Rocky+Mountain+School+of+Expeditionary+Learning

Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning What organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating? The Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning in Denver. What is the mission of the organization? According to the school’s website, the mission is to “empower students and staff to be learners, thinkers, citizens, and explorers engaged in and inspired by the real world. Their motto is “We are crew not passengers.” What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization? The school, in accordance with the above mission, places a very heavy emphasis on hands-on learning. The most ecologically relevant work is being done by the primary school students. This year, the kindergarteners explored a local river, hiked along it, and even camped near its reservoir. All the while, they were learning about the vocabulary (like “tributary”) and science of the river. In past years, the second graders, as part of their curriculum, have had their learning similarly centered around trees for several weeks and culminating the experience with the planting of actual trees. As a whole, the school is very committed to the environment, having developed a partnership with the Denver Zoo and offering Wildlife First Responder training What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be? The primary school modules aim to teach the same or similar material that is being taught elsewhere, but with the principles of expeditionary learning. This means that not only are the students getting hands-on experience with what they are learning, they are also being challenged to apply their skills in a meaningful way. Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes? The school’s reputation and test scores speak for themselves. This approach to learning is certainly effective. Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates? This school does teach the importance of collaboration as well as applying skills to “real-world issues” to the students, so I believe it does teach many of the things the Research Group advocates for. What could be layered into this curriculum so that it address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates? It was not clear how much work was being done specifically with sustainability, which could be very easily implemented into the work of the elementary school children if it has not been already. []