Mission Statements and Program Information for Teacher on the Trail™
The Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ program: (Mission Statements)
• Enhances education by selecting a highly qualified educator each year to advance the objectives and goals of the Teacher on the Trail™ Program and promote the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race® as a teaching tool.
• Empowers Students for Academic Success by providing teachers with standards aligned curriculum making connections for all content areas.
• Emphasizes Best Practices of Teaching and Learning.
• Develops and Supports Projects to Encourage Better Reading Strategies for the Early Reader and Stronger Skills for Readers and Writers of all ages.
Outcomes:
Provide Teachers with standards aligned lessons.
Provide students with pre-reading and reading opportunities.
Provide material to read and/or books to students in need. (Books to the Trail program and other projects)
Provide teachers, students, and race fans with unique opportunities to transition the learning to their own location and specific needs.
Methods of Assessment:
survey
program evaluations
verbal communications
written communications
website /user analytics
Summary Statement:
Teacher on the Trail™ is an ‘Adventure Learning’ project that provides incredible opportunities for educators to bring researched based teaching and learning opportunities to classrooms in the United States and around the world while integrating the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race® into the curriculum.
Adventure learning engages students in authentic learning projects that are based on real events, studied in real time via technology, and aligned with content and cultural standards. This adventure based learning allows students to explore, problem solve, collaborate, and to experience events that may be far beyond their physical place as if the event is within their classroom walls and/or homes. Students are able to participate in a ‘virtual trip to the Iditarod’ through the eyes of a dynamic classroom Teacher on the Trail™.
(See Resources below)
Our Teacher: The Job Description
1. Serve as the Iditarod teacher “leader” in creating curriculum aligned to national standards, developing unique learning projects, demonstrating technology integration, and inspiring service learning projects for schools, home/school families, and for the Iditarod’s official website.
2. During the 1 Year term: share in ‘real time’ specific observations and personal experiences with the world before the race, during the race while flying with the Iditarod Air Force bush plane pilots from checkpoint to checkpoint along the Iditarod Trail, as well as after the race.
3. While in communities along the trail, schools in Alaska, and elsewhere, share the Teacher on the Trail™ project or message developed by the teacher and be a good will ambassador for the race.
For a full year, before, during, and after the race, the ‘Teacher’
1. Maintains a section of the Iditarod website and provides curriculum and journal entries.
2. Develops projects and curriculum connections which reflect that teacher’s expertise and goals.
3. Provides presentations in the teacher’s school/community/state/and/or region that are designed to share the race, the Iditarod Education Department goals, the teacher’s own educational project goals, and shares the Target® messages. Target® is the sponsor of this program.
4. Exemplifies the Teacher on the Trail™ Program, the sponsor, the teaching profession, and Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Prior to the start of the race once arriving in Alaska
1. Visits schools and presents programs for students in Alaska.
2. Shares experiences and observations of Alaska and the pre-race activities, posting these experiences, observations, and lesson connections to the website.
3. Represents the Teacher on the Trail™ program and the race at events, provides interviews to media, presents at the Teacher’s Conference and other functions.
During the race, the ‘Teacher’
1. Visits the checkpoints and communities along the Iditarod Trail and shares the ‘Teacher’s Message’ to students, teachers, and community members to promote the race and quality teaching and learning.
2. Observes all aspects of the race/checkpoint/community. Shares observations and experiences making connections to standards, curriculum and lessons via the website. Meets teachers, students, and community members along the Iditarod Trail.
3. Uses technology as “virtual field trip” to bring the race in a real-world authentic way to teachers, students and race fans.
After the race, the ‘Teacher’
1. Assists in program evaluation and summarizes the experience in a variety of ways. (website, journal, presentations, etc.)
2. Remains an important team member and Teacher on the Trail alumni.
The Audience for the Teacher on the Trail™
Educators in all 50 states, many countries around the world, and on all continents, connect the race in curriculum lessons. 10,000 plus educators!
Thousands and thousands of students, preschool through university level complete Iditarod related school projects to practice their skills in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and other curriculum areas. 150,000 – 200,000 students!
Private Schools, Public Schools, and Home School Families use the race in their studies.
Elemenary, middle, and high school Students are involved in thematic instruction with the race in all content areas.
Preschool teachers use the race to help develop beginning math and reading skills, university professors use the race to inspire students to use real time math data from real events to gain skills in statistics class, and all curriculum areas in between, help students build basic skills through the Iditarod activities.
Special Education students are empowered to learn, children who are non-English speaking gain skills in speaking English while following an engaging project such as this.
The race is engaging to the learner and a motivator for reluctant learners. It is an interesting topic to boys and girls.
After school programs and summer camps use our materials.
Retirement communities and rehab facilities have used the race to inspire residence and patients to achieve goals.
Every area of instruction can be addressed through our projects. Our outreach is from preschool through our cherished elders and includes all cultural groups.
Summary/Review:
Students served by this project are from all learning environments. Public, private, and home school situations as well as university level teachers –use the race as a theme for content connections. Preschool students, elementary, middle school, high school, and university students who are in general education course instruction or who are in the field of teacher education are involved in our projects.
Special education students, English as second language, foreign language classes, behavior problem programs and schools, as well as other specialized areas of instruction are included in our projects. Diversity, multicultural, and global are concepts that are demonstrated within our projects and our communications to classrooms. Thousands and thousands of students are involved on our projects, from all walks of life, from all ability levels, age levels, under the guidance of thousands of teachers.
Following the race is but a small part of our curriculum as students develop a focus on national questions as well as global questions ranging from global warming, to saving planet earth, to improving reading and math scores.
Teacher on the Trail is not a ‘two week’ program, nor is it simply a year long program. Teachers who use the race in their classrooms have discovered that this theme enhances classroom education and empowers students to be academically successful, develop essential character traits, be better readers, and become lifelong learners.
Our program is unique because it is not limited to one unit of study, one semester or one year.
It is year round and it applies to all learners ages 0 -100.
As 2006 Teacher on the Trail™ Terrie Hanke states, “Teacher on the Trail™ isn’t a 365-day adventure. It continues for a lifetime.” The uniqueness of the Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ program is that it reaches all cultures, all ages, all curriculum areas, not only in formal and home school environments, but in environments outside the school setting.”
Examples: after school programs, retirement communities, rehabilitation situations, and summer programs.
Special Thanks to Target®!
Target® is an incredible partner for the Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ Program.
Target® is working in Alaska with the Anchorage Public Library on our Books to the Trail project, which brings new books to schools in remote parts of Alaska.
Target worked with 2009 Target Teacher Cathy Walters to promote helping take care of our environment by providing her with reusable cloth bags.
Target® provides support to us in many ways. Examples include but are not limited to: special ‘gifts’ to students in Alaska’s schools, race fans attending the start of the race, necessary items for our Target® Teacher on the Trail, and gift packets to teachers attending our Teacher’s workshops. Thanks Target®!
Please visit the Target® website and show your support by shopping Target®!
Resources: