Education and Social Work Menu
K-16 Research and Development Network
The mandate of the Innovation Committee is to support K-16 education, meaning education from Kindergarten all the way through to the completion of a degree. The innovation committee began in June 2015 with a meeting between TRU School of Education and Kamloops Thompson School District (SD 73) representatives.
The projects bring together teachers and faculty from TRU. They provide engaging opportunities for K-12 students to extend their learning beyond school. Through these kinds of projects, students can develop their skills in collaboration, creativity, innovation and communication. These are skills that can benefit students in their learning in college and university, and in the workforce.
Innovation
Thompson Rivers University and School District #73 (Kamloops/Thompson) have created a series of partnerships that connect K-12 and post-secondary educators and students. These partnerships involve cross-disciplinary learning for both the students and the educators. The intent is to make connections between subjects and between K-12 and post-secondary levels to deepen student understanding as well as to share innovative pedagogies for the educators.
Explorations
Brock Middle School teacher Nikki Stewart is working with Dr. Sharon Brewer and Dr. Bruno Cinel, chemistry professors at TRU, to provide students' access to instruments for chemical analysis of water samples as part of the big questions they are exploring in the Explorations program.
Art / Botany
Sa-Hali Secondary art teacher Jen Cacaci is working with Assistant Professor Dr. Lyn Baldwin, a plant ecologist to help her students learn the art of observation and field sketching through both artistic/aesthetic and scientific lenses.
Digipen
Sa-Hali Secondary has a Digipen program which teaches students the technology, craft, and business of creating video games. Assistant Professor Dr.Ted Howe is working with teacher Andres Ruberg to research the benefits and impact of this program on student career choices.
Inquiry
Bert Edwards Science and Technology School has a focus on teaching all subjects through the inquiry model. Associate Professor Dr. Carol Rees is a science educator that is working with teacher Rob Wielgoz to help the school develop and extend this pedagogy, while also engaging in research about inquiry learning.
