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This year, we are happy to announce the return of Take It Outside! for the 2021-2022 season. This collection of webinars presented throughout the year currently is taking the place of the in-person iTREC training. Detailed descriptions are available to the document to the right. Register here!
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Check out the Spring 2022 Classes above!
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Watch past "Take It Outside" sessions on Youtube!
iTREC - Iditarod Trail to Every Classroom: Information on the in-person iTREC training is below; check back Summer 2022 for information on the next in-person iTREC opportunity!
A placed-based professional development workshop series connecting communities along the Iditarod National Historic Trail - promoting resource stewardship, recreation and community engagement!
| 2020 iTREC! Report |
2014-2015 i-TREC class in Seward, AK
Modeled after "A Forest for Every Classroom" along the Appalachian Trail, iTREC is a three- season, multi-disciplinary professional development series for educators aimed at providing the inspiration, knowledge, and skills to transform teaching into effective and exciting place-based education.
Educators who participate in iTREC will develop their own curriculum that increases student literacy skills and fosters student understanding of and appreciation for the public lands and resources connected by over 2,400 miles of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. These curricula will integrate hands-on study of the natural and cultural resources of communities from Seward to Nome addressing concepts in ecology, sense of place, recreation, volunteerism, and civics.
Research shows that a place-based education and service-learning increases student achievement, community engagement, and environmentally responsible behavior!
At the heart of iTREC is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of their own "place" are more eager to be involved in stewardship of their communities and public lands. The 2002 Independent Sector report, "Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service," states, "Adults who begin volunteering as youth are twice as likely to give time as they grow older." A recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, "Youth Helping America," also suggests that volunteering is a learned social behavior.
iTREC is composed of 3 multi-disciplinary professional development workshops for educators, supplemented with on-going partner support and guidance:
As a teaching strategy that promotes volunteerism by linking curriculum with community services and fulfilling education goals, as well as, the needs of community organizations, we believe service-learning will promote civic engagement in communities along the Iditarod National Historic Trail and build lifelong stewards of Alaska’s public lands, natural resources, and cultural heritage.
Educators who participate in iTREC will develop their own curriculum that increases student literacy skills and fosters student understanding of and appreciation for the public lands and resources connected by over 2,400 miles of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. These curricula will integrate hands-on study of the natural and cultural resources of communities from Seward to Nome addressing concepts in ecology, sense of place, recreation, volunteerism, and civics.
Research shows that a place-based education and service-learning increases student achievement, community engagement, and environmentally responsible behavior!
At the heart of iTREC is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of their own "place" are more eager to be involved in stewardship of their communities and public lands. The 2002 Independent Sector report, "Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service," states, "Adults who begin volunteering as youth are twice as likely to give time as they grow older." A recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, "Youth Helping America," also suggests that volunteering is a learned social behavior.
iTREC is composed of 3 multi-disciplinary professional development workshops for educators, supplemented with on-going partner support and guidance:
- Summer Institute: An introduction to the Iditarod National Historic Trail, place based education, service learning and curriculum planning
- Fall Workshop: Curriculum development and evaluation
- Spring Workshop: Curriculum implementation and sustainability
As a teaching strategy that promotes volunteerism by linking curriculum with community services and fulfilling education goals, as well as, the needs of community organizations, we believe service-learning will promote civic engagement in communities along the Iditarod National Historic Trail and build lifelong stewards of Alaska’s public lands, natural resources, and cultural heritage.
Teacher on the Trail
The Iditarod Trail Committee also has a yearly Teacher on the Trail program and provides resources on how you can incorporate the Iditarod Sled Dog Race into your classroom! More information is available at www.iditarod.com/edu/