THE SUMMER INSTITUTE IN ENV]
EDUCATION
983
CONNO WFH A CHAMMIM0
INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS.
The Summer Semester of 1983 will mark the twelfth year that Simon Fraser
University has offered the Summer Institute in Environmental Education.
This unique program offers students the opportunity to expand their
awareness and understanding of the total human environments while devel-
-oping their skills in problem solving, decision-making, and information
management.
We are living
in
an era of extremely rapid change. New technologies
offer great opportunities,
but
also present grave problems. While we
may have space age tools we may attempt to use them with outmoded or
faulty styles of thinking. Many adults and young people alike are
finding that it is necessary for them to adjust to conditions which
they were untrained to meet via their schooling or general life
experience. The redefinition of work, the need for constant, life-
long learning, the requirement of coping with changed and changing
economic conditions, dramatically shifted relationships between the
sexes and between different age classes
in
society are but a few of
the opportunities and problems which confront us.
Up to this point in time there has been a tendancy to treat each problem
separately, and as an isolated phenomenon. Hence, the concerns over the
environment were unrelated to human rights, world armaments, cultural
pluralism, or changing life styles, at least in the minds of many. The
application of piecemeal band-aid solutions to various problems has often
stressed the "quick fix" at the expense of more fundamental problem solving.
It is the purpose Of the Summer Institute to.help adults explore ways of
developing thinking styles and skills which are more appropriate to the
last phase of the twentieth century and to the beginnings of the twenty-
-first. There are several ways in which the program attempts to accomplish
this goal:
the program places students and instructors in an intensive
residential format in which time can be used more effectively
and in which ideas can be pursued to greater depth;
-the program creates a learning community in which students
and instructors meet people with many different sorts of
training,, experience, cultural backgrounds, and values--
an on-goin g exchange of ideas is fostered and promoted;
. ?
I
-2-
-the program is highly experiential in nature: the
course is located in a community context and it
endeavours to explore that context fully, providing
students with urban, rural, and wilderness experiences
and with the opportunity to explore aspects of the
natural and mankind-made environment with which they
may be unfamiliar;
-the program stresses personal, interpersonal, and
environmental awareness, attempting to help people
develop the ability to use their senses and minds fully,
employing many different modalities of learning;
-the program works to help students build their knowledge
and skills concerning ways in which they can-work more
effectively to help other humans develop their own
thinking capacities--whether they intend to work with
the young, adolescent, or adult segments of society;
-the program stresses personal development by encouraging
students to use the one month institute as an opportunity
to widen horizons, or to focus on specific concerns and
needs.
-the program is interdisciplinary in approach, examining
the world through the lenses of the arts, humanities, sciences,
and technologies.
WHO MAY ENROL?
The program is open to any interested person who can qualify for admission
as a Student at Simon Fraser University, under one of the university's
categories of admission. It is typically taken
by
students in the Professional
Development Program as part of their Summer Semester, Education 404. It 'is
also taken by practicing teachers, Outdoor Recreationists, students in
Environmental Studies, Community Education, and Resources Management.
It has been taken by persons of all ages, from 21 to 67, and of all
types of previous experience and interests. While a major component
of the program does address ways in which teachers and prospective
teachers (in public schools or other settings) can become more effective,
student projects are highly individualized to meet the needs of persons
waning in a variety of settings.
WHAT IS THE PROGRPJI FOFV1AT?
Typically the program is offered In a residential, short-course style.
This means that the students and staff live and work in a Secondary School
during the non-operational summer vacation period. The school is used
both as a residence and teaching facility. Many of the regular course
activities occur away from the school base,
in
the field, in urban or
wilderness settings. In past summers, for example, the program has involved
work at the McQueen Lake Environmental Study Center, near Kamloops, at
the Native Environmental School,
in
Jervis Inlet, and at the Strathcona
Park Outdoor Education Center. The Institute has been based in Kamloops,
Sooke, Sechelt, Pender Harbour, and North Vancouver, varying from year to
'.3-
year according to the availability of suitable
locations. Negotiations
are still under way concerning the location of the program during 1983.
The program is intensive. It begins
as soon as
possible after July 1
and is thirty days in length. Students are given free weekends as
much as possible, along with other periods of free time. However, the
program does not always operate on a nine-to-five schedule. The
demands of various field experiences take priority at various times.
Hence, a student may spend a night working
in
an emergency ward or
with a night shift cab driver or on coastal island during the complete
tidal cycle,, or get up at dawn to observe birds. However, all student
assignments and requirements are complete at the end of the program
(typically August 1 or 2.)
Students enrolled in the Professional Development Program should
note
that the Institute consists of two Four semester Hour Credit courses,
Education 452.4 and 462
.
4. Thus, it meets one half of their credit
needs for Education 404, A typical 404 student will take eight
semester hours of other course work during INTERSESSION (May and June).
A P.D.P. student may pre-register for the two courses in the summer
institute as part of their normal registration process. Other students
may register for the program as part of the
SUMMER
SESSION offerings.
Students who have not previously attended S.F.U. must apply for admission,)
as an undergraduate or Special Student.
All prospective applicants should complete the Application Questionnaire
for the Summer Institute, The questionnaire assists us to plan the program
and also is used to select applicants should the numbers of people applying
exceed our capacity. A typical enrolment is 44 students.
ARE ThERE 1Y SPECIAL TRAINH'G OR EQUIP?'EMF REQUIREJ'U'ffS?
Although the program does entail some Outdoor Recreational experiences,
many of its activities are urban In nature, A good basic set of outdoor
clothing is needed, with good walking boots. A sleeping bag, pack, and
pad are also needed for overnight excursions. SFU does have some equipment
which can be loaned to students, especially packs and raingar.
Previous training and experience In Outdoor Recreation, Science, Environmental
Studies, or Outdoor Education are not required.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS?
Students pay regular SFU tuition, for credit courses. Students enrolled
in the POP pay for the courses as part of their regular fees for Education
404. In addition, there is a Field Activity Fee which helps to cover
the costs of field travel during the program (bus charters, vessel transport,
special equipment, etc.) Students are organized in to "family" cooking groups
In residence, and so they plan and budget their own meal costs. Accommodation
In the schools is kept as modest as possible in cost- typically it is $25,001
month, Given the current economic conditions we will do everything possible
to contain costs to participants.
?
V
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Write to: Dr. Milton McClaren
9
Faculty of Education,
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. V5A
9
1S69
or: Mr. Neil Smith, Faculty of Education, S.F.U.
PHONES: 291-4151; 9888395; 291-3395.
