Beyond Classrooms Kingston moves teachers and their classrooms into community sites like museums and art galleries for an entire week. The site becomes an extension of the teacher's classroom where students enhance their literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Each teacher works with BCK staff to design a unique inquiry-based program.
Learning at a museum or gallery for an entire week takes away the field trip feeling and creates an environment where students slow down, look closely and reflect through sketching and journal writing.
Presentations by specialists, hands-on activities, and time spent exploring the collections stimulate curiosity and encourage further investigation. Having opportunities for reflection and discussion play a significant role in fostering cultural awareness, civic pride and stewardship.
JOURNALING & SKETCHING
Journaling is one of the most important activities that take place during Beyond Classrooms. Our goal is to slow learning down: to allow students time to reflect upon what they are experiencing. Journaling gives students the time and space they need to reflect, assess, communicate, and consolidate the skills and knowledge they are learning.
Objects are an important part of museums. We can learn a lot about the past by studying objects – they are like windows into the past. They can connect us to a moment in time or the life of a person long ago. Objects provide evidence of the past.
The video below discusses how BCK teaches students skills such as observation, investigation, critical thinking, historical understanding, and evaluation. Allowing students to draw, write about, and discuss their observations helps students develop a variety of important skills.
Want to see how our journaling sessions work? Check out the videos below!
Video Transcript (PDF): March of the Museums 2021 – BCK Video 1 Shoe Stories Learning from Objects
Video Transcript (PDF): March of the Museums 2021 – BCK Video 2 Step into Sketching Learning to Sketch a Boot
