Tuesday 26 November 2019

The KEY ELEMENTS of Campus Calgary / Open Minds

Campus Calgary / Open Minds is a dynamic and innovative Education Program, 27 years in the making.  From one week at the Calgary Zoo in 1993, to 14 sites and 260 weeks in 2019-20, CCOM has stayed strong through rich educational experiences for students and their teachers. These rigorous and collaborative learning experiences take students into the community and connect them to experts who are committed and passionate about experiential learning.

There are elements of Campus Calgary / Open Minds that have been a part of the work since the beginning, and that have also been responsive to changes in education, including the increase of personalization of learning and experiential opportunities for students.  The KEY ELEMENTS of CCOM are often considered the backbone of the program and exist at all of our sites.  These are sound pedagogical ways of being with learners of all ages.

Teachers as designers, in collaboration with site coordinators and educational coordinator, co-constructing learning

Work alongside experts

Engage in hands on activities and experiential learning

Slow down and go beyond the obvious

Explore, discover, reflect and share

Build strong relationships

Inspire ownership and stewardship

Maintain high standards for quality learning experiences for all students

Inquiry driven interdisciplinary approach

Develop action and awareness

Personalized learning opportunities to meet individual needs

Friday 8 November 2019

Open Minds' Zoo School - 'Get to know a stick!'


During our Chevron Open Minds Zoo School summer workshop, teachers got to know a stick. They became familiar with its bumps and warts, split ends, and fraying bark while sketching their new friend! Each stick was then mixed up in the middle of the space and the sketches were used by the rest of the group to try to identify each stick.
Since this training in August, I have noticed this same exercise being used in classrooms with students as preparation for their zoo school week, and a learning opportunity to add a new set of skills to the student’s journaling toolbox.
#journalling #naturejournal #studentwork #education #yycCCOM #johnmuirlaws @calgaryzoo @ChevonCR @johnmuirlaws



~ Teegan Bennington Jessop, Zoo School Assistant Coordinator