The following release was sent by the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.
The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board is pleased to celebrate the new Integrated Tech grade 7 & 8 classroom which opened its
doors this spring at the ALCSDB Tech Site, located at the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf campus in Belleville.
The opening of the new Integrated Tech room supports the launch of Curiosity Creates Change (C3). C3 is an inquiry-based learning experience for all ALCDSB grade 7 and 8 students. With a focus in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the program will also include exploration of United Nations Sustainable Goals, and Community Connected Experiential Learning.
“The new ALCDSB Technology Site located at Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf will be a designated space for all ALCDSB grade 7 & 8 students and their teachers to participate in skilled trades related programming and explore all technology sectors available to them once they get to high school”, said David DeSantis, Director of Education for the ALCDSB.
The Ontario Ministry of Education 2022/23 Science, Technology & Math sample curriculum links with the grade 7 and 8 Integrated Tech classroom experience and aligns with overall (learning) expectations, including but not limited to: STEM investigation, communication skills, applications, connections, and contributions, exploring and understanding concept.
“A big focus of the work we are doing in launching C3 is to support students in inquiry-based learning by providing opportunities for provocation”, said Carey Smith-Dewey, Superintendent of Education for the ALCDSB.
A provocation is anything that encourages a student to question, wonder or increase curiosity. Provocations can be as simple as a thought-provoking quote or an interesting image and are meant to spark passion in an issue or subject.
Since the new Integrated Tech space opened its doors in January, the ALCDSB tech site has hosted 309 Students from 9 Catholic Learning Communities.
The average cost for an intermediate class to visit the Integrates Tech classroom is $535.00 or approx. $22.61 per student. This fee includes materials, bussing, and lunch.
