Community Learning |
Something I really believe in is getting students involved in the community and tying classroom learning into reality. I remember as a kid, I found I was asking myself over and over in school: “what is the point?” Connections are huge and when you have projects that connect to life outside of school, students will get excited. If the students go into a project knowing it has a real purpose and an audience, the motivation to do their best work increases. These projects can be as simple as making an art display to beautify the school; when I was in kindergarten the entire school participated in painting a mural of a group of kids that then went on the front of our building. Throughout my time there, and even into adulthood, every time I saw that mural on the front of the school I felt a sense of pride and connection because of the part I’d played in creating the mural. Community learning can be much larger scale too, by partnering with local organizations and having the children contribute beyond the classroom where they can leave their mark in their community. It also allows for parent and community collaboration in the classroom (TRB Standard 4), by utilizing parents and community members’ knowledge and connections, the potential for community learning is endless. I think this also ties in well with having a child-centered classroom; if the students choose something in the community that they care about, the passion and engagement level for the project will be amazing! Not only does community learning help the students be more engaged and excited about what they’re learning, it helps to develop the Core Competency of Social Responsibility. One of the First Peoples Principles of Learning states that "Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors." (FNESC, 2014) This principal and the competency of social responsibility complement each other and can be met through community and place based learning.
One of the goals of the revised B.C. Curriculum is that "teachers and students will now have more opportunity to explore learning outside of the classroom and build on each student's potential." (Ministry of Education, 2018) Community learning, in partnership with Place and Inquiry-Based Learning, has the potential to fulfill this goal and provide a rich learning experience that draws from multiple ways of knowing as well as connections to the community and the land. |
Place Based Learning |
I love the idea of incorporating Place Based Learning into my classroom. Everywhere I go, potential lessons and classroom discussion topics pop into my head! I wish that when I had been in school the things that we learned were tied into where we were situated physically. There are infinite possibilities for what you can incorporate into your lessons from the place that you're in and I think it's such a great thing for students to make connections and understand not only the subject matter but the place where they live. This also goes back to Community Learning and really encouraging students to be involved in their communities and a big part of being involved is being aware of where you are and what's going on there. It also helps students to make connections to the classroom content and see the real-life applications that are possible. I plan to incorporate it by integrating the history of the land and place into all subjects, discussing First Nations perspectives and histories, bringing in guest speakers from the community to share their expertise, and going on field trips and outings to places that can help support our learning in the classroom.
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Collaborating with other teachers |
Another aspect of community involvement is the involvement that I have with other teachers. By drawing knowledge and ideas from and collaborating with my colleagues, I am able to create and provide a much richer learning environment than I would be able to on my own. I believe that if teachers build upon each other's strengths and collaborate effectively, the school community and learning within it will flourish. TRB Standard 8 outlines contributing to the profession and a way to contribute is to collaborate and share knowledge between our colleagues.
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