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Today's meeting was a real boost for me.  I have been looking for other ways to introduce our students to career pathe which they might not have thought of before.  The presentation on the ACC options provided a really focused optiuon for some of our farm kids - kids who know they will come back and work in the ag industry.

 

I felt a little sheepish concerning my own comments.  I really believe in the importance of the Envirothon program and in our partnership with Pembina Valley Conservation District.  Some of you will justifyably look at my enthusiasm as being a bit much. I'm ok with that. I do tend to work that way.

 

What I will say is that I believe in community partnerships.  We are such a small school, we would never have been able to do as much as we have if we did not have community partners.  

 

It did take a while to pull our focus our of that proprietary classroom, but we have never looked back.

 

I am looking forward to developing that partnership with the Fossil Discovery Centre.  I would like to sit down and to flesh out the course outlines for this partnership.  My hope is that we can make this truly mutually beneficial - I think it is very important to ensure that work done bey students in these programs also benefit the mentor's programs.

 

I went back to my grade twelve class this afternoon and shared what I had learned this morning.  Several students have already come up with new ideas, ones they would never have considered.  Their willingness to try something new has just moved up a notch.

 

All the best

 

Al Thorleifson

Nellie McClung Collegiate

 

I agree with you Al, we do have to think outsid of the box as small schools.  I also believe that all schools can benifit from community partnerships, because our world changes much faster than any shop could ever dream of keeping up with.  If we are carefull and build this process well we will unlock many hidden opportunities in our communities, and enrich our students lives.

Chris Gamble

Miami School PRSD

 

Thank you for the invitation to participate in the Curriculum Advisory. Though I've been out of the classroom for several years now, I know well the dedication, hard work and careful thinking that goes into progress. It was stimulating to hear the range of perspectives offered in the discussion. 

 

Don't worry about your comments, Al. Enthusiasm is healthy, especially for teachers. I recall that Dr. Jerome Bruner once identified enthusiasm as the key element in any success.

 

The Invitation Letter from Ernie Bart envisioned "opportunities for self-directed research that would enhance opportunities for all students well beyond the boundaries of our own school walls."  That reminded me of a resource that I would like to share. As an on-line teacher at Garden Valley Collegiate for ten years, I watched my students struggle each year as they adapted to a web environment they perceived as having "no teacher." In time, I realized that they were confronted with the need for more self-direction after years of teacher-led classes. For a long while, however, I was uncertain how to help on-line learners become self-directed without creating further dependency on me as a teacher. The answer finally came when I discovered the work of Dr. Gerald Grow. His web-site article "Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed" is available at www.longleaf.net. Dr. Grow is a journalism professor at A&M University in Tallahassee. He has synthesized much research in the field of self-direction and presented it in a manner that is clear and applicable by K-12 classroom teachers.  I regard his insights as among the best that I encountered during my teaching career. I recommend them to your Curriculum Advisory group as you create learning opportunities for students that take them beyond the school walls. 

 

Larry Danielson, Wellspring Consociates

 

 

 

I personally enjoyed the meeting, and was very pleased to see the large number individuals attend.  The CFDC is in full favour to promote and offer its resources.  We are a valuable assest to the region and should be utilized for educational purposes.  If anyone wishes to incorporate any of the many disciplines within paleontology please feel free to contact me.

 

Best of luck in this endeavor.  I hope others are as enthused.

 

Anita-Maria Janzic,

Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

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