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Living in a global society: out of the classroom and into the world

Laurier Senior High School offers 'learning through travel opportunities': horizons broadened, lives enriched, perceptions sharpened

Article mis en ligne le 27 août 2008 à 8:45
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Living in a global society: out of the classroom and into the world

Laurier Senior High School's traveling Laval and Canadian Ambassadors, at the Eiffel Tower. (Photo: Ashley Abramovitch) Photo: AngEurope2

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Living in a global society: out of the classroom and into the world

Laurier Senior High School offers 'learning through travel opportunities': horizons broadened, lives enriched, perceptions sharpened

At the heart of the current wave of Education Reform is a vision of how teachers and students interact and the content/context of that interaction.

We can no longer be satisfied with wholly teacher-directed instruction structured by a rigid curriculum. Instead, students must be provided with opportunities to direct their own learning.

Making school relevant to students' real lives is especially important in junior and senior high school, since it is during this period that young people begin to make conscious decisions about the value of specific subject matter and school in general.

There is the idea that instruction should be built on students' out-of-school experience, and so teachers devise activities to use these experiences as the starting points for learning. For teaching and learning to change in these ways clearly requires the erasing of the artificial barriers between the classroom, the home, and the outside world. Students and teachers need to understand the value of out-of-school experiences and must feel free to make those experiences an integral part of the classroom.

Following this logic, the school building is not viewed as the only location where teaching and learning can or should take place.

Travel as education

Based partly on the argument that young people need to learn critical thinking within a real-world context where cross-curricular hands-on activity takes place, educational travel is designed to be a learning experience that takes place outside of the formal school building.

Now into its second decade of applied learning, the Laurier Senior High School annual European project opens doors and lowers barriers as participating students assume new roles. Their 10-day travel experience promotes student-learning and increases communication and understanding with three diverse cultures on a trip they do not soon forget.

The adventure of distinction this year focused on Austria, Italy and France, offering students enlightening exposure to three different cultures, while also giving them plenty of opportunities to practice their language skills and learn from various types and degrees of urbanization.

Austria

The journey into Austria, at the heart of Europe, brought these young people in touch with one of the world's most beautiful countries, filled with majestic mountains and romantic cities, with a special moment enjoyed in the green hills near Salzburg, the backdrop that made The Sound of Music so special.

Vienna, in whose heart and soul music is king and queen. Vienna, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Vienna, the home of a world-class Philharmonic Orchestra.

Although ruthlessly exploited for commercial reasons, the city's Old Town, where Mozart toiled himself into immortality, is rich in a white purity that flows from the austere cleanliness of a Teutonic heritage passed on to the current generation.

What an absolute tour stopper! And the food, incredibly good and inimitably delicious, especially the ice cream, adding to the rich tapestry of sensual impressions that reached from the amazing views of the glorious landscape to the musical perks of Mozart.

And let's not forget the French link, Maria Theresa to Klimt, and the antique stalls at the Warschmarkt Flea Market. There was even time to view Vienna by night and enjoy some good cheer and dancing.

Auf Wiedersehen

Time to say good-bye to Austria, and Buongiorno Italia. Eccoci in Venezia – Majestic Piazza San Marco and, of course, the Grand Canal, the most spectacular 'high street' in the world.

The young people loved that rainy day when the guide entertained them with stories of historical palaces and their famous owners, and why poets and writers such as Shelley, Byron and Browning loved the city.

There was a memorable detour into a more intimate, more secluded and quieter Venice, away from the tourist traffic, where the residents lived. A glass-blowing demonstration and offerings of genuine Murano glassware were other highlights our own little pigeons from Laval enjoyed on their not-so-common tour of the city of pigeons. But rain and more rain made it somewhat easier to leave, back to the Lido de Jesolo for supper and on to a student club to dance and chit chat the night away with Italian and Spanish young people.

An exceptional experience, this interaction of international teen-age intrigue. Discussion, debate, laughs and learning, enveloped in culture, history, geography, politics, and differences in education, all in the presence of teachers, parents, and friends. A true cultural exchange, n'est-ce pas? And directly in keeping with the many components of the vision of Quebec's current wave of educational reform, right?

La Toscana

Off to Tuscany and one of the treasures of humankind – the cradle of Renaissance Art – the beautiful city of Florence.

In the capable hands of a professional guide, the young people fell under the hypnotic spell of the powerful Medici Family, gazed in awe at the classical statues of the Piazza della Signoria, where Michelangelo's disarming David originally stood, and walked on the Ponte Vecchio, one of the city's only bridges to survive the chaos of World War II.

On to the Pitti Palace and the Chiesa di Santa Croce, the final resting place of the flower of Italian art and thought - Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo. Il Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) was the last stop on this little tour whereafter the Canadian young men and women enjoyed shopping for leather, the most recent of the fashionable styles, with a little time and energy left over for pizza and gelato, Florentine specialties.

City of Lights

Moving on in an overnight train bound for Paris, the Cosmopolitan City of Lights. Paris, the most visited place in the world, has a spectacular history with an enchanting atmosphere, incredible monuments, amazing museums, infinite cafés, avenues and gardens.

Two days in Paris, and O-la-la! The entire city transformed into a platform of visual seduction for students, parents, and guests of Laurier Senior High School. The bus tour takes us around and along the Champs-Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, Pantheon, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the famous Louvre museum which holds the Mona Lisa. The young Canadians and their elders feasted their eyes on the jewels and gems this world-renowned cultural mecca has to offer – a true moment of magic.

We did it all, no matter the weather or the mood, the city seemed to become ours. And late-night Paris enveloped each young person and adult...Up to the top of the Eiffel Tower where beauty lay at their feet after the adventure of climbing hundreds of steps to the pinnacle of Paris under the lights.

But end here, it did not! A boat ride ensued along the fabled Seine where magnificent monuments were admired and bridges of the City of Lights crossed. The evening was deliciously topped off with crêpes au chocolat – which were literally ‘out of this world’ – magnifique – and so delicieux as to elicit comments such as “indescribably exquisite” and “if this is gourmet savouring, I’ve died and gone to culinary heaven”, from our appreciative young people.

A swanky Toronto Hotel, too

Ah, but what is travel without a little bit of ‘controlled risk’? How about heading into a snowstorm on our arrival in Toronto, a day’s delay in getting back to Dorval, and Laval? Not to worry, the good folks at EF Tours (Trip Organizers/Collaborators), accommodated 40 travelers in a swanky Toronto Hotel and bussed them to Dorval the following day. Well done, EF. For taking care of everyone in fine style and getting them home without a hitch. An extra little adventure for the young travelers to savour and deposit in their memory banks.

All par for the course at EF Tours, where student-travelers and their counselors are treated with first-class courtesy and impeccable services, instilling confidence in the knowledge that all necessary support and more would be provided toward a successful and memorable trip, while creating unforgettable experiences to cherish forever. Case in point, proved in Toronto.

The global classroom

Educational travel inspires, enriches, informs and educates, and the benefits extend far beyond sightseeing and touring. These trips enable students to experience, first-hand, different cultures and varied ways of life. For many, the trips foster independence, help establish connections, and invariably provide experiences that prepare high school students for higher learning.

Most importantly, Laurier Senior High School travelers enjoyed the opportunity to appreciate different perspectives – a quality that is becoming increasingly crucial to living in a global society. This was indeed and outstanding educational experience in the global classroom.

Photo: AngEurope1

(Photo: Ashley Abramovitch)

Photo: AngEurope2

(Photo: Ashley Abramovitch) (Photo: Ashley Abramovitch)

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