Kevin+Hwang-Curriculum+Reviews-Children's+Forest

Mountain School https://ncascades.org/signup/youth/mountain-school

** W **** hat organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating? ** The Mountain School curriculum was developed by North Cascades Institute, which is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 that focuses on environmental education. ** What is the mission of the organization? ** The mission of North Cascades Institute is “to conserve and restore Northwest environments through education.” To this purpose, North Cascades Institute has developed a number of programs for people of all ages. These include classes at the North Cascades Environment Learning Center and field excursions throughout the Cascadia bioregion. Source: https://ncascades.org/discover/north-cascades-institute ** What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization? ** The educational mission of North Cascades Institute is summarized by the four themes that run throughout its programs. It strives to “teach at the convergence of natural and cultural history, science, humanities and the arts,” “value the importance of public lands for education, recreation and renewal,” to “inspire and support broad participation in informed civic engagement” and to offer a “quality education, effective community engagement, sound business practices and a clear sense of purpose.” By this, North Cascades Institute establishes that they wish to give its students a quality multidisciplinary education that inspires and enables them to engage in the community. The philosophy of the organization is that “ place-based learning experiences inspire environmental and community stewardship,” that “hands-on learning about the environment should begin in childhood and continue throughout life,” that “i ntimate, informed contact with the natural world helps people lead healthy, well-balanced lives,” and that “f un is an essential part of learning, engagement and health.” In other words, North Cascades Institute’s philosophy is that teaching people about the environment and enabling people to experience the environment will teach them to care about it and make their own lives more fulfilling. Furthermore, such learning should take place throughout the course of a person’s life as well as be fun.

Source: https://ncascades.org/discover/north-cascades-institute

** What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be? ** The curriculum aims to build a closer relationship between the students and the natural environment of the North Cascades by having them interact with it. Students stay overnight in the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center for three to five days. There, they hike on trails and explore mountain ecosystems. In addition, students in the 4th to 6th grades study the science and natural and cultural history of the North Cascades. Students in the 7th to 12th grades work in groups to conduct field investigations about the wildlife of the North Cascades. ** Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes? ** The curriculum is well-suited to foster a relationship between students and the natural environment. By having the students be immersed in environment of the North Cascades and learn about it in a hands-on manner, the program is more suited to teach students to care about nature than a program that would teach them exclusively in a classroom.

** Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates? ** The curriculum does not teach the majority of the kind of literacies that the EcoEd Research Group advocates relating to pollution as the curriculum focuses on teaching students about the environment itself. However, it does teach a few of the literacies advocated. The curriculum gives students an understanding of how National Park Service researchers design research projects and make land management decisions. The interdisciplinary nature of the material taught also helps students understand that different sciences and knowledges are required to protect the environment. ** What could be layered into this curriculum so that it addresses more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates? ** To make the curriculum address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates, one thing that can be added to the curriculum is an effort to teach students about how pollution can and does affect the North Cascades environment.