Modeled after "A Forest for Every Classroom" along the Appalachian Trail. iTrec will be a three- season, multi-disciplinary professional development series for educators aimed at providing the inspiration, knowledge and skills to transform teaching into effective and exciting place-based education.
Educators who participate in iTrec will develop their own curriculum that increases student literacy skills and fosters student understanding of and appreciation for the public lands and resources connected by over 2,400 miles of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. These curricula will intergrate hands-on study of the natural and cultral resources of communities from Seward to Nome addressing concepts in ecology, sense of place, recreation, volunteerism and civics.
Research shows that a place-based education and service-learning increases:
- Student achievement
- Community engagement
- Enviornmentally responsible behavior
At the heart of iTrec is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisplinary study of their own "place" are more eager to be involved in stewardship of their communities and public lands. The 2002 Independent Sector report, "Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service," states, "Adults who begin volunteering as youth are twice as likely to give time as they grow older." A recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, "Youth Helping America," also suggests that volunteering is a learned social behavior.
As a teaching strategy that promotes volunteerism by linking curriculum with community services and fullfilling education goals, as well as, the needs of community organizations, we believe service-learning will promote civic engagement in communities along the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
For more information, please contact Annette Heckart at 907 743-9502 or email me.
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