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Edventure Passport Program Bridging Community and Schools to Create Life-Long Learners Created by Jessica Marcotte, B.A., B.Ed.

Program Goals 1. To expose students to the various learning experiences available in the Lethbridge area in a way that promotes individualized and self-motivated learning. 2. To help students overcome the fear of community involvement. At times, community involvement can seem overwhelming. With this program students see that community involvement is rewarding. 3. To promote the attendance of school-aged students at community organizations and events; promoting long-term growth of these organizations and events. What is the Edventure Passport? The Edventure Passport shows students all of the amazing learning opportunities (educational adventures) that Lethbridge has to offer. Community participants, such as the Galt Museum or Lethbridge Public Library would have a page in this passport. Each page will inform Lethbridge students of when and where they can find these Edventures in their hometown. Each page would include the following: An image of the location Hours of Operation Contact Information (phone number, address, e-mail) Website Address Highlights of what the location has to offer A blank square for the location to stamp when the student attends an event or activity at the location A blank for the teacher to stamp when the students writes a blog entry on what they have learned from attending the event or activity

Program Overview Start-up This program is designed to be run by a homeroom teacher, preferably grades 4-6. At the beginning of the year the teacher will provide their students with an Edventure Passport which outlines different activities and events to attend in Lethbridge throughout the year. The city would provide classrooms with monthly calendars outlining upcoming events for students to attend.

Blog and Publishing

Edventure Passport Program Bridging Community and Schools to Create Life-Long Learners Created by Jessica Marcotte, B.A., B.Ed.
In order to have their passport page completed, the students must write a short blog entry which describes what they have experienced/ learned from the community activity they have attended. Each month, teachers choose outstanding blogs written by their students. These blog entries are to be sent to the Program Co-ordinator. I will select one outstanding entry per month which I hope will be published in the Lethbridge Living Magazine. Annual Student-Led Class Once a year each student is required by the teacher to teach the class something they have learned from their community involvement. Perhaps one student plays on a soccer team and can teach the whole class proper kicking technique. Another student may have attended a Galt Museum Exhibit and can teach the class about the history of Lethbridge. Benefits for Educators Many of the components in this program meet the vision and requirements of Alberta Education. The Framework for Students Learning states that students must be entrepreneurial, engaged and ethical. Here students are entrepreneurial as they take responsibility for choosing to learn. In students selecting the activities in which they will participate, they are differentiating their learning. This paired with student-led teaching will promote student engagement and life-long learners. The students become more ethical as they experience more social interaction and community involvement (ex: more opportunity to help others, identify what they can offer to the community, respecting peoples outside of their social circles). There is also a volunteer page where the students are encouraged to give back to the community. This program also promotes digital citizenship. They are given a purpose and an audience to write on their classroom blog. The blogging portion of the program allows students to responsibly engage online and create a positive digital footprint. Benefits for the Community This program will bring the students to organizations and events. In turn, students will bring their families and friends which will increase visitor count. Engaging students in the community at a young age will encourage life-long community participation and model the many ways students may engage in or give back to the community in their adult years. This program also encourages teachers to take their students on field trips to these locations to fulfill their curriculum, as they would be more aware of the possibilities around the city.

Edventure Passport Program Bridging Community and Schools to Create Life-Long Learners Created by Jessica Marcotte, B.A., B.Ed.
Possible Co-operators ACFA Art Walk Birds of Prey Bowman Art Center CASA Galt Museum Helen Schuler Nature Centre Lethbridge Astronomy Society Lethbridge Public Library SAAG Yates Memorial Theatre Additional Passport Pages Encouraging a more rounded community experience Volunteering Sports Team Community Festival/ Event (ex: Dragon Boat Races, Little Souls Marathon) Free Page Potential Problems & Potential Solutions
Potential Problems Students are unable to afford the admission fees Potential Solutions 1. Locations offering a free admission day once a year for passport holders 2. Teachers fulfill at least one of the passport pages through field trips during the year 1. Teachers track which pages each students has completed in order to give them an updated version as a replacement 2. Location may write students a small note on their business card stating the students had attended an activity at their location 1. Rewarding outstanding participates through publication in Lethbridge Living Magazine 2. Schools may choose to promote the program during school pep rallies 3. The teacher may choose Student Edventure Leaders to promote community organizations and upcoming events 4. It can be integrated part of their Language Arts and Social Studies mark 5. Spontaneous positive reinforcement (ex: complete page 5 by Friday and you will be entered into a draw for free Yates performance tickets)

Students forget or lose their passports

Students become unmotivated to participate in the project

Piloting the Program (September 2013-June 2014)

Edventure Passport Program Bridging Community and Schools to Create Life-Long Learners Created by Jessica Marcotte, B.A., B.Ed.
For the upcoming school year I will be seeking 10-20 teachers to pilot the program. This will help me to improve and strengthen the program as I gather feedback from students, teachers and the community. Advancing the Program 1. By September 2014 I would like to see at last 40 teachers actively engaging their students in this program. This can be achieved through the following: Media coverage in the 2013/ 2014 school year (Lethbridge Living, Lethbridge Herald, Radio Stations) SWATCA conference session (Teachers Conference) Personal school visits to inform students and teachers about the program Community locations promoting passports (signs, discounts, special events to promote the program) Student Testimonials Creating an aesthetic and professional visual platform (passport, website, blog) Program Financing Community Participant Donations Local and Provincial Grant Proposals Individual School Donations Volunteer time and donations

Timeline

Edventure Passport Program Bridging Community and Schools to Create Life-Long Learners Created by Jessica Marcotte, B.A., B.Ed.
June 2013 Submit the proposal to school principal and city correspondent Formally meet with the proposed participants in order gain their co-operation and insight into this project

July 2013 Create passport template and website template. Have passports approved and printed Organize teacher supporters and inform teacher on program delivery Discuss and organize solutions for possible set-backs

August 2013 Have all aspects of the program prepared for school year start-up (website, blog, accounts, passport, stamps, teachers, organizations, etc) Meet with elementary principals and teachers to introduce and garner interest in the program

September 2013 Launch the program

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