Deep Engagement via Story, the Arts & Gamification

Original date: November 17, 2016)

Presenter: Vanessa LeBourdais

Description:

There is often a missed opportunity in environmental education for students to apply the knowledge and skills they gain to solve real-world problems. Kids can be effective agents of change in their families. Not only do they jump at the opportunity, but recognizing their agency can increase educational outcomes, involve parents in their child’s learning and help tackle pressing environmental problems.  Using examples from Planet Protector Academy, Vanessa will share how educators can empower their students to become planet protecting superheroes by:

• Using storyline to endow their students with superhero powers and aspirations.
• Making student learning hands-on and connecting it to the home through superhero missions.
• Nurturing identity-based change through arts-based activities that engages the whole child.
• Getting buy-in from families and making behaviour change easier.
• Incentivizing participation, engagement and action through team competition and gamification.

Vanessa LeBourdais is the Executive Producer and Creative Director at DreamRider Productions a national Canadian environmental education charity. Over the past 18 years, Vanessa’s and her team’s arts-based and digital programs on zero waste, climate, water and littering have reached over 900,000 elementary school children in 900+ schools in five provinces. Their latest digital classroom resource, the Planet Protector Academy won the 2015 TELUS Innovation Award, is now in five Canadian provinces, and is launching in the US this fall.