Latest news with #handsOnLearning
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
County schools challenge young learners at 'Insight Academy' camp
Tuesday morning, students in Sara Appleby's 'Mind Maze' class were working in pairs to solve 'Murdle' mimi detective puzzles at Deer Park Elementary School. 'We're using memory skills, language skills, deduction skills, process of elimination,' Appleby said. 'It's trying to get them to think differently,' Appleby said. 'They have to figure out a solution to a problem that's not obvious. They all solve it differently. They all have different strategies.' Although schools are out for the summer, the fourth and fifth graders in Appleby's class and others were busy trying out the Scientific Method by experimenting with food, building their skills with integers and learning about history by sticking their hands in water similar to the the icy ocean that surrounded the Titanic when the behemoth ocean liner met its fate in 1912. The classes were a hands-on collaborative learning experience that was anything but routine, which was intentional by Angie Gunter, Daviess County Public Schools' gifted and talented coordinator. Tuesday was the second day of DCPS' 'Insight Academy' summer day camp for gifted and talented students at Deer Park. The 24 students, who came from elementary schools across the district, were invited to participate based on their high scores in math and language arts assessment tests. While each of the elementary schools has a gifted and talented team that augments the traditional curriculum for promising students, the idea behind the camp is to challenge the students beyond what they traditionally receive in the classroom, Gunter said. 'We have middle school teachers who are teaching these kids,' Gunter said. The teachers proposed their own topics and crafted the classes. Having middle school instructors working with the students at the camp both lets the teachers get to know kids who will one day be in their classes, while also giving the students an idea of 'what's expected in middle school,' academically, Gunter said. The classes were designed to be hands-on and fun, Gunter said. 'These kids signed up to do math in the summer, and they love it,' she said. Brad Goodall, who was teaching the 'Math with a Twist' class, said the fourth and fifth graders would move through a curriculum during the week that would include some of the pre-algebra they will encounter in middle school. 'Because I teach middle school math, I know what they are going to need,' Goodall said, as they students busily played a competitive card game based on integers. 'We've had a good time working together. If you notice, they are not quiet.' The game was designed to be active and energetic for the gifted students. 'If they are not challenged, they get bored,' Goodall said. 'I'm trying to keep them as challenged as I can.' There was also a social element to the camp, Gunter said, as the students learned cooperation and collaboration by working together. 'Some of these kids are the ones that tend to dominate' their traditional classes, Gunter said. Part of the camp process is teaching 'all these dominant (students) to take turns,' Gunter said. 'Next year, we are going to expand to middle school' and have students from the middle schools as well, who will be taught by high school teachers. While already gifted students might not seem to need much help with school, providing hands-on and engaging content furthers the district's goals, Gunter said. 'By law, we are supposed to serve and help every kid grow,' Gunter said. Even a student already considered to be gifted can achieve more, she said. 'If we are not allowing the kids to reach their potential, we are not serving the students,' Gunter said.
CBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canadian schools urged to buy local, but some supplies aren't available nearby
Social Sharing In Tasha Ausman's biology class, students raise caterpillars into monarch butterflies, then release them. In Grade 10 science, she has teens turning gears and cranks into mini feats of engineering. For the final assessment of a recent forensics unit, the Gatineau, Que., teacher staged a mock crime scene, enlisted colleagues as witnesses and had students investigate the "vandalized" schoolyard shed to demonstrate what they'd learned. Ausman knows how hands-on learning engages students and deepens understanding of the curriculum. But she's worried that strict, sometimes murky "buy local" directives introduced amid tariff turmoil with the U.S. will hinder teachers from getting the supplies they rely on for students. In March, the message that trickled down to Ausman and fellow educators in her board was that purchases must now come from in-province retailers with storefronts — an education ministry directive that had board officials telling schools their hands were tied, she said. "I can't walk into a store and buy a litre of certain chemicals or a bucket of frogs for dissection, or even some of the parts that we use for mandatory engineering projects," Ausman pointed out, noting that some items aren't available in Quebec or, if they are, may be much costlier due to the limited number of local suppliers. Some orders that were en route this spring had to be cancelled after the buy-local directive came down, she said. "We had to change curricular plans part way through the year." WATCH | Teacher shows some classroom supplies she can't buy locally: Teachers say some school supplies hard to come by under buy-local policies 3 minutes ago Duration 2:08 Procurement rules shift with U.S. tariff war CBC News reached out to regional governments across Canada to ask if — given the recent context of new U.S. tariffs — they've changed procurement rules for schools to favour Canadian sources. In late February, Quebec toughened public sector purchasing via online platforms, a further step in a pre-existing campaign to support local. In a statement to CBC, the government reiterated those tightened rules and noted that public bodies (including schools) "are required to favour Quebec goods, services and construction suppliers" for procurement below a certain dollar amount. However, it indicated more latitude for purchases above a certain dollar amount, with public organizations "reminded to systematically favour Quebec and Canadian purchasing" and support "small businesses based in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada." But Ausman says the directive is still confusing for everyone from school board officials down to teachers themselves. It "really puts the onus on boards, finance officers at the school and then teachers to decipher this language, when the business of our job isn't really to decipher procurement strategies for the Ministry of Education," she said. Alberta and Manitoba, for instance, are urging school boards to prioritize local and Canadian suppliers, products and services, while Saskatchewan says school divisions "are encouraged to avoid any purchases from U.S. companies or of U.S. products, when it is possible." British Columbia says it's axing U.S. purchases in favour of Canadian or non-American ones. The Northwest Territories is also doing that, and is prioritizing local outlets wherever possible. PEI is encouraging school authorities to prioritize buying local, while Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to "supporting local and Canadian-made products where possible." Nova Scotia has limited how much schools can buy from American businesses. New Brunswick has barred new U.S. contracts (except goods or services deemed essential) and advised schools to consider alternative sources of supply. Meanwhile, Ontario is restricting public bodies from buying American, with certain exceptions (urgent cases, for instance, or if a U.S. source is the sole option). Buy-Canadian policies already established for some Ontario's directive came down in March just as several school boards voted to adopt buy-Canadian policies, though it's generally an established practice, according to Stephanie Donaldson, Toronto-based executive director of the Ontario Public School Boards Association. "Teachers, if they're concerned, they should speak to their school board officials," she said. Donaldson feels provincial and school board procurement experts would help educators get the supplies they require "despite the challenges that we're facing from the south." This buy-local push isn't unreasonable at this fraught time, since "if it helps put dollars in the pockets of Canadian businesses … that's a win," said Mike Wake, superintendent of Alberta's Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools. Yet the trick is how to make that happen, he said from Wetaskiwin, a small school division located south of Edmonton. School purchasing must balance a host of factors, Wake explained, from "operational urgency" and legal considerations to "taking the public taxpayers' dollar as far as we can [to support] student learning." He noted that schools getting what they need is different from grocery shopping solely for made-in-Canada items; sometimes, a U.S.-based student information system or American school bus supplier may be the best option. "Our government's been fantastic in saying 'Do what you can,' but with the understanding that there's going to be some times that you aren't going to necessarily always buy Canadian," Wake said. WATCH | How to navigate supply-line confusion to 'buy Canadian': How to 'Buy Canadian' when supply chains are so murky 2 months ago Duration 4:53 As anger over U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war fuels a surging 'Buy Canadian' movement, The National asks marketing professor Grant Packard to help navigate supply-line confusion so Canadians can keep their elbows up at the checkout line. Back in Quebec, Ausman supports a less restrictive policy, since she already favours national vendors. She's worried that the hands-on learning labs she favours and other school offerings will be cut if teachers can't obtain required materials — ranging from scientific specimens to student trumpets to laptops. That educators may feel forced to pay out of pocket for supplies themselves is also a concern. Ultimately, she wants decision-makers to put more consideration into where cash-strapped boards can source what they need. "If you're going to intervene in the spending and the procurement, you have to also provide a solution to the problem," she said.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Exploring history: Fourth graders learn about Montana through hands-on experiences
Jun. 1—Sam Cox walked into Karissa Prewitt's fourth-grade class at Peterson Elementary one morning with numerous historical articles from the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Cox, who has attended the reenactment of the battle in Southern Montana twice, talked through what life was like in 1876, like what shoes soldiers would wear and what bullets they would use. The day prior, in the middle of their Montana history unit, Prewitt taught the students about the battle. The students later told Cox they remembered that the battle was between the United States and the Native Americans, that it was General Custer's last stand and that it took place on a river. "If you ever get the chance to, you should go down there," Cox said. "It's history, it's important to know." Hands-on learning can elevate a child's educational experience, said Prewitt, which is why she tries to make lessons exciting. Incorporating presentations, guest speakers and activities into school units, such as Montana history, can help information truly reach students. "Incorporating hands-on experiences really just promotes a deeper understanding of what you're trying to teach," she said. Rather than just sitting and listening or looking at a computer, they can listen to guest speakers, touch things, see things, and more importantly ask questions ... they get a better understanding." Prewitt began the unit earlier this spring, with numerous topics and presentations included. The class covered and participated in traditional Native American games, panned for gems and learned about the history of packing with a visit from real horses. The unit ended with the history of Glacier National Park. John Peine and Rich Mathies visited Prewitt's class toward the end of the unit to talk about the history of horse and mule packing in Montana, something both men are familiar with due to volunteering in various wilderness areas. From why packing was first used to horse safety to the different sorts of saddles, kids were able to visualize the process and learn that the "bonus" to having horses is hiking in without carrying your own stuff and, in turn, having an elevated or better camp. Kids even got to meet the horses. "There are teachers who are still trying to teach history. It is important," Prewitt said. "I want kids to have a well-rounded education experience." From discussing the history of true Montana cowboys to the adventures of Lewis and Clark, Prewitt scheduled a range of presenters to expand the experience. Max Campbell, a local beaver trapper and a father to a student in Prewitt's class, spoke to students about the role of trapping in Montana history. In the 1800s, beavers changed the history of Montana as the fur trade took off. Campbell brought an array of traps and furs for students to look at during the presentation. With each presenter and item, the kids' curiosity expanded, Prewitt said. It's lessons like these that the kids will remember, Prewitt reflected, as they move forward in their education. "I get excited about it all, which is why I continue to do it," Prewitt said. Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@ Cloudy, one of the pack horses, gets a treat during a demonstration by Rick Mathies and John Peine of the Northwest Montana Backcountry Horsemen on Friday, May 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Fourth graders explore various animal furs at a classroom presentation on the history of trapping. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Sam Cox shows students gear that was used during the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Rick Mathies shows Cloudy, a pack horse, to Bowan Lopan, a fourth-grader in Karissa Prewitt's class at Peterson Elementary, during a demonstration by the Northwest Montana Backcountry Horsemen on Friday, May 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Sam Cox shows students gear that was used during the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Cloudy, one of the pack horses, gets a kiss from a fourth-grader in Karissa Prewitt's class at Peterson Elementary during a demonstration by the Northwest Montana Backcountry Horsemen on Friday, May 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Students look at photos from reenactments of the Battle of Little Bighorn. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Max Campbell, a local trapper, passes around various furs at a classroom presentation on trapping. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Students hold beaver teeth during a classroom presentation. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake) Fourth graders explore various animal furs at a classroom presentation on the history of trapping. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
