Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 2, 1 December 1979 — INNOVATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INNOVATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The eighty-three children attending the Alert Bay primary school find education an exciting adventure. The students who attend Kindergarten to Grade 4 are tatight in an envircmment known as "open space." An outsiderentering the school for the first time is in for a surprise,— there are no classrooms! The immediate reaction by many, familiar with classrooms as rows of desks facing the leacher and blackboardsJs, "What kind of a school is this?" The answer: a very innovative one. The eonceptof this open space schoolarea is one that was begun in 1969. Originally housed on the Nimpkish reserve, it has since become part of the provincial municipality of Alert Bay. V The goal of the program4s to enable eaeh child to become deeply invo!ved and self-directed in his learning. According to Flora Cook, the energetic Vice-Principal, the old method of learning encourages the "winners and losers n syndrome. Here. the studentsare taught in a non-competitive environment where the school becomes a pleasant, enjoyable and comfortable plaee to be. Learning centres have been established, and under the direction of the four teachers the young students gravitate to eaeh learning centre for instruction. Here they learn about social studies. language arts, math and art. Within the building one also finds a comfortable and well stockeH librarv as well as an area called "Bits and Pieces" where motor skills and visual skills are developed through the use of puzzles and games. Although an integrated school, the eumeulum , does include an Indian cultural program. Teedee Nelson is the co-ordinator of this program, a

by Chris OHver From the "Native Voice," October, 1979

program that meshes well with general studies. As an example, during my visit, whales were being studied. Labelled masking tape on the floor indicated the relative size of these mammals, thus a child ean compare the length of a harbour seal to that of a blue' whale. In addition to this the students listen to Indian legends and also read stories about whales. Those who receive Kwakwala language instruction leam the words for the various types of whales. Within the school there are a number of structures. Here the children ean with the assistance of audio equipment listen ta stories or music or tuck themselves away in a platform to read a good In one corner there is a playhouse where *Ihe students become involved in role playing. At times, the playhouse may be a cafe where little cooks and waitresses serve customers, in June it becomes the bighouse to coincide with the Nimpkish potlatches. The science program is designed tb arouse interest and respect for nature while utilizing the rich marine environment. There are naturewalks and specimen collecting. The children are taught about the birds and fresh and salt water.marine species. The part-time teacher's aide is a marine biologist and so beside the usual goldfish and guinea pigs, the school also boasts of a salt water aquarium where contents are changed regularly. A large aviary contains a number of twittering birds. In the spring a flower and„vegetable garden was planted, tended by the students. Flowers decorate the round tables where formal lessons take plaee while food preparation such as the washing and tearing of lettuce are aiso learned.

The cooking program is new this year with community peopīe coming as resource people. During October the students will learn how to smoke and dry fish. A feature of this dynamic educational exserienee is that there are no formal grades as we know theiii. Thus, a child may be in year three of school but not necessarily at the Grade 3 level of development. The learning assistant special attention to students with learning difficulties and it is felt by teachers and parents alike that the non-competitiveness in such circumstances increases the self-worth of the individual. Likewise, students with a higher level of intelligence are encouraged to progress at their own spee.dSurprisingly, the noise level is quite low wiihin the school. With only five adults present for most of the time it is interesting to note that kids not only help eaeh other,lhey also discipline eaeh other. One reason for this is that thejfudents are divided into family groups, a natural division. As a result 4 this grouping becomes an extension of their family life. In addition to the regular program, there is* music, gym and the Kwakwala language — the latter being taught by parental permission. Pauline Alfred teaches her native language in both the primary and elementary schools. Part of the gym program is Indian dancing taught by El hel Alfred, Jack Peters, Stella Beans and Vera Cranmer. Flora Cook says- that the school program strives to instill \ndependence and responsibility; they try not to differentiale between work and play but most of all they try to teach that workingis fun. Judging from the enthusiasm for school among the young students, they've succeeded.