Keys to the Coursewide
approach adopted for the
Columbia River Studies Course

The Concept of "Understanding Place"

Documenting a Site

Essential Questions to Ask

A Bibliography
and other resources for educators interested in
this approach

Field Trips      Research (field study)      Classroom Activities      Final Project

The Columbia River Studies course focused on several ways of learning, not only to engage students more fully in looking at place but also to make sure they were able to see things from different perspectives using different disciplines.The learning strategies are described under four headings. (Click on headings to see more)

 

Field Trips Field trips got students "on the ground" and let them gather information, meet experts, and experience places first-hand. From the three-day field trip we took to explore both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River Gorge to the 90-minute salmon habitat study on a local stream, students found that they could learn from close observation and from others who had been there before them.

Research (field study) Gathering data on field trips and from local people who knew the land and the river supplemented the information students gained from listening to experts and from reading books and articles. They learned to find information from a multitude of sources, so when they approached their project they would have open minds about exploring their own places.

Classroom Activities The time in the classroom was spent listening to short lectures, conducting water-quality tests, learning to read maps, working on projects, and discussing issues.

Final Project Either singly or in groups of two or three, the work of the course culminated as a study of a place selected by the students and the presentation of reports. Oral reports were presented to the class on an interim basis as the projects progress. The final report took the form of a student-created web site.