Learning with the Head, Heart and Hands in the Outdoor Classroom

This artistic and cultural project with professional development component includes:

• Project Planning Phase for Personnel Targeted
  • Professional development planning meeting
    • October 24^th, from 9:00 to 3:00, Maison Smith (Mount-Royal), in-person
    • January (date to be determinated), from 9:00 to 3:00, Morgan Arboretum, in person
    • April (date to be determined), from 9:00 to 3:00, at a participating school (to be determined), in-person
• Offer Sequence with the Students
  • Three outings or activities proposed by a partner with cultural mediation (from October to June, Mount-Royal, Morgan Arboretum and in each participationg school neighbourhood)

Total number of classes or groups: 10
This offer is available in English.

Requirements for Participation

• Authorization from school administrator
• Availability of personnel to attend planning meetings
• Registration for a team of: 2
  Each participant must complete a registration form.
  Make sure each of your colleagues has completed theirs.
  Incomplete registration compromises your participation.

If you do not meet the criteria for the minimum number required to participate in this offer, please contact the resource person.

General Selection Criteria

In view of the popularity of certain project proposals and the number of spaces, selection criteria have been retained:

• A proportional representation of the targeted schools of the two English-language school boards in Montréal as a priority, and of the three French-language school service centers depending on the spaces available
• A representation of the cycles
• The participation of the individual in other offers of artistic and cultural mediation (current school year)
• The participation of the school in other offers of artistic and cultural mediation (current school year).

Description

Integrating outdoor, experiential and place-based practices into your Cycle One teaching.

In this 3-part professional development series you will "live the learning" with a seasoned outdoor educator in a variety of outdoor environments from Mount Royal to The Morgan Arboretum to the grounds just outside a school. As the seasons change so do the opportunities for meaningful and engaging outdoor, experiential and place-based learning with your cycle one students. Through this series you will gain confidence and know-how about how to maximize the outdoor spaces at your school as learning settings all year long.

• Workshop 1: A Day in Nature - In October, participating teachers will venture to Mount Royal and enjoy a day in nature doing a wide variety of simple, outdoor, nature-based activities that are all readily transferable to their classes. We will begin the day gaining some context about where these approaches come from and the research that underpins them. We will then enjoy living the learning through hands-on activities on the mountain.
• Workshop 2: The Snowy Forest - Our series will continue in January with a trip to the Morgan Arboretum in Ste. Anne de Bellevue where participating teachers will enjoy a day in the snowy forest, learning how to use this long, cold season to their advantage with specially designed workshops and activities that are ready to take back to their classes.
• Wokshop 3: Right in our Back Yards! - In May, participating teachers will visit one of the selected schools and discover the experiential, place-based, nature activities and learning opportunities in this very local (and urban) context!

All participating teachers will then have an opportunity to take their students to the same locations, namely Mount-Royal and Morgan Arboretum. They will also use their own school grounds to discover all that nature has to offer through this journey of discovery and curiosity.

This offer includes an experimentation that allows participants to reinvest the contents in the targeted program components:

• Broad Areas of Learning: Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Health and Well-Being, Citizenship and Community Life
• Subject Area: Science and Technology

Specific and Measurable Goals

Workshop objectives:

• Accompany teachers in exploring and experimenting with artistic and cultural practices, as well as pedagogical practices in Science in underprivileged areas of Montreal.
• Support teachers in creating outdoor learning experiences and actitivies in order to introduce students to the world of Science right outside our doors .

Project objectives:

• Allow all elementary school students in disadvantaged Montreal areas to have access to artistic and cultural venues and to meaningful and varied experiences,
• Promote cultural enhancement at school for all students, in partnership with the artistic and cultural community of Montreal.

Project Sequence

1. Outing with Students to Mount-Royal
(Between October and November, Mount-Royal)

Outing or activity proposed by a partner: outdoor science and discovery activities

Participating teachers will choose a day to take their students to Mount Royal and enjoy a day in nature doing some of the simple, outdoor, nature-based activities that were experienced during the teachers' visit. Students will have the opportunity to enjoy living the learning through hands-on activities on the mountain.

2. Outing with Students to The Morgan Arboretum
(Between January and February, Morgan Arboretum)

Outing or activity proposed by a partner: outdoor science and discovery activities

Teachers will choose a day to take their students to the Morgan Arboretum to enjoy a day in the snowy forest, doing hands-on activities learned during the teacher visit.

3. Discovering Your Back Yards!
(Between May and June, in school neighbourhood)

Outing or activity proposed by a partner: outdoor science and discovery activities

Participants will be able to use their own school/neighborhood to discover the experiential, place-based, nature activities and learning opportunities available in their own back yards.

Materials

• A Montréal School for All supplies: pedagogical materials.

Any necessary materials will be provided on professional development days.

Cost

No cost assumed by the school

A Montréal School for All covers the following costs:

• Substitution or replacement
  If applicable, a fixed amount is allocated by A Montréal School for All to school boards and school service centers to cover the costs of substitution or replacement.
• Materials
• Access to activities (at school, at partner’s location, etc.)
• Artistic and cultural mediation workshops: (at school, at partner’s location, etc.)
• Transportation - Organization and fees

Professional Development Team

Kathleen Usher, EMSB, Naturalist and Science Teacher
Nancy Saltarelli, Professional Resource, A Montréal School for All

A Montréal School For All

Contact person
Nancy Saltarelli : nancy.saltarelli@education.gouv.qc.ca

Partners: Les Amis de la montagne et Morgan Arboretum

All partners are committed to respecting the current health measures defined by Public Health and the CNESST in their various activities.