Sunshine Coast resident Dr. Gillian Kydd was in Calgary last week to receive a Woman of Vision Award sponsored by Global TV and the YWCA. The award honours Kydd's unique vision in pioneering the innovative Campus Calgary/Open Minds Schools Program, an exciting program that allows teachers to move their classrooms to community sites for week-long, in-depth, interactive learning experiences that act as catalysts for further learning at school.
The program is based on the premise that learning is more powerful when students are immersed in real world sites. By enabling children to immerse themselves in learning environments that are rich in resources and provide authentic, meaningful life experiences, the program helps children construct knowledge that is truly learned and remembered.
"We've seen all the kids become really immersed in the place. They slow down and they become very thoughtful and able to focus. The teachers are amazed at what they produce," says Kydd.
The Open Minds program, which Kydd started at a single site at the Calgary Zoo, has now expanded to include 32 sites in Canada, the U.S. and Singapore. "I'm just in awe of what we've been able to accomplish. And it's not just me; it's the whole group of incredible people who believe that this is the best way for children and adults to learn," Kydd says enthusiastically.
Gillian's 2002 retirement from the Calgary Board of Education has not slowed her down, as evident in the completion of her PhD at the University of Calgary. This vibrant woman - a wife, mother of two, resilient breast cancer survivor and avid dragon boat racer - has now applied the Open Minds philosophy to the new Nature School Program based at the Iris Griffith Interpretive Centre in the Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve.
In its first six months, the Nature School Program has served four classes from Roberts Creek, Davis Bay and Sechelt Elementary Schools. Space is still available for several more classes to participate in the coming school year. Interested teachers should contact Kydd at 604-885-0151 or [email protected] by mid-June. For more information, please visit www.lagoonsociety.com.
