INSIDE EDUCATION!
MAY 26-28, 2011
Inside Education’s 2011 Forest Education Tour Forest Education Tour Program At-aGlance
Summary Report
Thursday, May 26 Edson & Hinton -‐ Program Introduction -‐ Alberta’s Forests 101 (Parts 1/2) -‐ Weyerhaeuser Edson OSB Mill Tour -‐ Carnivores of the Rockies presentation Friday, May 27 - Hinton -‐ Forestry in Alberta presentation and field tour with West Fraser and Foothills Research Institute -‐ Demonstration sites -‐ Electro-fishing Research Activity -‐ Canoeing on Blue Lake
Inside Education’s long history of offering Alberta teachers forest education professional development opportunities saw an exciting return to our popular Forest Education Tours after a three-year hiatus. From May 26-28, 2011, 21 educators from across
Alberta, participated in what was an enjoyable, if somewhat damp three-day learning experience. Edson and Hinton were our tour destinations and William Switzer Park’s Blue Lake Adventure Lodge was our ‘home’ for this extremely well received program.
PROGRAM DESIGN Inside Education’s Forest Education Tour was intended to introduce teachers to the ecology of Alberta’s forest ecosystem. Building on this knowledge and understanding, we discussed in detail the uses and users of our forest resources. Teachers were introduced to forest products development both through a field-based tour of silviculture demonstrations and through a
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Saturday, May 28 - Hinton -‐ Careers in the Forest - Work Wild presentation -‐ Education program workshop, evaluation and distribution -‐ Program summary and feedback -‐ Travel home !
tour of an active OSB mill. Further, a recognition was given to the myriad of other users and uses including recreation and wildlife. Teachers were then challenged to assess both educational and career opportunities available to them and their students when returning to their classrooms, schools and school districts.
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INSIDE EDUCATION!
MAY 26-28, 2011
PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT Participants were made aware of partner organizations throughout the program and specifically during: the introduction, in the participant package, and during closing discussions. In addition to the support of the expert presenters and hosts, a special thank you goes to the following organizations for their financial support in making this program possible:
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FOREST EDUCATION TOUR PARTICIPANTS Edmonton Marion Adamowisz, Headway School Paul Jereniuk, Winterburn School ! ! Ivor Low, Princeton Elementary Deepali Medhekar, Headway School Genevieve Rudzki, Concordia University College of Alberta
Ana Maria Aceytuno, University of Lethbridge
Okotoks
Allan Cronkhite, La Crete Public School • La Crete
Patty Milz, Dr. Morris Gibson School Sheila Rast, Dr. Morris Gibson School
Rakhee Dattani, Elboya School • Calgary
Two Hi$s Christine Dowdell, Two Hills Mennonite School Erin McGinnis, Two Hills Mennonite School Westrose Arlene Jackson, Lakedell School Doris Carlson, Lakedell School
Holly Bernier, Art Smith Aviation Academy • Cold Lake Susan Campbell, Hughenden Public School • Hughenden
Marcy Johnston-Southworth, Ecole Broxton Park • Spruce Grove Robyn Lilley, Jennie Emery Elementary • Coaldale MaiLynn McEwen, Peerless Lake School • Peerless Lake Bill Van Der Weide, Calvin Christian School • Coalhurst Jennifer Poon, Seba Beach School • Seba Beach
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INSIDE EDUCATION!
MAY 26-28, 2011
PROGRAM EVALUATION Inside Education believes in continuous improvement of our education programming. As such we seek out input from the experts - the teachers who participate in our professional development programs. Evaluations are done in two ways - immediate anecdotal feedback in the form of testimonials, and in more formal surveys completed several days after the program has been completed. We are pleased to share the exemplary results below.
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PROGRAM EVALUATION - CONT’D
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COMMENTS FROM TEACHERS Immediately at the end of our Forest Education Tour, we asked teachers for their feedback as to the quality of the program, the meaning of the program for their teaching and ultimately for their students. What follows is a sampling of comments from the teachers: • Having little background knowledge in forestry before this tour left me feeling ill-prepared when teaching this subject to my students. I now feel much more confident and excited about teaching this particular area of science! MaiLynn McEwan, Peerless Lake School • I have been exposed to many different perspectives and seen how things work “behind the scenes.” This has helped me to shed many preconceived beliefs about the forest sector and I see it in a new light. I loved the opportunity to connect with other educators and share best practices in terms of environmental education. Robin Li$ey, Coaldale • Thank you for having me on this tour. My students will benefit from the information and the “kit” I am taking with me. I really enjoyed the “big picture” covered by all of the speakers with consideration of many stakeholders. I feel more confident in presenting some of this information in a classroom setting. A$an Cronkite, La Crete Public School • I have really increased my knowledge base regarding forestry, but more importantly feel I can provide a much more updated and balanced approach when developing lessons. This was an outstanding PD opportunity and I am excited to incorporate things I’ve learned in many of the units of the classes I teach as well as share knowledge with youth as they prepare for their futures and post-secondary plans. Susan Campbe$, Hughenden Public School
As a component of Inside Education’s partnership with the Alberta Forest Products Association’s WorkWild project, we were pleased to welcome Cam Rollins on our entire Tour. Not only did Cam have an opportunity to deliver his engaging presentation, but he also had a chance to visit with the teachers (and they with him) throughout the 3-day project. Careers in Alberta’s forests is, and always has been, an important theme on Inside Education PD programs - having Cam on-hand for the entire program only served to expand and improve this during the Forest Education Tour.
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DETAILED PARTICIPANTS PROGRAM
Forest Education Tour May 26-28, 2011 Thursday, May 26 *Meet at Best Western Westwood Inn Edmonton in Ebony 2 and 3 Meeting Rooms 8:00 - Introduction / Welcome Presenters: Jason Toner, Laura Milroy, Inside Education 8:45 - Forest Ecology: Part 1 Presenter: Alex Drummond, University of Alberta Our first presenter will tackle some of the basic science around Alberta’s forest ecosystems that will prepare us for the program to come. Hold on tight because you are going to hear it all! Alex, a veteran forest educator, will examine forest ecology, forest succession, plant identification, and current forest issues. 10:30 -Travel to Edson OSB Mill 12:30 - Forest Products Case Study- Lunch and Learn Tour lead: Marlene Hall, Manufacturing Manager, Edson OSB ! It goes without saying how large a role wood products play in our daily lives, but what’s involved in taking a tree and turning it into those items we need and use every day? Here, we will focus on a very common building material oriented strand board (OSB). This presentation over lunch, and tour that follows will give will give you some insight into the scale, processes, and careers related to an OSB mill. 3:00 - Forest Ecology: Part 2 Presenter: Alex Drummond, University of Alberta Alex is back to help us put what we learned in the morning session to practice. We’ll be given the tools and direction to become Foresters for an afternoon, engaging in great activities that we can take back to our students. Drive to the Blue Lake Centre and check in Evening - Big Teeth: Carnivores of the Rockies Presenter: Scott Sunderwald, Alberta Parks This light evening presentation will highlight and compare the biology and behavior of cougars, wolves, and bears in the area (hopefully not the immediate area!) Friday, May 27 8:30 – 9:30 am Forestry 101 Presenter: Aaron Jones, Hinton Wood Products, Woodlands, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd. With this overview to one of the major industries active in Alberta’s forests, Aaron will have us looking at the planning and management of our forested regions from a forest industry
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perspective. He will look back at the challenges faced by the industry and ahead to the what the future of the industry holds. He will also prepare us for the field day to follow Forest Field tour Tour Leads: Aaron Jones, Hinton Wood Products, Woodlands Dr. Rick Bonar, President of the Foothills Research Institute, Chief Biologist for Hinton Wood Products Joan Simonton Extension Specialist, Foothills Research Institute Topics and stops may include: • Natural Disturbance (Syncline Ridge Fire in Jasper National Park) • Canadian Forest Service Spacing Trials- discuss shade tolerance/nutrient availability, managed versus unmanaged stands • Recent cut block tour- illustrating how natural disturbance elements are incorporated • Silviculture Interpretive Trail- visually explore various silvicultural treatments. • Forest Research- Foothills Research Institute o Electro-fishing o Grizzly Bear Telemetry Return to Blue Centre for dinner and evening canoeing on beautiful Blue Lake. Saturday, May 28 9:00 am - Careers in the Forest Presenter: Cam Rollins, Work Wild Cam, who has joined us for the last few days, will take some time to look closer at the variety of forestry careers available and also discuss career prospects for young people based on some new workforce statistics. 9:45 – 11:30 Bringing it all together: Debrief and Education Workshop . After an intense few days of program, you’ll have an opportunity to discuss and debrief the topics, presentations, tours, and issues that have come out of the program. You’ll also be provided with many learning resources, posters, and connections to prepare you for your return to the classroom. To further prepare you, we’ll be having some fun and looking to each other for ideas and activities, drawing from the myriad of skills and experiences of this great group of teachers. 11:30 – Program Wrap-up- Where do we go from here?
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SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
Overall Program Success
Inside Education’s 2011 Forest Education Tour was an enormous success. The success was due to the high quality presenters and hosts who took the time to visit with the teachers participating in the program. It was successful due to the laudable support of our program partners the Alberta Forest Products Association, WorkWild, Mi$ar Western Forest Products Limited and Weyerhaeuser Canada. Mostly though it was successful due to the high quality, engaged educators who gave their time, personal energy and passion for learning and teaching to our program.
Feedback from the teachers was unanimous programs and services offered by Inside Education are well received and indeed needed in Alberta’s K-12 school system. For some teachers, distance from the major population centres in Alberta often means teachers in these more remote communities lack access to curriculum-support and professional development programs when compared to their urban colleagues. Further, the teachers participating in the program recognized their limited personal understanding of Alberta’s forests and forest products development as well as their desire to provide their students a balanced discussion. Ultimately it will be their students who will have access to the current, balanced and engaging information gained by their teachers during the 3-days of the Tour. NEXT STEPS The huge success of this spring’s Forest Education Tour - again weather notwithstanding - is a clear sign that teachers are eager for these learning experiences. Inside Education is hosting a program this fall called Careers in the Boreal. Staging out of Whitecourt, this program will target Alberta high school career counselors and Career and Life Management Teachers. Participants will be introduced to the myriad of careers available to their students in the boreal forest region of Alberta. We look forward to securing continued support from our long-term partners in Alberta’s forest sector to again host a Forest Education Tour for ‘regular’ classroom teachers in the spring 2012. For further information about this program and all Inside Education programs and services contact: Steve McIsaac, Executive Director Inside Education p/ 780-421-1497 e/ smcisaac@insideeducation.ca www.insideeducation.ca
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