ERIC Number: EJ966916
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0840-8114
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Creative Curriculum Integration in Atlantic Canada: A "MindShift"
Warner, Alan; de Vreede, Cate
Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, v24 n1 p32-34 Fall 2011
Curriculum integration through block programs has not taken hold in Atlantic Canada, but another approach has blossomed in Nova Scotia that is achieving some of the key benefits--interdisciplinary, holistic and problem-based learning, student engagement, community building, collaborative relationships, and real-world experiences. If block programs are not the best or viable choice for a school or community, consider a "MindShift." This is the name of a high-school sustainability education program operating in a half-dozen high schools in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It utilizes a youth team model to achieve similar benefits. "MindShift" was designed by a team of young people with support from the Halifax Regional Adventure Earth Centre and won the 2009 Nova Scotia Youth Environmental award. In 2011, a Halifax youth team visited Quebec and Ontario, presenting the program and doing workshops on implementation in high schools, which, in turn, are sprouting new "MindShift" programs. This article describes the program as an example of the youth team model, presents brief research findings from student interviews and considers ways the model could be developed further within the curriculum.
Descriptors: Learner Engagement, Curriculum Development, High School Students, Problem Based Learning, Educational Change, Foreign Countries, Youth, Teaching Methods, Creativity, Integrated Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Approach, Workshops, Sustainable Development, Interviews, Student Attitudes, Environmental Education, Cooperation, Teamwork, Program Descriptions
Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario. 1185 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 3C6, Canada. e-mail: info@COEO.org; Web site: http://www.coeo.org/publication.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A