Principles and Values

The principles and values of the CONNECT program are experiential in context and achieved through activities that engage the mind, body, and heart. The CONNECT program develops 21st century competencies through several strands of learning and teaching including:

• Cultural learning

• Community-based learning

• Place-based learning

• Experiential, hands-on learning

CULTURAL LEARNING

Educational research reveals a strong link between cultural connection and learning. Researchers like Eleuterio (1997) and Hoelscher (1999) concluded that “Classrooms filled with teachers and students who share their cultural identities build trust and foster stronger relationships, which leads to student engagement, higher motivation and excitement about learning together” (Arzu, 2015). At TREC, almost 50% of our learners identify as aboriginal, so we have made a commitment to increase cultural activities, awareness, and representation for our Indigenous students. This commitment stems directly from the LEA goal of:

Increasing the educational success of all students by providing them with relevant connections to their culture and the opportunity to explore identity and sense of place, as well as the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of Aboriginal culture, traditions, languages, historical and contemporary contributions for all students and staff (TREC SLP, 2021).

It is paramount that our approach is guided by the First People’s Principles of Learning and that we explore ways to increase access to Aboriginal ways of Knowing & Doing, with a focus on the the Truth and Reconciliation call to action 63.3 “Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect” (Gov. BC., 2015)

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

Community-based learning (CBL) has become increasingly popular in education today. It encourages learning in, about, with and from local people and places. This includes building connections with diverse people connected to these places, and exploring the significance of these places in the context of the broader community. We hope to nurture and develop an inclusive community deeply rooted in “real world learning” that is both meaningful and authentic. We believe that community-based learning opportunities will thereby “foster student engagement and achievement by creating more relevant, applied and innovative learning experiences that spark students’ curiosity and inspire them to follow their passions.” (Schwartz, 2013).

Community service learning also aligns with the goals of teaching students to care for themselves and for others, which, according to educational researcher N. Noddings, is the ultimate goal of education. Not everyone is interested in every subject area, but “all humans can be helped to lead lives of deep concern for others, for the natural world and its creatures, and for the preservation of the human-made world” (Noddings, 1995) Noddings argues that care is in fact more important than curriculum or pedagogy; however, curriculum can be designed with caring in mind, especially when partnering with the greater community and providing our students with opportunities to serve and volunteer.

Through CBL, the walls between school and community are far more fluid and, consequently, learning becomes more relevant and purposeful. It is our belief that this purposeful approach to learning will also increase student motivation as well as their sense of belonging. Research has shown that students are “more engaged, more motivated to learn, and more successful when they can connect what they are learning to situations they care about in their community and in the world” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016). In addition, community learning requires the use of CORE competency skills like critical thinking, social responsibility, and collaboration, which will further aid in the development of student sense of belonging.

PLACE-BASED LEARNING

CONNECT will offer learning experiences that are in, about, with and from local places in the Kamloops area. Options will include immersion in nature and interacting with a variety of people connected to these places. According to educational researcher Gregory Smith, “ In fundamental ways, our instructional and curricular decisions and practices violate the way our species learned how to negotiate the world prior to the Industrial Revolution.” ((Smith, 2002). Heshares that “It is a crime of deception -- convincing people that their own visceral experience of the world hardly matters…We need to turn to learning about the land by being on the land” (Smith, 2002). In place-based education, we expose our learners to a wide range of experiences, enabling them to reconnect with nature. For many of our vulnerable students, this is a novel experience since most live in densely populated, urban areas. There are many benefits to place based education including increased student achievement and the strengthening of the CORE competency skills like critical thinking. However, the greatest benefit of all may in fact be the way that place-based education serves to strengthen our learners’ connection to others. As Smith states, “ It enhances achievement, but, more importantly, it helps overcome the alienation and isolation of individuals that have become hallmarks of modernity. By reconnecting rather than separating children from the world, place-based education serves both individuals and communities, helping individuals to experience the value they hold for others and allowing communities to benefit from the commitment and contributions of their members” (Smith, 2002). Place-based education also aligns well with the First People’s Principle that “Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place)” (Gov. BC, 2012)

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EXPERIENTIAL, HANDS-ON LEARNING

Experiential learning is the umbrella term that cultural, community-based, and place-based learning fall beneath. It dates back to the ideas of educational leader, John Dewy, who argued that “Experience plus reflection equals learning.” It is also likely what inventor Benjamin Franklin had in mind in the eighteenth century when he proclaimed, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I will learn.” There is no doubt that the real winner when it comes to experiential learning is the student. Education leader Michelle Schwartz argues that particular learning groups have shown even more benefit from this approach: 1. The mature learner. 2. The learner who needs to personally experience the value of a subject in order to be motivated to learn. 3. The learner who has trouble learning in a formal classroom setting. 4. Learners who prefer hands-on examples and learning styles. (Schwartz, 2013). These learning groups very much encapsulate the common profile of a learner at TREC. CONNECT appeals to the hands-on, kinesthetic learning style, which because of TREC's small size and unique timetable, is often under-represented due to limited ability to offer these kinds of elective options (no shop classes, group PE classes, no foods or textiles courses etc.).

The role of the teacher is also redefined in the experiential learning approach as someone who is a “resource person, a cheerleader, and a facilitator.” (Schwarz, 2013). This more relational approach also helps to increase student sense of belonging. According to associate professor of educational psychology Dr. Deyleon, when students feel a sense of belonging at school they are more successful learners. Furthermore, he states that “students who feel a sense of belonging at school are typically more energized, more likely to spend time on-task and return to activities, and more likely to choose to be in the school environment.” He provides some advice to teachers about how to help students feel a greater sense of belonging at school including: building personal connections and interpersonal relationships with students (let them see the “real” you - your likes, hobbies, passions) and creating a physical space that reflects your students values and culture (Bowen, 2021). It is our hope that the experiential approach of CONNECT will help our learners to attend more and increase their sense of community.

Resources

Arzu, S. The Relationship Between Cultural Identity and Learning Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 186 ( 2015 ) 1159 – 1162 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

Bowen, Janine. (Oct. 21, 2021) Why is it important for students to feel a sense of belonging at school? Retrieved from https://ced.ncsu.edu/news/2021/10/21/why-is-it-important-for-students-to-feel-a-sense-of-belonging-at-school-students-choose-to-be-in-environments-that-make-them-feel-a-sense-of-fit-says-associate-professor-deleon-gra/#:~:text=Gray%20said%20students%20who%20feel,be%20in%20the%20school%20environment.

Carmichael, C. (2021) Twin Rivers Education Centre School Learning Plan. Retrieved from https://www.sd73.bc.ca/en/schools-programs/resources/SLP/TREC_2021-2022.pdf

Government of B.C. (2015) Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf

Laldin, Myra. (Feb. 11, 2016) The psychology of belonging (and why it matters). Retrieved from https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/psychology-of-belonging/#:~:text=Research%20has%20also%20shown%20that,correlated%20with%20feelings%20of%20belonging.&text=A%20study%20demonstrated%20that%20college,with%20academic%20achievement%20in%20college

Noddings, N. (1995). Teaching themes of care. Phil Delta Kappan. 76(9)

Ontario Ministry of Education (2016). Community- connected experiential learning: A policy framework for Ontario schools, kindergarten to grade 12 (pp. 4-20). Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Schwartz, M. (2013) Best Practices in Experiential Learning. Learning & Teaching Office, Ryerson University.

Smith, Gregory A. "Place-Based Education: Learning to Be Where We Are." Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 83, no. 8, Apr. 2002, p. 584. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A84738871/AONE?u=queensulaw&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=7d256e4b. Accessed 4 June 2022.