Students Look to the Community for Important Life Lessons
October 11th, 2012
Thomas Paine special education teacher Katie Firmand is reaching out to the community and finding the community reaching back to her and her students. The community-based instruction (CBI) curriculum that Firmand has put together for her 2nd and 3rd grade class is providing her students and the community-at-large a host of opportunities to interact and learn from each other.
“I want my kids not just to live [here], but for the kids to really be a part of this community,” said Firmand. The curriculum she’s put together with help from community business-partners, educators, and other district students covers a wide range of life skills from the basic (how to interact with other people) to more complex tasks (such as how to calculate a tip at a restaurant). The community-based instruction is meaningful instruction that occurs in a student’s community with naturally occurring materials and situations. It helps students enhance their skills to be part of their community and gain independence. Read the rest of this entry »
