Essential Skills
The Conference Board of Canada recently surveyed 400 Alberta employers and developed a list of essential skills that they desire in their employees - the top four are: 1) Critical thinking and problem solving skills, 2) Communication Skills, 3) Being adaptable, 4) Working with others (Kachulis, 2019). These are skills we look forward to developing through meaningful and authentic experiences. These desirable skills, and many others, are skills that can be naturally fostered when significant time is spent outdoors, especially during the planning, preparing, execution, and reflection phases of overnight trips.
Will students still study core courses?
In this program, these students will encounter all the same curricular objectives as all other 10th graders in Alberta - these students will be prepared for 11th grade and beyond! Additionally, as we meet the program of studies outcomes from the ELA 10 and Social Studies 10 curricula through our outdoor experiences, we’ll develop the essential skills that employers/universities seek in their applicants. Our advantage will be that we have the flexibility and natural occurrences where our learning will be naturally connect between subject areas; meaning, our ELA, Social Studies, Outdoor Education, PE, CALM, Photography, and Leadership courses will naturally have significant overlap that we will embrace and will allow us to dive deeper into the content. Due to all subjects being instructed by Mr. Talen and students remaining with the same group of students, we will have tremendous flexibility. This means that we won’t be controlled by a bell every 73 minutes and that students will not miss classes for our many field trips!
So, how does it all work?
This program will run during all of Semester 2 2020-2021 and will follow the same calendar schedule as the rest of Cochrane High. After completing this semester, students will receive credits for 10th grade ELA (5), Social (5), PE (5), Outdoor Education (5), CALM (3), Photography (5), and Leadership (Friday mornings before school). During the first semester, students will take regular classes at CHS in science and math and various options they choose. Students enrolled in J-Block courses could finish their 10th grade year with 61 credits (100 needed to graduate)! We’ll be out of the school building often on trips to various natural areas in Alberta, most of these will be during the school day (9:00am-3:40pm). The students will also plan and participate in several overnight trips - these will take place during the school week. The cost of this experiential course will be apox. $1200 - this will cover all travel, food for overnight trips and many day trips, sweater, accomodations, and service providers for the semester - there will be no additional fees for the semester. If there were to be a surplus, funds will be returned to the families. Please let us know if finances are a barrier for your child’s participation in this course.
What type of student would fit best in this program?
This program is open to anyone from someone who has no experience in the outdoors to seasoned outdoor students. Likewise, in terms of academics, we’re looking for a diverse student population; just as we would find in any other class at CHS. The only expectations are that the student is interested/excited about what ROAMS offers, is curious, is willing to try something different, and willing to embrace frustrating/difficult situations when they arise.
Kachulis, E. (2019, June). Building Skills Connection Series - Perspectives of Alberta Employers. Retrieved Feb 11, 2020, from https://www.conferenceboard.ca/docs/default-source/education/23091_albertaemployers_rpt.pdf?sfvrsn=184b4b13_2&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
The Conference Board of Canada recently surveyed 400 Alberta employers and developed a list of essential skills that they desire in their employees - the top four are: 1) Critical thinking and problem solving skills, 2) Communication Skills, 3) Being adaptable, 4) Working with others (Kachulis, 2019). These are skills we look forward to developing through meaningful and authentic experiences. These desirable skills, and many others, are skills that can be naturally fostered when significant time is spent outdoors, especially during the planning, preparing, execution, and reflection phases of overnight trips.
Will students still study core courses?
In this program, these students will encounter all the same curricular objectives as all other 10th graders in Alberta - these students will be prepared for 11th grade and beyond! Additionally, as we meet the program of studies outcomes from the ELA 10 and Social Studies 10 curricula through our outdoor experiences, we’ll develop the essential skills that employers/universities seek in their applicants. Our advantage will be that we have the flexibility and natural occurrences where our learning will be naturally connect between subject areas; meaning, our ELA, Social Studies, Outdoor Education, PE, CALM, Photography, and Leadership courses will naturally have significant overlap that we will embrace and will allow us to dive deeper into the content. Due to all subjects being instructed by Mr. Talen and students remaining with the same group of students, we will have tremendous flexibility. This means that we won’t be controlled by a bell every 73 minutes and that students will not miss classes for our many field trips!
So, how does it all work?
This program will run during all of Semester 2 2020-2021 and will follow the same calendar schedule as the rest of Cochrane High. After completing this semester, students will receive credits for 10th grade ELA (5), Social (5), PE (5), Outdoor Education (5), CALM (3), Photography (5), and Leadership (Friday mornings before school). During the first semester, students will take regular classes at CHS in science and math and various options they choose. Students enrolled in J-Block courses could finish their 10th grade year with 61 credits (100 needed to graduate)! We’ll be out of the school building often on trips to various natural areas in Alberta, most of these will be during the school day (9:00am-3:40pm). The students will also plan and participate in several overnight trips - these will take place during the school week. The cost of this experiential course will be apox. $1200 - this will cover all travel, food for overnight trips and many day trips, sweater, accomodations, and service providers for the semester - there will be no additional fees for the semester. If there were to be a surplus, funds will be returned to the families. Please let us know if finances are a barrier for your child’s participation in this course.
What type of student would fit best in this program?
This program is open to anyone from someone who has no experience in the outdoors to seasoned outdoor students. Likewise, in terms of academics, we’re looking for a diverse student population; just as we would find in any other class at CHS. The only expectations are that the student is interested/excited about what ROAMS offers, is curious, is willing to try something different, and willing to embrace frustrating/difficult situations when they arise.
Kachulis, E. (2019, June). Building Skills Connection Series - Perspectives of Alberta Employers. Retrieved Feb 11, 2020, from https://www.conferenceboard.ca/docs/default-source/education/23091_albertaemployers_rpt.pdf?sfvrsn=184b4b13_2&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
