Tag Archives: indigenous

by | May 14, 2024 · 11:03 am

Living and Teaching the First Peoples Principles 

Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned professional, teachers in BC are called to consider how they might incorporate the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) into their classrooms and schools.  

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the BC curriculum requires teachers to consider and incorporate Indigenous voice, issues, resources and perspectives in our teaching. Jo Chrona provides a background of FPPL and Current Contexts on her blog:

In 2006/2007, The BC Ministry of Education partnered with the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) to create the English 12 First Peoples course. The development of this curriculum included significant input from Indigenous knowledge-keepers and educators from BC….to ensure that the course was able to authentically embody aspects of First Peoples’ values around teaching and learning.  

These voices were previously left out and systemically excluded from the current educational experience. Included in this process of course creation was the development of the FPPL so that First Peoples’ experiences, values, beliefs, and lived realities could be more authentically reflected in the course.  

Since then, the BC Ministry of Education has made an increased commitment to including Indigenous perspectives in education. According to Chrona, the initial integration of First Peoples’ content was first intended to support Indigenous learners “as the province and country continues on the path toward Reconciliation.” Now, more educators “are recognizing that the [FPPL] promote educational practices that are also powerfully effective for non-Indigenous learners…. that is replacing the post-industrial model of education” ; this is teaching that is “more responsive to the contexts and needs of learners, and the explicit inclusion of what are termed ‘Core Competencies’” (Chrona, 2024).

Let’s explore a few opportunities! 

Jo Chrona explains that “an inherent interconnectedness exists between all the principles. While they are described discretely, they operate in concert with each other in a robust and healthy learning environment and education system.” 

Teacher Disposition  

Chrona suggests that incorporating the FPPL has as much to do with an educator’s philosophy and disposition as it has to do with curricular content. Some of us will see our own values already reflected in the FPPL, and others of us will be challenged by them. Look closely at the FPPL and think about where you see them in your own life.  

  • When do you make time for your own elders, grandparents and mentors? How do you use their guidance to understand the world?  
  • How do you develop quality relationships with the people in your life so that you have a strong foundation to withstand conflict and stress? 

Now how do those values help you manage your class culture?   

Connections to Core Competencies  

Poster: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/cardev/gr9_found/docs/courage_poster.pdf

In order to thrive, all children need the opportunity to be in schools and communities that cultivate belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. We know about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but do you know about Martin Brokenleg’s  Circle of Courage? In “The Science of Raising Courageous Kids,” Brokenleg and Van Bockern explain this model that integrates Native American philosophies of child-rearing, the heritage of early pioneers in education and youth work, and contemporary resilience research. The Circle of Courage is based in four universal growth needs of all children: belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. 

Instead of a class discussion, consider incorporating a class circle. Talking/sharing/class circles are also a great way to invite relationality into your classroom. Dr. Carolyn Roberts offers an exploration of this in her blogpost: Circle work: Being together as a relation.  

Context and Perspectives

For teachers exploring the FPPL, “It’s not a set of lesson or unit plans” nor “a detailed list of criteria and specific content to match up with grades and/or subject areas.”  

Consider how you can plan your lessons to: 

Resources

The choices you make as a teacher matter. When you use a celebrity as an example, do you look for Indigenous or BIPOC people? Choosing Indigenous authors and poets and musicians to discuss in class gives everyone an opportunity to look for connections to the FPPL. Consider sharing current examples rather than relying solely on historical references so that you highlight Indigenous brilliance (see Carolyn Roberts’ blog post for a few ideas)

A deep understanding of the FPPL reflected in our disposition will guide the decisions we make about what students should learn and how they experience it.

For more subject specific ideas and resources, see these Sandbox Blogposts:

UBC Booklists: 

The UBC Education Library booklists are available for educators and teacher candidates, offering an abundance of resources ranging from picture books to use in the classroom to lesson-planning guides. The library offers multiple booklists regarding Indigenous culture and history. These booklists cover topics such as residential schools, storytelling resources and literature written by Indigenous authors. 

 

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Post by Greta Bartsch, Learning Design Manager & Program Manager (Practicum- Secondary), 2024; editing & contribfutions by Yvonne Dawydiak

 

References 

Chrona, J. (2024, April 10) Background of FPPL and Current Contexts. https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com/background-and-current-context/ 

Brokenleg, M., Van Bockern, S. (2003). The Science of Raising Courageous Kids.  https://martinbrokenleg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/12_1_Brokenleg_Van_Bockern.pdf

 

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by | November 7, 2023 · 10:38 am

Species ID: whose names are these?

Engaging in species identification and classification is a common and, many would argue, necessary aspect of science education. There are many tools, digital and analogue to assist us as we explore and learn about the world around us. In a recent collaboration with the Education Library, we showcased a few resources and approaches to support engaging students in plant and animal identification. As we shared with attendees at the 2023 TEC Expo in Neville Scarfe at UBC, we engaged folks in conversation about some considerations with ‘naming’… Applying a name has long been a colonial and, in the main, patriarchal activity when the local Indigenous  language is ignored. Further, appropriation through naming and through not acknowledging cultural knowledge and Indigenous science is problematic, to say the least.

two grad students stop by the TEC Expo table to try card sorting

Sorting using Northwest ID cards.

Our goal today was to not only share some resources and strategies that might support learning in the classroom, but to spark conversation about more decolonized practices. As a settler, born on the coast, with a strong interest in and appreciation for native flora, fauna and other ‘things’/inanimate beings, one small way I am attempting to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action is to begin to learn and share their names in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (where I currently work) and Halq’eméylem (the dialect of the lands on which I was born and lived as a child). By learning the names these plants and animals have long been known, I am also seeking to learn more about local ecosystems and connections between all of the beings (including those we may not, in western ways, recognize as living).

The following resources are helpful to teachers looking to incorporate Indigenous Science/Traditional Knowledge:

One further note about identification and naming is that, as a naturalist educator for many years, I have found that applying a name to something too soon can cause the learning to stop. My preference is to have students observe, describe, discuss and questions BEFORE we engage in identification.

Some tools/resources to support your learning

Books

The Education library has consolidated a few resources to support this exploration of place and language that can be found of the ‘TecExpo post’ on their website. It includes a wonderful field guide “Luschims Plants” (I have it in my collection and donated one I purchased from Strong Nations to the library), the lyrical and informative “Braiding Sweetgrass” and more! The post links to the library catalogue and also to some well-curated and current collections via the Education Library Booklists (Integrating First Peoples’ Perspectives and Principles of Learning, Connections to Land, Biodiversity and Biomes, Seeds and Gardening).Several of these lists were compiled in collaboration with the Xwi7xwa  Library. A valuable place on campus to visit as we learn and unlearn.

Cards

Card sorting is a cooperative learning technique that allows learners to make connections between ideas in a kinesthetic way. This embodied learning activity (learning with and through movement) can also provide a model for an excellent study strategy.

The Education library has several sets of sorting cards including Salmon Life Cycle, Seasons, Pacific Northwest plant knowledge cards (featuring Indigenous languages, including Lekwungen, SENĆOTEN, Hul’qumi’num, and Diitiid) and two sets by my friend Gloria Snively who created “Ocean Snimal Clue” cards about the Pacific Coast Ecosystem and Pacific Coast Information Cards (geared to intermediate/high school/adults).

What can we do with Cards?

  • Card sorting in partners or groups adds a ‘socio-constructivist’ element where your students are making sense of concepts and content with one another. It allows them to engage with one another AND with the curriculum. Ask students to narrate/talk out loud while sorting. In a class of more senior students, one student in a group might be taking notes on the reasoning and discussion behind the sort. This could help students self-evaluate core competencies including communication and critical thinking.

There are two general types of sorts

  • Open Card Sort: organize topics into groups that make sense to them and then name each group they created in a way that they feel accurately describes the content. Use an open card sort to learn how your students group content and the terms or labels they give each category. We might also call this ‘open sorting and classifying’
  • Closed Card Sort: sort topics into pre-defined categories. A closed card sort works best when you are working with a pre-defined set of categories, and you want to learn how your students sort content items into each category.

Some approaches to sorting

  • Think of different ways card sorting might be introduced in your context.
  • A simple set of instructions, include a printable and a video showing students engaged in sorting can be found on the blog ‘Teacher Toolkit’ 
  • Graphic organizers (links to external site) such as Venn diagrams can be used to help students organize their sorts. Once introduced to concept mapping, students might sort and connect ideas as a concept map! Cards might even be organized in a linear way (think: timelines or sequencing)

Web-based Resources

  • First Voices is an online space where Indigenous communities share and promote language, oral culture and linguistic history. A unique thing about this space is that communities can decide if they prefer to share with the wider public or only within their communities. Additional resources including a language and culture map of BC, are linked on this blog post (in the Scarfe Sandbox) titled: Resources for Indigenizing and Decolonizing Education
  • LiveIt Earth is a set of online high quality/high interest multimedia resources that includes some local Indigenous content created in partnership with communities. UBC Teacher Candidates and Education students are offered free one year access to this resource.
  • Using the Museum of Vancouver’s Indigenous Plant Guide, you can hear and learn the Squamish and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ words for a variety of plants that are native to BC.
  • Flippity.net: allows the user to make their own manipulatives using various browser based applets.example venn diagram plant sort using english and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ names. plants are sorted by 'fruit' 'no fruit'

    For our session, I utilized the information from the Museum of Vancouver’s website to create a digital card sort using an open applet “Flippity.net” by making cards that showed both the English name and the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name. Flippity.net is accessible as an applet (where you can customize cards) and/or as a google form you can copy and modify to a greater extent. In my example, while participants weren’t able to read/decode the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name, the cards did highlight that there ARE names in traditional languages that need to be recognized, seen and, hopefully at some point, learned. In speaking with one of our language and literacy professors, I’ll be doing some research into API learning tools

    • Woolaroo
      ground cover plant identified using the Woolaroo app

      Woolaroo App

      is an interesting example of a multilingual cloud-based application meant for handheld devices that allows the user to scan an object, plant, animal and then read or hear the name or description – in cases where no specific name or word exists for something – in the language selected.

Mobile Apps

The use of digital technologies in outdoor or place-based learning requires careful consideration. Benefits may include the opportunity to for authentic, real-world opportunities for developing digital literacies, to engage in citizen science and to enable students increased agency or choice of learning mode and medium for gathering information, data or for expression Considerations include (but aren’t limited to), issues of ‘over-mediating’ the natural world, potential distraction, equity and access, privacy and permissions. Teachers should always ask themselves about their purposes: when and how might we use these tools? who might need them? who might benefit? when to not use them?

A few Apps to try

  • iNaturalist: a citizen science app to support crowd sourcing ID in the field. An amazing bi-product of this application is the development of a large database of images available for research. Engage in citizen science as you explore the environment and ‘log’ your observations.
  • Seek by iNaturalist with your students to support ID – fairly simple interface: the Seek camera will draw from observations posted by members of the iNaturalist community to try to ID the photo. You can even scan the environment for common species of plant, birds, amphibians, insects!
  • LeafSnap is a free app created by the Canadian Wildlife Federation that allows you to learn to ID trees by their leaves, flowers and seeds.
  • Plantsnap was developed as a collaboration with several non-profits along with SnapChat that helps you ID plants by taking a photo and getting instant feedback. Their goal is to map out the world’s plants.
  • iPhone and iPad users can use the Visual Look Up feature to use Siri’s AI to identify plants, insects, landmarks, and more in pictures they have taken. You’ll need to update your device to the latest iOS. To start, open a picture on your camera, press the Visual Look Up button (‘i’ in a circle with stars on the left), then press Look Up and it will offer ideas based on a web comparison of images.

 

Post Author: Yvonne Dawydiak, Learning Design Manager, Teacher Education (Oct. 2023)

I would like to acknowledge that my attempts may not be perfect and there may be questions about my approach or about resources. Please be in touch if you have suggestions or questions.

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by | April 19, 2021 · 4:19 pm

Resources for Indigenizing and Decolonizing Education

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to action and the BC curriculum requires teachers to consider and incorporate Indigenous voice, issues, resources and perspectives in their teaching. Teachers in BC are also reminded that the 9th Professional Standard (link to BCTC Resource with full text) requires educators to authentically engage in decolonizing their practices. The video, Professional Standard 9 – Truth and Reconciliation, Moving Forward Together offers a moving call to action.

Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada and the impact of the past on the present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

The aftermath of the Summer 2020 anti-racism protests sparked an international conversation on the urgency of racial justice for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, a conversation that continues today. As we reflect on how to be anti-racist and how to decolonize our societies, we must discuss the importance of education in achieving this. I believe that highlighting the histories and cultures of marginalized groups in the education system is essential to creating a truly anti-racist society. Finding resources to begin incorporating these ideas into classrooms can be daunting for many.

This post attempts to highlight a handful of Indigenous education-related resources that can help guide teachers in creating anti-racist lessons and activities that highlight the importance of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. It is important to seek authentic, local resources and avoid ‘pan-Indigenous’ perspectives.

Resource Collections:

Curriculum Bundles have been assembled by Indigenous educators from around British Columbia, most of whom are students and graduates of the NITEP program.  Each bundle focuses on a particular skill, resource, or place, and connects with BC curriculum.

The UBC based website, https://indigenizinglearning.educ.ubc.ca/  includes well-curated resource links and information about ‘welcomes’ and ‘land acknowledgements’.

Indigenous educators are creating and openly sharing their resource collections:

Subject Specific Resources

At a glance documents representing implicit and explicit connections to each grade level and subject area are part of the Indigenous Education Resources shared by the BC Ministry of Education.  On their main page, you’ll also find videos and a Resource Inventory to help teachers incorporate First Peoples Knowledge and Perspectives.

English First Peoples

  • The FNESC Planning for Instruction, Grades 10-12 document (2018) is meant for English teachers (specifically for the course English First Peoples, but with some great ideas for any English teacher)

Physical Health Education

  • The BC Ministry of Ed has created a document to support incorporating FPPL in planning for PHE k-12. This document makes it quite clear that incorporating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives is implicit in the PHE curriculum across all grade levels (while also being explicit in PHE Outdoor Ed at the senior secondary level)

Cultural Maps:

Native Land is a website that maps out the ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples from

Here is a screen capture of a map of the territories of Indigenous groups in North America.

around the world. The main feature of the website is an interactive map that can filter the lands by linguistic groups, territories, and treaties. Another local BC website, The First People’s Map of BC, shares Indigenous language, art and heritage in an interactive format perfect for students seeking to learn more about local language and culture or connect with artists. You can even hear audio clips of native language speakers.

The Indigenous Ed team in SD61, Victoria shares a variety of maps in their Social Studies Resource area for Secondary teachers.

FNESC:

The First Nations Education Steering Committee, or FNESC, is an organization that advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous history and cultures into the curriculum as well as the well-being of Indigenous students in British Columbia. They offer a plethora of resources for teachers to make use of in classrooms, including lesson-planning documents across subject areas.

UBC Booklists:

The UBC Education Library booklists are available for educators and teacher candidates, offering an abundance of resources ranging from picture books to use in the classroom to lesson-planning guides. The library offers multiple booklists regarding Indigenous culture and history. These booklists cover topics such as residential schools, storytelling resources and literature written by Indigenous authors.

Puppets at Xwi7xwa:

In addition to their vast textual resources, the Xwi7xwa Library at UBC has a collection of puppets created by Indigenous artists to help engage students using storytelling. There are a variety of collections that can be borrowed from the library, including the “Grace the Eagle“, “Splash the Orca” and “Streamer the Salmon” collections.

Digital Stories:

Indigenous Storybooks (post en francais – Storybooks Autochtons) is a repository of free openly licensed online stories written by Indigenous peoples in Canada. Inspired by, and utilizing, the open-licensed stories from Little Cree Books, this project aims to make the text, images, and audio of stories available in Indigenous languages as well as English, French, and some of the most widely spoken immigrant and refugee languages of Canada.

Witness Blanket is a unique and striking digital collection. This large-scale work of art carries items and stories, accompanied by the voices of residential school survivors. The site also houses a Teacher’s guide that helps teachers build empathy with their students and develop a human rights culture in their classroom.

Strong Nations:

Strong Nations

Strong Nations is an online store and publishing house that sells authentic Indigenous-created art and literature. They are a BC-based organization, however they offer resources from Indigenous groups from all over Canada. One interesting resource that I found on Strong Nations is the “This Land is our Storybook” series, which is a series written from the perspective of Indigenous children living in the Northwest Territories.

As we navigate conversations surrounding anti-racism and reconciliation, we must continue this discussion in teacher education and in the education system more broadly. You may wish to visit SFU’s “Think before you Appropriate”  resource as you explore and learn. I hope you will explore the resources in this post so that you can begin this work in your own classroom.

 

Guest post by Naomi Hudson, Scarfe Sandbox Project Assistant and Virtual Peer Mentor, Winter 2020; edited by Yvonne Dawydiak, Winter 2022, Fall 2023.

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by | March 10, 2021 · 4:42 pm

FNESC

Here is a picture of a document on the FNESC website about different literature that you can use to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into the classroom.

The First Nations Education Steering Committee, or FNESC, is an organization that promotes the incorporation of Indigenous voices into the education system. They also advocates for the well-being of Indigenous students in British Columbia. FNESC offers a variety of Indigenous education resources, including:

  • Resources for English First Peoples Courses
  • Resources for promoting Indigenous languages and cultures
  • STEM resources
  • Resources for post-secondary students and faculty
  • Lesson planning resources for teachers

In finding ways to incorporate authentic Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing in the classroom, it is important to make sure that voices from Indigenous communities are included. For decades, FNESC has been at the forefront of promoting Indigenous education in British Columbia. The resources that they provide on their website can be valuable additions to classrooms throughout the province.

Getting started on the FNESC website is simple and there are only two major steps!:

  1. Go onto http://www.fnesc.ca/
  2. Explore the resources that FNESC offers under their menu, including resources under “Learning First Peoples” and “Post-Secondary”

 

 

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by | February 20, 2021 · 8:33 pm

Native Land

Native Land is an online, interactive map that maps out the ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples all over the world, specifically in the Americas, Northern Europe and Austronesia. Its “About” page states that it was created in 2015 by a non-Indigenous man named from the Okanagan named Victor Temprano. Right now, Native Land is run by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from around Canada and around the world.

There is incredible diversity amongst Indigenous populations which is sometimes overlooked and can lead to a pan-Indigenous view…  Native Land is a valuable resource that can help expose students to the heterogeneity of Indigenous populations, both nationally and internationally. Teachers might use Native land to recognize the territories on which their own school resides, or when learning about other places in the world so that they incorporate more local voices and resources in their teaching.

  1. Go to native-land.ca
  2. Use the interactive map to view the locations of the ancestral lands of various Indigenous groups from around the world.
    1. There are now two ways to view and search: Classic Map and Constellations.

      Constellations view: search by address and get help from Kōrero

      Native Land also includes an ‘acknowledgement helper’ they call ‘Kōrero’.

    2. Search the lands by address, Territories, Languages and/or Treaties
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by | August 19, 2020 · 11:08 pm

Mathematics All Around Us: Podcast Resource Blogpost

“Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.”

Galileo Galilei

The last three episodes (episodes 7, 8, and 9) of our Thinking Outside the Sandbox podcast, are dedicated to discussing possible creative ways of teaching Math outside abstraction, in ways that embody more physicality and representation. Dr. Kerry Renwick, Dr. Susan Gerofsky, and Dr. Lorrie Miller shared beautiful diverse ideas and examples that highlighted teaching mathematics experientially through the five senses. For example, teaching the concept of patterns was demonstrated through music, observing nature, cultural activities, weaving, and storytelling.

Decolonizing space in Mathematics, integrating Indigenous Knowledge, redesigning the math classroom, teaching math for social justice were also discussed.

Begin by hearing from Dr. Susan Gerofsky, Janice Novakowsky and Dr. Cynthia Nichol in Thinking Outside the Sandbox: Math Part 1

 

Below are resources that might be used to support teaching Mathematics in an interdisciplinary way, that involves real-life contexts. “The Importance of Context” video by Heinemann explores how stories, posters, and real-life situations could set the stage for students to learn math through real-life contexts and problems.
the famous multi colored cube

Interactive Lessons

Interactive Lessons could be found in K-8 Mathematics station at PBS Learning Media, which includes a wide range of resources (videos, lesson plans, interactive lessons) that integrate real-world and Mathematical Problems.

Mathematics outside the Classroom

  • Mathematical concepts could be explored easily in nature. Concepts as symmetry, spheres, measurements, meteorology, and geometry are all around us. Check this Connections Academy article for activities on these concepts.
  • Age-specific outdoor activities for various concepts are available on the learning outside the classroom blog.
  • For more ideas on Math outside the classroom, check our blogpost, math outside the classroom.

On creating an inclusive, anti-oppressive Math classroom

As opposed to traditional mathematics classrooms that provide one-sided arguments, erase learners’ differences from their processes, and claim right versus wrong ways of problem-solving, Dana Bjornson, a UBC MET grad, in a blogpost suggests teachers would be aware of any oppressive practices in their classrooms.

Creating a non-oppressive, third space which draws from Indigenous wisdom:

  1. Includes collaboration with peer MKOs
    1. peer instruction: where students share responses to MCQ’s, and discuss these responses
    2. formative collaborative review: where students help other students with difficulties
    3. collaborative assessments: where students do their tests individually and mark their own work, then in groups of four complete the same test collaboratively.
  2. Honors multiple ways of knowing; where all forms of solutions are celebrated

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge

  • BC’s redesigned curriculum integrates Indigenous knowledge and perspectives throughout all areas of learning, one of which is math.

Check this BC Curriculum document for implicit and explicit references to Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives throughout Mathematics for K -12.

Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice

Teacher teaching math on a white boardSocial Justice Issues could be easily taught through Math.

  • Radical Math provides a guide on integrating issues of economic and social justice into the Mathematics curriculum.

Mathematics Apps

  • Explore room design apps to learn mathematics principles such as geometry and arithmetic through interior design projects.
  • Photomath is a math teaching app that provides solutions to math problems elaborating the steps to these solutions
  • PHET is an online repository of interactive simulations and lessons fro Science and Math classroom.
  • More ideas the Tech Integration in your Math classroom (links to post on this blog).

Games

  • A variety of games that could help students better comprehend mathematics, on various concepts, from numbers and counting to decimals, fractions, graphs, money, and time, are included in this Mobile Math list.

Guest Post: Nashwa Khedr, EDCP graduate student, project assistant 2020

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by | June 4, 2020 · 8:29 am

Opportunities for Outdoor Learning: podcast resource post

The recent announcement (May 19, 2020) by the Ministry of Education, while clarifying many aspects of what schooling will look like for the balance of this school year, has also caused concern and questions for both in-service and pre-service teachers. Below, I’ve shared a few resources that might support BEd TCs as they plan for a return to some face-to-face (f2f) instruction and work to follow guidelines laid out by Rob Fleming in the announcement. It is important to note that each district will have guidelines, strategies and support for individual schools. It is vital, as it always is for a professional educator, to stay abreast of any messaging from your Principal, District and SA (or Teacher Ed Program).

One guideline, in particular, caught my eye and hopefully supports more teachers considering ways to engage their students outside the classroom.

Take students outside more often. Organize learning activities outside including snacktime, place-based-learning and unstructured time. Take activities that involve movement, including those for physical health and education, outside. Group sports activities should be organized in a thoughtful way, taking into consideration personal measures.

Outdoor education is mentioned in the BC curriculum for Grades 11 and 12 as part of the physical and health education including several learning goals as:

  • Development of skills (monitoring energy levels, monitoring environmental conditions, and increasing confidence)
  • Social responsibility (reducing impact on local environment and being aware of cultural and place-based sensitivities)
  • Practicing collaboration, teamwork, and outdoor leadership

More generally, outdoor spaces allow for numerous learning opportunities as it allows students to learn through a contextually relevant pedagogy, where subjects could be learned in relevant real-life settings.

For some inspiration and examples of engaging with Indigenous perspectives and knowledge through outdoor and place-based experiences and for some tips on using technology in ‘real’ & ‘virtual’ worlds, check out episode 1 of our interdisciplinary podcast series – Thinking Outside the Sandbox: Outdoor & Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching” featuring Dr. Hartley Banack, Dr. Shannon Leddy, and Dr. Sandrine Han, faculty members in the Faculty of Education at UBC.

The podcast also includes tips provided by Dr. Hartley Banack on how to create an outdoor learning inventory of useful resources around your school.
Outdoor learning allows for interdisciplinary learning. Watch this interview (part of the new interdisciplinary learning series) with Dr. Hartley Banack, lecturer at UBC’s Faculty of Education and organiser of Wild about Vancouver, where he explains how outdoor education allows for interdisciplinary learning and “de-centers the teacher”; creating a more democratic and student-centered learning environment.

Perhaps even more importantly, spending more time in nature allows for the use of more senses, and thus to be more alive. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, examines nature-deficit disorder and how it impacts our children.

Tips for teaching outside the classroom

  •  Megan Zeni, an educator (and UBC graduate student) who champions outdoor learning shares many practical resources on learning various disciplines in outdoor settings in her blog. She recently posted “10 tips for teaching outside” specifically for the COVID return to f2f instruction.
  • Dr. Banack also shares some tips on how to take the classroom outdoors in one of CBC Radio’s The Early Edition episodes.
  • With the need for larger spaces to allow for social distancing, dedicating a space for an outdoor classroom seems like a practical solution. Here is an example of setting an outdoor learning space (by Langley Meadows Elementary) where children are encouraged to use their imagination to use it as they wish.
  • Consider planning for a ‘walking curriculum’ where students have a better understanding  of place and learn more deeply about the different disciplines. Read our blogpost to learn more about Gillian Judson’s “The Walking Curriculum”.
  • Jacob Martens SD37 shared this table on google docs, that includes many outdoor learning activity ideas and resource links, recently on Twitter

Check out some ideas of how different subjects could be taught in outdoor spaces.

Mathematics & Science Integration

By engaging in the natural world, we are also engaging in the study of ecosystem and biology. This natural pairing of maths and sciences in the outdoors is a powerful vehicle for student learning.

Dr. Susan Gerofsky, associate professor of Environmental and Mathematics Education at the University of British Columbia, explains in this interview how mathematics might be taken outside the classroom. In one of her recent Orchard Garden Workshops held at UBC in March 2020, various examples of teaching mathematics in outdoor settings were shared, including asking students to look for various patterns in the garden and measuring regular and irregular shapes in the garden using possible object(s).

Measurements (of trees for example), observations and sensory experiences (touching trees, listening to birds, smelling, seeing and tasting) all allow for deeper engagement with the natural world and thus deeper learning, as shared by Orla Kelly and Roger Cutting in the chapter “Teaching science outside the classroom” in their book Creative Teaching in Primary Science.

For more examples on teaching mathematics outside the classroom, check our blogpost.

Below are examples of outdoor activities and lesson plans for diverse science topics:

  • For lessons on animals, plants, birds, or food chains, check these outdoor games and activities (compiled based on the work done by Delores Franz Los and additional resources) provided by the Stewardship Pemberton Society.
  • For embedding connections to the natural world through various subjects based on inquiry learning in outdoor settings, check out these multidisciplinary lessons developed by Earth Rangers.
  • KG and Grade 1 environmental inquiry interdisciplinary unit on trees shared on TeachOntario.
  • Outdoor activities for teenagers on raising awareness about wildlife and on environmental conservation
  • Outdoor lesson on birdwatching

It is important to note that that learning outdoors can be done anywhere and doesn’t require a special set up. There is always room to flexibly find alternatives.

Social Studies

Observing and analyzing social phenomena take place best in outdoor settings. Students could analyze real-life problems. For example, students could investigate whether a park is safe for kids and then create a report to present in front of responsible officials.

Or explore the nature of various professions in a real-life setting.

Here is an example of how Grade 8 students at Seneca College (Keele Campus) reenacted the life of a fur-trader through a journey of hiking, scaling a dangel maze, and paddling canoes.

Similarly, students could be involved in community projects that bring a difference in people’s lives.

At times, when it is not possible to organize field trips to museums, virtual museums could offer a good alternative.

Passionate Learning and Outdoor Education

For more ideas on how to foster students’ passionate learning in outdoor settings through various school subjects, check our blogpost.

Guest Post: Nashwa Khedr (EDCP graduate student, project assistant 2020)  and the Scarfe Sandbox team Summer 2020

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