Lhtakoh* – Where People, Place and Practice Flow Together
*Lhtakoh: Lheidli name for the Fraser which means “waters within each other”
The Classrooms to Communities 2020 Provincial Conference is being held virtually on October 23. Join us as we continue to connect educators from classrooms to communities.
EEPSA, in partnership with our C2C partners, hosts an annual two day conference on the October PSA day.
Because of Covid-19, this is a unique conference, in that the program will all be accessed digitally. Despite not being able to gather face-to-face in community spaces, the focus of the conference is still how to connect students to their communities. Our primary concern is the health and safety of all participants.
The Classrooms to Communities (C2C) 2020 Conference aims to support the practice of place-based learning. The conference goals are to:
- Model Place-Based Learning through highly interactive, experiential and replicable practices.
- Share and explore success stories of place-based learning as central to teaching and learning in BC’s K-12 curriculum.
- Inspire, support and enhance the evolving work of pre-K to 12 teachers and partners in BC schools and communities to integrate promising practices of place-based education.
- Build greater capacity and collaboration for a BC wide network of place-based education leaders/mentors, including pre-K to 12 teachers, schools, school districts, organizations, associations of teachers and all other interested partners.
Follow the link for more information and to register: https://c2c-bc.org/conference/
Upcoming conference locations: October 2021 on Vancouver Island, October 2022 in the Kootenays and October 2023 in Metro Vancouver.
Keeping it Local: Celebrating Place-Based Teaching, Learning and Leadership in B.C.
Thursday June 18, 3:30 – 5:00pm PDT
Via Zoom (link to be provided to all registered participants)
Join teachers, community educators and other leaders from across B.C. for our 10th annual C2C Summer Solstice Event. We’ll gather to share successful practices from regions around the province and celebrate our work that connects students with place and the outdoors during these challenging times. What’s inspiring your practice?
Participants will:
- Share ideas, inspiration and innovative strategies for teaching and learning linked to local places and outdoor spaces
- Explore opportunities for collaboration and mentorship in Metro Vancouver and beyond
- Join the conversation, meet fellow leaders and celebrate successful practices
Click here to register!
EEPSA and the Classrooms to Communities (C2C) Education Network are hosting our annual conference online this year on October 23rd, on the PSA Day. We are looking for education leaders from across BC to facilitate inspiring, place-based learning experiences for participants. This professional development event aims to help educators connect classroom and community through a focus on people, place and practice.
If you are interested in leading an online session during the event, we invite you to submit a proposal before the deadline of June 8th.
Complimentary registration will be available for accepted presenters. We hope you are able to join us!
CBEEN and EEPSA will co-host a Leadership Clinic April 24-26, 2020, at Nipika Mountain Resort, and will bring together the leadership teams from each EEPSA Local Chapter to collaboratively plan for the following school year and beyond.
Registration is open to all EEPSA Local Chapter Executive Members from the Columbia Basin, and one representative from EEPSA Local Chapters in BC outside of the Columbia Basin. This Leadership Circle is an opportunity for Local Chapters to team-build and plan while networking and collaborating with other Local C
hapters.
Please note: all participants must be current CBEEN & EEPSA members.
Contact Selina Metcalfe for more information.
The climate crisis can be overwhelming, given its complexity and seriousness. In the face of this existential threat, it’s no wonder that many people choose to shut down when the topic arises. For teachers, however, denial is not an option. In our classrooms, we have students who need to know how to prepare for the alarming future in front of us all. They need to know what to prioritize as they face a future of unprecedented changes.
Our keynote features a panel of teen activists from the Cascadia region who are developing strategies and leading in each of their communities.
After the keynote panel we will break into workshop sessions. The line up this year is amazing. Cross Border Conference Workshops List revised 2020.01.13
Register now!
BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program is excited to share that we are hitting the road this Spring with a new and free educational outreach program to schools and classrooms in communities across BC – Wetlands on Wheels. Travelling with the WOW program we have a wetlands themed escape room, outdoor education activities geared towards wetlands learning, and pre- and post- visit inquiry based lesson plans for deep learning beyond our visit. Based on the size and the need of your school, we are able to provide you with three levels of programming that take up anywhere from 60 mins of a class’s time to a whole day of engaged learning and participation of the entire school.
Our goal is to cultivate a connection between students and their local environments with the goal to inspire curiosity, stewardship and appreciation towards wetlands and the role they play in our ecosystems. We think it starts in and around the classroom that the youth spend a majority of their time, so we are coming to you.
The program is funded by the generous donors and grants of the Wetlands Education Program of BCWF and a partnership with the Canadian Conservation Corps, and as a result there is no cost to schools and students.
WOW will be in the your area between the months of March and April and is available to be scheduled for programing within the hours of your school day. The programs available to you vary depending on desired time commitment, age of participants and group size. Please see the attached poster for details.
Spots are limited, first come first served until all spots are filled in the region. Please do not wait to express your interest. We will work with interested teachers and schools on selecting the appropriate level of programming.
BC Green Games is a digital eco-storytelling contest. Students K–12 throughout the province are encouraged to take environmental action in their schools and communities, then share their stories for a chance to win prizes. BC Green Games has been running for over a decade and during that time has collected 1,200 projects and engaged over 24,000 students to take action across the province. Teams have tackled environmental issues such as reducing emissions, energy conservation, zero waste efforts, recycling, composting, and habitat stewardship. We are now in our twelfth year of project submissions and we are very excited to see what the teams have created this year!
Your expertise is needed to view and judge up to 10 assigned projects, from your home or work, using our teacher-tested evaluation rubric. Your volunteer commitment will be approximately one to two hours. Your scores will help select top projects to win great prizes including experiential prizes and cash prizes so schools can continue their green initiatives!
Those who agree to be judges will be sent a judging rubric, a link to a webpage where they can input their scores, and list of projects to judge by March 4. Judges will have from March 4 to March 25 to submit their scores. Winners will be announced by April 3.
If you have any questions, or are interested in being a judge and learning about the amazing eco-actions that are taking place around the province, please send me an email by February 26 ([email protected]).
Teachers and Educators, it’s time again for the annual Take Me Outside Winter Challenge. Get outside with students, share and have a chance to win prizes. Here’s how:
- Take your students outside for at least one hour (beyond recess and lunch) between Feb. 17-28.
- Inspire others by sharing photos of your outdoor fun by using #TMOWinterChallenge or upload them at takemeoutside.ca/winterchallenge
That’s it! You’ll be entered into a prize draw for a $50 MEC gift card and a package of Take Me Outside stickers!
We hope you’ll join in… because there’s no such thing as bad weather when it comes to learning and playing outside.
Winters can be long here in the Kootenays, with potential winter conditions lasting from mid-October into April. Many teachers are searching for approaches and activities that will increase their confidence to get their classes outside more in the wintertime.
The goal of the day is to share ideas and activities suitable for a range of ages, centered on getting your class outdoors more in the winter months, with a focus on community-based programs and activities available to teachers to enable more engaging outdoor winter fun with their classes.
After a short introduction and gear check we will head to Jim Smith Lake for a short snowshoe trip, during which we will explore some tips and tricks to successful winter outings, discuss community-based resources, and put into practice several activities suitable to a range of grades.
Register now for our annual C2C Winter Solstice event!
December 12, 2019, Bao Down Restaurant (115 W 2nd Avenue, Vancouver)
Join us on December 12 at Bao Down Restaurant in Vancouver to celebrate the winter solstice and our work to connect educators interested in place-based learning. We’ll share successes, network with colleagues from across the region and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
4:30-6:00 Metro Vancouver Leaders’ Circle to celebrate local success and collaboratively plan for 2020 and beyond
6:00-9:00 Networking, success story sharing and social
Join K-12 educators, post-secondary educators, community partners, collaborators and champions for change at this FREE regional network event:
- Be inspired by and connect with champions for sustainability and place-based education in British Columbia
- Celebrate and share key ingredients for success
- Learn about new ideas, curriculum opportunities and professional development events
- Enjoy a selection hors d’oeuvres and beverages
Our Annual General Meeting this year will be taking place at the Classrooms to Communities Conference in Vancouver. Please join us at 4:00pm on Saturday, October 26, at Bao Down Restaurant, the location of the conference’s evening social. Come and hear what has been happening in 2018/2019 and add your voice to the plans for 2019/2020 and beyond.
We will hear reports from our local chapters and hold elections for executive positions for the year to come. If you are interested in putting your name forward for election for one of our executive roles, please email Nick at [email protected], even if you can’t attend.
Whether you are just attending the AGM or also interested in serving on the executive committee, please ensure that you have updated/renewed your EEPSA membership prior to the event. You can do this online:
https://bctf.ca/psa/join.aspx
Place-Based Learning is a core foundation of our curriculum in B.C. Teachers and students across the province are excited to be inquiring about issues and priorities that matter most to our communities with a more ‘local lens’. By helping educators to connect classroom and community through a focus on people, place and planet, this professional development event hopes to inspire more promising practices and transformative learning in our schools and communities.
Register Now
The Classrooms to Communities (C2C) 2019 Conference aims to support the practice of place-based learning. The conference goals are to:
- Model Place-Based Learning through highly interactive, experiential and replicable practices.
- Share and explore success stories of place-based learning as K-12 teaching and learning that is central to BC’s curriculum.
- Inspire, support and enhance the evolving work of K-12 teachers and partners in BC schools and communities to integrate promising practices of place-based education.
- Build greater capacity and collaboration for a BC wide network of place-based education leaders/mentors, including K-12 teachers, schools, school districts, organizations, associations of K-12 teachers and all other interested partners.
Core Values of the Conference:
- Place-Based: Helping participants discover the value of place and community, wherever they live, teach and learn.
- Participant Engagement: Facilitating learner-centred experiences and creating space for dialogue and sharing of experiences and practices.
- Model Inquiry: Modeling a focus on inquiry through place and community, and exploring Indigenous and other perspectives on inquiry, knowledge and understanding.
- Experiential: Immersing participants in place through lived experience.
- Walk the Talk: Ensuring the event is inclusive and respectful of all people and sustainable to the greatest extent possible.
Format:
The conference will consist of a variety of place-based workshops, experiences, gatherings, community-based excursions and opportunities for collaboration and dialogue. You are invited to submit proposals in a format that outlines how your session focus will be highly engaging to participants. See evaluation criteria below. Collaborative, co-delivered offerings that celebrate shared successes and goals related to place-based learning are encouraged. All session hosts/facilitators are expected to register for the conference and should do so within 15 days of acceptance of their proposal.
Conference Venues:
Friday, Oct. 25
Venues on UBC Vancouver Campus, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people, including:
- UBC Longhouse (First Nations House of Learning)
- Breakout spaces (indoor and outdoor) around campus
- Robert H Lee Alumni Centre
Saturday, Oct. 26
- Field Experience Venues around the Region
Audiences:
C2C 2019 will convene both school-based and community-based educators, as well as other community members committed to place-based, community-connected learning in a wide range of settings, including:
- Academics/Researchers
- Administrators and Policy-makers
- Post-Secondary Instructors/Professors
- Community-based Educators
- Educators who work with elementary schools
- Educators who work with high schools
- Early Childhood Educators
- Elementary School Teachers
- Secondary School Teachers
- Teacher Candidates
- Teacher Educators
Register Now
The Arrow Lakes Local Chapter of EEPSA and CBEEN are hosting the 2019 Inquiring Voices Environmental Education Gathering at Whatshan Lake Retreat near Edgewood (south of Nakusp) from September 20-22, 2019. Participants can arrive anytime in the evening on Friday, September 20, and we will close the event following lunch on 1:30pm on Sunday, September 22.
The goal of this annual event is to bring together educators to form a rich learning community meet to share, support, and collaborate with one another. These retreats are a great opportunity to network, share resources and stories, inspire one another and have fun through dialogue and activity.
SUPER early bird registration fees until April 30 ($150) and early bird registration fees until June 30 ($175). After June 30 rates will increase to $200 for CBEEN members / $250 for non-members. This includes all accommodation (cabins or tenting – your choice), meals and learning supplies.
4:00 – 5:30 pm C2C Leadership Circle Meeting for Metro Vancouver educators
This Leadership Circle will bring together district leaders from the Metro Vancouver region to:
- Strengthen relationships and share successes between school districts
- Advance your district’s 2018-2019 Pro-D plan
- Collaboratively plan regional involvement in the C2C fall conference
- Collaboratively plan upcoming regional networking opportunities
5:30 – 9:00 pm Success Stories and School Year-End Celebration
Join K-12 educators, post-secondary educators, community partners, collaborators and champions for change at this FREE regional network event:
- Be inspired by and connect with champions for sustainability and place-based education in British Columbia
- Celebrate and share key ingredients for successful practices
- Learn about new ideas, curriculum opportunities and professional development events
- Enjoy a selection of hors d’oeuvres and beverages
Register here.
CBEEN and EEPSA will co-host a Leadership Circle on April 26-28, 2019, at Nipika Mountain Resort, and will bring together the leadership teams from each EEPSA Local Chapter to collaboratively plan for the following school year and beyond.
Registration is open to all EEPSA Local Chapter Executive Members from the Columbia Basin, and one representative from EEPSA Local Chapters in BC outside of the Columbia Basin. This Leadership Circle is an opportunity for local chapters to team-build and plan while networking and collaborating with other local chapters.
Please note: all participants must be current CBEEN & EEPSA members.
Contact Selina Metcalfe for more information.
The Walking Curriculum challenge begins on April 3, 2019 (National Walking Day). K-12 educators around the globe are committed to taking student learning outside for part of the day–rain or snow or shine–for 30 days. With The Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder And Developing A Sense of Place (K-12) as a resource and guide, outdoor learning will involve engaging students in imagination- and inquiry-focused walks designed to enrich learning of the regular curriculum. Outdoor, walking-based learning fuels cross-curricular activities students then pursue throughout the rest of their day.
We are very excited to announce our first Burnaby Place Based Learning Conference will be taking place on the Jan. 28th Curriculum Implementation Day at Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavilion!
We are thrilled to be joined by two amazing key note speakers, Lori Snyder and Gillian Judson.
Lori Snyder is a Metis Herbalist, educator, mother, and story-teller. Lori offers workshops to discover our wild, edible, native and medicinal plants in different communities around Metro Vancouver, the unceded territories of the Coast Salish People.
Gillian Judson is an Executive Director of SFU’s Centre for Imagination in Research, Culture and Educaiton. She will be speaking about her book A Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder & Developing Sense Of Place (K-12).
During the day, there will also be opportunities to connect with community partners and inspiring Burnaby teachers who have prepared resources and ideas to share with you.
A big thanks to Burnaby Local Environmental Educators LSA, Burnaby School District and EEPSA for being our event sponsors for making this day possible!
Join facilitators from the VSB, Metro Vancouver, and Classrooms to Community to explore strategies, tools, and inspiration for utilizing the local environment for inquiry-based learning. Participants will:
- Explore engaging place-based strategies connecting to the revised BC curriculum
- Receive practical classroom tools and resources, including A Metro Vancouver Satellite Map and the popular booklet “Get Outdoors! An Educator’s Guide to Outdoor Classrooms in Parks, School Grounds and other Special Places”
- An EEPSA membership and Green Teacher Magazine one-year subscription
- Get to know how Classrooms to Communities (C2C-BC), a BC sustainability education network, can benefit schools, districts, and communities
- Be inspired by VSB success stories and fellow teachers and community partners
Lunch will be provided!
