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By rdnewsNOW staff

Spruce View teacher unearths new way to teach Palaeontology

Oct 23, 2018 | 12:13 PM

Spruce View School has unearthed a new way to deliver their Palaeontology 15 option, so that students far and wide can also have the unique learning opportunity.

Science teacher Jeff Johnson is delivering the five-credit course through structured online sessions to 14 students in four different Chinook’s Edge schools.

“I present a lesson twice a week in my class at Spruce View, which is delivered live through Google hangouts to our students in the other schools,” said Mr. Johnson, who has taught the course in a traditional classroom setting for nine years.

“There’s a lot of interaction – students can see one another in the other classes, and they all participate in the discussions or ask questions. They access the notes, videos and assessments through Moodle, and they seem to be enjoying the self-paced nature of this approach. There are a number of ways to engage them, through a chat function, discussion forums, and other methods that make it collaborative. Plus the subject matter is highly engaging!”

Mr. Johnson is known for his unbridled enthusiasm for all things science-related, and students in his courses typically achieve high academic results. Coupled with his technology skills and easy rapport with students, he was the perfect choice to pioneer the new course delivery method.

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“His name came up immediately when we began discussing this possibility,” said Spruce View Principal, Jay Steeves. “We knew we needed to get creative in how we deliver these options in small rural schools, and we needed a skilled and flexible teacher in order to attempt it. It’s been a lot of work for Jeff – he’s developing new curriculum and outcomes while still delivering all his other academic science courses. But he’s got the passion behind the curriculum, so it’s a perfect combination.”

The inaugural course has been so successful, Mr. Johnson is already plotting out a second distance-delivery option, ‘Big History’, for second semester.

“In the past, these specialized courses were difficult to deliver in remote communities. In fact, I’ve been told I’m the only one teaching Palaeo 15 in the province right now, so it’s nice to be able to provide a course that’s not commonly offered. This is the perfect province to immerse yourself in this topic – Alberta has an amazing museum and a rich history in Palaeontology. People come here from all over the world to be around this, and it is a pleasure to bring it alive for our students,” said Mr. Johnson.

High school administrators are working together to create more opportunities for high school option courses, and Spruce View is welcoming other teachers to observe how the technology used for Palaeontology 15 can lend itself to a number of other option courses. The plan is that Chinook’s Edge will continue to ‘stockpile’ virtually-delivered locally developed courses so that students can have a range of exciting options to choose from – no matter where they live in the division.

(Written and submitted by Sandy Bexon – Chinook’s Edge School Division)

by rdnewsNOW staff

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