Before the Christmas Break, our grade 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to go to City Hall, but this wasn’t just a tour of City Hall, but a chance for our students to share their work and what they learned about city planning with some City Councillors and Planners.
As part of a geography unit, our students were given the task of creating a land use proposal for a piece of land close to the school. The “big” question that shaped this unit and what the students were learning was, “How can we create a desirable and sustainable community?”
Presenting their plans at City Hall with an authentic audience of Councillors and Planners was a great way for our students to see that what they were learning and the work they were doing had real life application and meaning. The Planners and Councillors were impressed with our students as well.
This project was also talked about in a blog on the OACS website. If you want to read more there, follow this link: http://www.oacs.org/2013/12/19/the-joy-and-struggle-of-meaningful-hard-work/
Our students learned important concepts about what makes a community a great place to live, and also about land use, design principles, in a mode that was engaging and authentic. That is the best kind of learning! A great example of our students engaging God’s world!
Ian Timmerman is principal of Laurentian Hills Christian School.