My last practicum was in a school setting and i spent a great deal of time trying to give a Spirit of ownership to my student. It was my hope that if student became citizen of the classroom they would show more interest and respect the classroom each other and the equipment more.
I tried many different approach such has ice breakers between student, lectures on the cost of operating a classroom… How ever I was not fully satisfied by the results.
Here in Bamfield the student are taken away from the familiarity of their home their schools and daily routine. I observe that this stress is the perfect catalyst to create that spirit of ownership. Students are forced to rely on each other and to interact with the “Real World”. In Bamfield the consequence for their action are very different. Bear and cougar safety or simply being a guest to the location play a big role.
I would like in the future to organised similar field trips early in the semester and try to foster that spirit of ownership. By cutting the student from their routine I am hoping to tighten the bonds withing the class and create unity. This unity is I believe essential to achieve “citizen ship” in the classroom.
Picture from:
http://schools.cssd.ab.ca/bishopgrandin/extracurricular/bamfield-3/
More on citizen ship in the classroom
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr008.shtml