming increasingly important. Free-choice science learning is a form of non-sequential, self-paced and voluntary learning “that is guided by a person’s needs and interests.”
Creating the Learners Society NeedsThe workplace of the 21st century requires certain skills that employers find are in short supply. Recent research suggests that a learning strategy called knowledge building can help students acquire and develop these skills. (Source: Canadian Council on Learning)
Our programs: We provide Southern Gulf Islands students with elementary Eco-Adventures and high school Environmental Studies programs.
Curriculum Connections: Our programs connect to the BC education curriculum, while encouraging learners to go deeper, immersing themselves in the natural world to feel, understand and act for the environment.
west coast environmentors teach ecology and collaboration at B.C. alternative schoolThe Saturna Ecological Education Centre (SEEC) is an experiential, place-based ecological learning centre on beautiful Saturna Island, B.C. Operating as an alternative school within the local school district, SEEC programs integrate science, social studies, physical education, language arts and fine arts to create unique learning adventures that promote critical thinking, social responsibility and personal growth. Visit the [[http://www.seec64.ca/home/index.cfm|SEEC website]] or read the school’s newsletter, attached below.