A middle school in School District 43 has been awarded an Innovation Partnership grant worth $8,000 for projects to help it develop innovative teaching and learning strategies.
Eagle Mountain middle was one of 17 schools that were given the grant, out of 86 that applied, to further develop programs for implementing the revised Kindergarten to Grade 9 curriculum that is being introduced to schools this year.
"I am honoured that Eagle Mountain middle has been named as a member of the Innovation Partnership. The teaching and support staff are to be commended for their collaborative focus on creating innovative learning conditions for our contemporary students," Nancy Bennett, Eagle Mountain principal, said in an email.
This is the school's second year of operation after opening in Anmore in the fall of 2014, and since that time, teachers have been exploring the new curriculum, using techniques such as collaborative learning, where Grade 6, 7 and 8 students work together on projects; incorporating technology, where students are encouraged to bring laptops to school to do projects; and inquiry based learning, where students research questions on topics of interest instead of memorizing and reciting facts.
Bennett said the funding that comes with the partnership will be used for teacher release time, research and project expenses.
"We are especially pleased about the opportunity to partner with a university teacher," Bennett said.
The priorities for the school's first years will include incorporating environmental connections, integrating First People's history and developing cross-curricular programs that link Language Arts, Social Studies and Science skills.
The K-12 Innovation Partnership Program is a collaboration of education partners, including the BC Teachers' Federation, BC Schools Superintendents Association, BC Principals' and Vice-Principals' Association, the Federation of Independent School Associations of BC and the Ministry of Education.
