The attached link is for our culminating video that highlights our project outcome report. Enjoy :)
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Please watch the first completed student video. Words cannot express how proud I am of all that they have accomplished!!!
With the Synergy Project soon coming to and end, the warm weather fast approaching , and planning for our class year end five day hike at Nootka Sound, the Outdoor Education class is BUSY!!! On top of our ambitious goals we still hope to get in at least two more visits to the Lexw Qwo:m Community forest to further work with the Robertson Elementary students.
Students have been active in deciding what media they want to use for their YouTube videos. This is a demanding process as we have over 100 gigabytes of filmed media. Many of the students get overwhelmed easily, and breaking down their culminating task into manageable chunks has been a challenge. Students are expected to create a five minute video that highlights the physical aspects of the project, and the social/emotional impacts experienced/learned from as a result of this opportunity. I will also being producing a video from my perspective. The final project will be submitted on YouTube. Key artifacts to be included will be student YouTube contributions, video and written journals of the project, video of students giving prepared speeches at the Lexw Qwo:m grand opening, and the rubric for the student YouTube video and mentoring day with the Elementary class. We still have lots of work to complete. I am excited for my students opportunity reflect on the process. The past month the Outdoor Education class fulfilled our most significant community based goal when we introduced the Robertson grade 4/5 Elementary class to the Lexw Qwo:m Community Forest. The rain provided some refreshment for all the hard working students on this successful day! Excited children got to learn about the rich Stolo and community history of the park location, as well as the construction process that brought the park to its current state. Outdoor Education students oversaw small elementary groups. Outdoor Education students took pride in sharing their experience and being ‘park construction’ mentors.
Once the school bus arrived to the park Lloyd, our class ambassador, welcomed the eager students, and took them to the trailhead of the park. Along the way he shared about the process of designing the trails, and about the Indigenous connection to the land and the meaning of the Halq'eméylem names found within the park. Lloyd, a Stolo student, gave thanks to Stolo nation for allowing us to create a park on the unceded territory. Lloyd eloquently allowed the students to discover the power of community when all stakeholders are empowered to work together. After this introduction the students were taken on a hike of all the trails in the park. The next step was the fun stuff, getting dirty. Armed with shovels, pick axes, wheel barrows, and buckets of gravel both the Outdoor Education and Elementary class got to work on constructing the remainder of the trail. Students got to learn about rain drainage systems while building them, the impacts of erosion and how to limit it, and their minds were stimulated with getting to discover the local fauna of the temperate rainforest. We finished off our day with donuts and park trivia. Both classes thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity, and we are in the process of planning more before the year ends. The community aspect of this project is one of the driving forces that has allowed it to be successful. Students were grateful to have adult volunteers in the community mentor and teach us how to make trails. During these times lasting relationship were forged and the opportunity for social/emotional learning was given. My personal highlight was watching my students shine as the ‘paid it forward’ when they took on the role of mentor to the Elementary students. It was an inspiring moment watching traditionally ‘In-Risk’ students take on the role of mentor. Students had a sense of pride and value for their accomplishments. Thus far this has been the most rewarding aspect of the project, and personally I believe it will have the most significant impact on my students down the roads. The grand opening of the Lexw Qwo:m Park is May 4th. Alongside key stakeholders some of the Outdoor Education students have been asked to cut the official ribbon and give a speech to the community. The students hard work has been recognized in the local newspaper, and now they will be honoured at the official opening of the park! None of this would be possible without the strong sense of community found within the the Park Society. I hope this will act as a spark to further my students desire to engage with and continue to promote an inclusive and healthy community. This month has been our slowest month on the trails yet! We had big plans of working with a local elementary class, but winter had other plans for us. With a rare deep layer of snow covering the entire park we were unable to reach the soil, let alone work it. As a result we’ve been focusing our efforts in the classroom for the month of February. We are looking at rebooking our trail building time with the elementary class after March break once all the snow has melted.
In class we have been working on creating short videos to help accustom students to editing with Movavi. The students are eager to film and edit, but reluctant to complete the ‘foundational’ work of planning their video and making a story board. I am continuing to categorize our existing videos to make it easier for students to located desired clips while making their year end project. As with all things ‘Alternate Education’ there is a deep and wide sea of adaptation, and so is true about assessment. With most of the physical aspects of the project being completed there is substantial information available for assessing. Students are recommended to the Education Centre for varying reasons, but the common theme is always mainstream schools were not a good fit for them. Each student comes with a unique set of skills, but also experiences which have the ability to be a motivator or a reminder of their perceived short-comings at the mainstream schools. My goal is to help them see their potential, to celebrate their successes, and move on from previous stigma’s. Realistic, and open assessment can help with this process.
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AuthorsThe Education Centre's Outdoor Education Class!!! Archives
May 2019
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