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Community School Interviews: helping students understand the wider world.

A two-session speaker series to develop and strengthen skills of inquiry, and connections within the school.

Background:
CS Interviews is a registered charitable organization that has been providing workshops for schools on Vancouver Island for two years. It’s executive director is an award winning teacher with k-12 experience.

CSI has over 70 speakers who are available for classroom interviews. We help : prepare students for each interview from reading speaker profiles; facilitate the live interviews and provide opportunity for reflective follow up on each. A series takes three class sessions. The process is closely connected to course IRP’s

A Sample of the Themes our guests bring to the classroom

Public service
Care about people first.. and you’ll always come in first
Getting support for tough decisions
Balancing work and family
Identifying and moving beyond handicaps
Small town girl doing ‘good’
Family as a foundation for success
Being your own person
Getting through tough situations

Responsibilities of the teacher

Outside of selecting the classes and promoting the Series the teacher need take on no additional tasks. During the sessions he or she is free to participate to whatever degree they wish, but need make no other arrangements, nor mark any student work.

The premise and aspects of the project
1. Students in the project would be expected to complete a CS Interview Series Workbook.
2. Everything counts ( as in life) : participation, on-line journals, profiles ( on our secure web site)
3. Evaluation of each student may be done by the program facilitator, a master teacher.

For further information please leave a reply below or contact Christopher Bowers at 250 213 5340.

CS Interviews funding comes from community sponsors , PACs .

What students say:

I learned not only directly, but indirectly as well. I was really “turned on” by presenters who opened up, said ridiculous things. I liked it when the presenter elaborated on a story, told us about their weaknesses as well as strengths. We focus too much on the success of an individual We got a chance to be the interviewers. We were given the power to pry, to assess the presentations of adult professionals. Now that’s new, backwards, and refreshing.

What teachers say:
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be involved in the project. I have been getting lots of good feedback from my students They got to see a divergent group of speakers, and seeing the differences was valuable.

What speakers say: it is me who should be thanking you for letting me take part in this experience