Pacific Northwest ISEEN Regional Expedition Fall 2019

Living in the Shadow of Fire:
Place-Based Learning Program Design in Practice

Thursday, September 19, 2019 (afternoon/evening)
through
Sunday, September 22, 2019 (morning)
Hosted By
The Bush School Methow Campus
Mazama, Washington
(with free transportation from Seattle)

For those who wish to depart from Seattle, a shuttle will leave from the Bush Campus at 3 pm on Thurs, Sept 19th and return in the afternoon of Sun, Sept 22nd. More details in the “What to Expect” section below

Cost: $229 ISEEN Members/$249 non-Members
Includes 3 nights lodging on-site, shuttle to/from Seattle, and all meals once on-site 

About the Expedition

Join fellow PNW experiential educators at The Bush School's Methow Campus for an immersive place-based learning program within the beautiful Methow Valley in North Central Washington. This two-day (three-night) regional expedition will explore how The Bush School in Seattle integrates place-based learning into their curriculum within their rural satellite campus. Named after the Methow Tribe who lived along the Methow River, the area is a veritable wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts and is abundant in nature and science-focused educational opportunities. “The Valley” is also a vibrant center of the arts and culture. The Bush School’s Methow Campus strives to bring these elements of history, nature, and culture to their place-based programming.

The theme of the ISEEN Regional Expedition, Living in the Shadow of Fire, will explore how fire impacts community through connections with local organizations, fieldwork, and service. Throughout the weekend, we’ll guide you through an analysis of key program design elements and how to implement place-based learning in your own setting as well as provide ample time for networking and building connections with like-minded innovative educators. The programming will be relevant to many subject disciplines and strands of experiential educators (including those based in urban communities) in the region. The program will also include dedicated time to network, discuss and plan with professional affinity groups (e.g., outdoor ed, service-learning, global ed, administrators, etc.) or by subject discipline for classroom teachers.

You will engage as students in this model program.  We will explore the student mindset with intentional time to delve into the elements of designing quality programming that utilizes experiential education pedagogy and practice. The programming is centered around the guiding questions of How can place-based learning succeed at your school? What are the key components of quality place-based programs?   

Through engagement and experience in the model program, you’ll see the power of place-based learning to engage students in complex, academic study and come away with a network of educators to share ideas and tools in the PNW region.    

What You’ll Take Away from the Expedition

• Understanding of key components of place-based learning program design and how it is relevant in your own school setting.
• Understanding of student skills necessary for success in place-based programs.
• Proposal ideas or other relevant deliverables for a place-based program at your school.
• Connections with experiential educators in the region to share resources, practices, and tools.
  
  

Schedule at a Glance

Note: This schedule is subject to change. 

About The Bush School Methow Campus

In the fall of 2016, The Bush School acquired a twenty-acre campus and educational facility, formerly known as the North Cascades Basecamp, in Mazama, WA. Located in the rural, mountain-ringed Methow Valley, the campus offers the opportunity to integrate wilderness, cultural, and academic experiential learning. The mission of The Bush School Methow Campus is to deepen students' understanding of place, expand intercultural fluency, and build enduring community relationships through place-based programs. The campus serves Bush as a destination for short immersive experiences and—in the future—the opportunity for semester-long intercultural programming.

About the Facilitator

Hilary Kaltenbach was first instructed by the Santa Cruz mountains, where she spent her childhood pressing wildflowers and climbing oaks until the dinner bell rang.  This nurtured a curiosity about her surroundings that has sparked a love of learning and adventure.  During the eighteen years Hilary spent teaching middle and high school English and serving in leadership roles, she discovered a passion for designing curriculums that step through classroom walls and connects students with their immediate world.  Hilary now works as the Program Coordinator for The Bush School’s Methow Campus, where she supports faculty in designing place-based programs and partners with local Methow Valley organizations.  She and her family live outside the town of Winthrop with a growing number of animals.

Registration

The program fee is $229 ISEEN Members/$249 non-Members. This includes all programming fees, three nights of lodging, all meals on-site (3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners) and shuttle transportation to/from Seattle (shuttle is optional).

We have a cap of 20 participants. ISEEN members and non-members are welcome to register.

Logistics, Travel, and Lodging

The weekend in the Methow Valley will not only be educational and informative, but also restorative. With minimal access to cell service and limited wifi, this will be an experience to fully engage in a nature and culture-oriented experience. It will be an opportunity to slow down and reflect, get away from it all, and connect with like-minded educators.

Lodging and Facilities
Lodging for three nights is included in the program fee. The following are some elements to expect from the experience:

• We will be staying on bunk beds in shared rooms
• Bathrooms are shared
• Similar to summer camp, you’ll need to bring your own towel, sleeping bag and slippers. We’ll provide a more extensive packing list in the “Know Before You Go” email a couple weeks before the Expedition.
• The lodge is large and there plenty of places to hang out outside the bunk rooms.

Meals and Food
All meals on-site will be included in the program fee (3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners). Attendees will be cooking and cleaning in teams just as the student groups do. There’s nothing like KP duty to bond people! We’ll ask for dietary restrictions/needs within the enrollment form for all attendees.

Getting Here
For those coming from Seattle or near/through Seattle, Bush is offering a free shuttle for those interested.

Shuttle Details:

• Departs from The Bush School campus at 3:00pm on Thurs, Sept 19th and will return after breakfast and closing on the morning of Sun, Sept 22nd.
• The Bush School has a secure parking lot where attendees taking the shuttle may leave their car over the weekend. We’ll provide details and logistics a couple weeks in advance so you’ll know where to park.
• The shuttle will stop for dinner on the way (participants will be responsible for paying for their own dinner during that stop or may bring along their own meal to eat along the way).

 
Details for Driving Yourself to the Methow Campus:

• The Methow Campus is located in Mazama, WA. We will provide driving directions in advance for those driving themselves.
• Plan on arriving sometime between 4:00pm and 7:30pm on Thurs, Sept 19th and departing after breakfast cleanup and closing (~10:30am) on Sun, Sept 22nd.
• You’ll be responsible for your own dinner on the evening of Thurs, Sept 19th. We’ll provide some ideas on places to stop along the way or feel free to bring your own brown bag dinner to campus.

We’ll have some snacks out in the evening as everyone arrives.

Questions
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about the event by emailing ISEEN’s Events Manager, Elizabeth Doerr ([email protected]) or expedition facilitator Hilary Kaltenbach ([email protected]).

We’re excited to see you in September!