Школа в Йеллоунайфе расширила программу обучения на природе до детского сада

Land-based curriculum expands to kindergarten at Yellowknife school Weledeh Catholic School launched its land-based junior kindergarten last year Tuesday is back-to-school day at Yellowknife's Weledeh Catholic School. Some kindergarteners will keep experiencing school the only way they've known it so far: as a place to gut fish, chop wood and learn on the land. Weledeh launched a land-based junior kindergarten program last year. Principal Paul Kelly said it was so successful, the program was able to expand into a land-based kindergarten for this school year. "What we've seen is a number of our children have really demonstrated confidence and definitely a lot more self-determination," he said. Weledeh's land-based programs have a dedicated outdoor play area, complete with a wood stove-heated cabin for cold winter days. Students from all grades helped decorate the cabin at the end of the last school year with help from Tłı̨chǫ artist James Wedzin. Students learn on the land for a few hours at a time multiple times during the school week, often with the help of Indigenous language educators and older kids acting as peer mentors. About 15 students are enrolled in this year's land-based JK program, and around 20 are expected to be part of the land-based kindergarten program, pending some registrations being finalized. Kelly said the vast majority of the students who were enrolled in the land-based junior kindergarten last year will go on to the new kindergarten program, as well as a few new students joining them. He said just as traditional curriculum sets expectations for students at every age, expectations for what children can safely take risks with will guide what the kindergarteners get up to, and what field trips they could go on. Kelly said the school hopes on-the-land programs could one day be featured from junior kindergarten through Grade 12, though he imagines that means it would most likely be rolled out one grade at a time. "I truly believe that this is the way to go," he said. "And I do think the benefits of having a land-based education program far outweigh those of the traditional classroom." Other schools have yet to formally approach Weledeh about their land-based education, but multiple educators have reached out with questions, Kelly said. He believes it's only a matter of time until specifically land-based programs become available in other schools. "I really believe it's going to happen," he said. Re-balancing worldviews in education Chloe Grandjambe, whose maiden name is Dragon Smith, is co-founder of Bushkids and has been advocating for more on-the-land learning to be built into the N.W.T. school system. She said she has seen a lot of progress, interest and effort in making on-the-land learning a bigger part of the school system, though broader mandates to include it, complete with appropriate budgeting, would help. She said to her, a good approach to learning on the land looks like space outdoors for children to explore on their own and build their own relationship with the land, while educators, Indigenous knowledge holders and family members guide the teaching and learning. She said the land itself can teach a lot to those who spend time on it. She said if the approach goes beyond outdoor play and centres listening to the land, it could help to re-balance Indigenous and Western worldviews within the public education system. The N.W.T. public school system is facing many issues when it comes to keeping students engaged, from high absence rates to a lot of students needing to repeat tenth grade. Grandjambe said she believes land-based school programs could be one way to address the issues in the education system. "And I can say that from my own personal experience as someone that struggled with being present and enjoying school the way that it was when I went through," she said. "That's part of what inspired me to do the work that I do." She said being on the land in a sustainable, regular way isn't about big trips into the wilderness, as fun and important as those can be. "I just don't want anyone to forget that the land is right there," she said. "Land is also in our communities and it's inside of us as people."