Scientific progress and science teaching:
Basic knowledge, interdisciplinary and ethical issues

Interdisciplinary Middle Year Multimedia Project (IMYM) : A Prairie Tour

Province of Manitoba, CANADA

The IMYM is an interdisciplinary project for grades 5 to 8 students (10 to 14 years old). It involves English and French language, arts, sciences, mathematics, social studies, integrated with information technology. The foundation skills are human relations, literacy and communication, problem solving and technology, and everything integrated with sustainable development. Basically, teachers are trying, through a Prairie Tour, to provide meaningful experiences for their students through the use of : innovative instructional strategies, an interdisciplinary approach and the integration of information technology with curriculum. In the thematic unit A Prairie Tour, students plan an imaginary trip across the Prairies (Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta). They travel along trans-Canada Highway , taking a variety of side trips, while learning core concepts within the context of the Prairie region.

Each participating classroom is equipped with a teacher multimedia station (including video capture and a modem), monitor, encoder, video camera, printer, three students multimedia stations and a peer-to-peer network. Students learn information by doing multimedia activities about the three levels of prairie , wildlife and farming. They can also improve their computer skills (Internet, hyperstudio, video production, multimedia presentation) mathematic skills or map reading skills and deepen their knowledge with geometry concepts and understanding different points of view. Teachers need to conduct their classrooms with group work, activity centers or co-operative learning. By doing so, they work more as facilitators of active learning than as providers of direct instruction.

The purpose of the IMYM project is to develop an effective instructional model which is interdisciplinary in nature, supports integration of multimedia technology throughout the provincial curricula , and can be implemented in schools across the province of Manitoba. Furthermore, learning can take place in a real life context and with regional meaningfulness.

Cheryl Prokopanko
Tel : (204) 945 6435
E.mail : (cprokopank@gov.mb.ca)

School Program Division/Program Development Branch
Ministry of Education, Training and Youth, Manitoba W120 1970 Ness Ave. Winnipeg Manitoba R3J OY9 CANADA
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/index.html

1996-1997 (first pilot phase with grade 5) and 1998-present (second phase with grades 4-8)

January 1997, first program evaluation done by Proactive Information Services Inc., a western Canada based company specialised in educational evaluation.