Welcome all teachers and administrators to the Vancouver Biennale online learning resources. A set of “Vancouver Biennale” lesson plans has been developed in collaboration with King George School and Learning Services of the Vancouver Board of Education where multi-grade student teams design their exploratory routes to assigned Biennale sculptures. At each installation, the student team faces the challenges or learning activities based on a “Big Idea” framed within a guiding question. These challenges are multi-disciplinary in nature, embrace multiple-intelligences, are open to multiple grade levels, and apply real world issues such as relationships, sustainability, First Nations issues and multiculturalism. The learning activities favors process over results while promoting the benefits of physical activity and mindfulness. Thus, the activity is not a race in the traditional sense as it opens teachers and students to mindfulness, inquiry based and experiential learning, as well as mental and physical well-being.
The set of lesson plans is designed with involvement of the entire school in mind as well as applying it to selected grades or classes as a pilot. We are offering teacher workshops to walk through the learning concepts and dialogue on how this may meet your teaching objectives. Click here to view workshop schedule and register online or contact the Vancouver Biennale office for further information on the workshops.
I would like to thank all the team members as listed on the "Acknowledgements" page for their commitment and ingenuity.
Terry Howe, Chair, Vancouver Biennale for Schools