The Fresh Classroom by @PaulKelba

Have you ever been in a chat with your colleagues when someone states: " teachers have limited or no training in the knowledge and skills to support their students' sense of connection to their world around them."? I am always quick to agree; however, the lemons of roadblocks for what to do about this conundrum are seemingly insurmountable. The Fresh Classroom consists of observations, interviews & activities where the students relationship with their learning is deep and true, and with this, we can attempt to walk our talk just a little more. Shall we push the envelope? I can happily 'triangulate' the knowledge and skills can be explained by practice that seeks to deepen feelings. Explained in part by the chapter linked here of Gillian Judson's: Engaging Students' Emotions and Imaginations in Their World , as well as edtech blogger David Warlick's wonderful explanation of A Gardener's Approach to Learning , lastly a visit (or re-visit) o

This list aims (for any subject you teach) to deepen one’s relationship with their community and their local natural world. Distinct from formal demography, which focuses more generally on population composition and distribution, social demography investigates the social-status composition and distribution of communities. 1) Community Visioning Take a walk; however, pose specific questions, dynamic relations are formed using mindful questioning with a sustainable lens . Activities in the module below are a few examples: How is everything interconnected? Should you care about others and/or your place? Are the current ‘relationships’ (between humans, between humans and the ‘environment’, etc.) ‘continue-able’? ie. able to persist? Are the ‘relationships’ fair? Can you change the ‘relationships’? **Simple & extremely productive activity that can be modified for any age Activity #3  Community Walk and Map page 33**   2) Utilize sites to evoke a fact based world view: Sites such as

With permission The Science Teachers of Ontario Website  ELEMENTS online Return to stao.org The Power of Yurt ««« By Paul Kelba By Paul Kelba. Paul Kelba was a preservice teacher at Queen’s University when he wrote this article. He was a recipient of the STAO Pre-service Award with this submission. This information is recommended for use with the Ontario Curriculum, All grades, Structures and Mechanisms As a pre-service teacher, I am bombarded with effective teaching strategies: hands- on and student-centered learning were a few I latched on to. In theory they sounded fantastic; however, putting them into practice during my first practicum placements was easier said than done. As my year ended I had sought out a unique opportunity at Rideau Heights

Educational institutions are quick to dismiss students' relationship to the natural world as a responsibility of parents and guardians of their students. The fresh classroom is a response to this attitude. The science of why the human mind needs nature: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2679 What educators can do about it (learning outside the classroom): http://books.google.com/books/about/Learning_outside_the_classroom.html?id=aEbejwEACAAJ

Happy World Food Day?!?...October 16, 2011 Resources 4 Rethinking (r4r.ca) has released real world lesson plans that are in play in The Fresh Classroom: The Business of Food Middle, Secondary The Real Survivor Elementary, Middle Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger-primary grades Elementary