Human Services: Learning in Action
Learning in Action
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SarahJayne Biglieni
Human Services Enrolment Specialist
780 853 0902
780 853 0902
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We believe it is important for you to actively make connections between what is happening in the classroom and outside the classroom.
Students gain many opportunities to put theory into practice during their course work and on field placement. Field placements are work-integrated learning experiences that help bridge classroom learning with professional work experiences.
The outdoor playground used by the Vermilion campus day care as well as for play programs needed some work.
The Human Services club took the lead in a cross-campus team that took on the redevelopment.
The project also became part of an early childhood educational research project about outdoor play.
Child and youth care counsellor student plays Snakes'n'Ladders with a girl.
A scavenger hunt took participants outdoors.
Rolling dice and throwing bean bags in a gym game.
Making crafts.
Presuming competence was a concept for 1st year child and youth care counsellor students, until they hosted a fall break activity for local youth.
As one student explained the concept means assuming the kids are capable of doing whatever you have planned and being careful not to undermine their abilities if they can't.
Games, crafts and learning activities were all on the agenda.
For more details, read the story CYCC students connect with local youth.
Passion plays role in leadership projects
For students, learning comes in preparing and executing a project. They choose a project, research it, find the connection to what they’ve learned about human development, prepare a pitch including a budget, present it and then make it happen.
Projects have included:
- an introduction to wheel chair curling
- a small lending library near a K-12 school
- cleaning Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton
- sensory baskets for autistic children and children at a womens’ shelter
- sanitary packages for the homeless
- school supplies for elementary school aged students
- cultural experiences for a variety of age groups
- activities in playschools to continuing care centres
- stocking food banks
Further reading from:
One leadership group wanted to shine a light on unsung heroes at the college. One of those people was the Bentley Building caretaker, Hugh Fodchuck.
Delivering the sensory baskets to Interval House.
Sensory baskets had age appropriate toys, games and books.
A special basket for a mother at Interval House.
Pitching sensory baskets for different age groups of children and a mom for Lloydminster's Interval House. The sensory baskets provide toys to help children self-soothe as well as learn and discover.
Pitching cat collars for the SPCA. The group asked the SPCA what was needed and were able to source the collars through Lakeland College's Animal Health Clinic. Daycare kids would be invited to decorate them.
Emma Nagel doing a demonstration during her Try Wheelchair curling event in Sherwood Park.
Demonstrating wheelchair curling during a pitch presentation.
Early Childhood Education's play program
Organizing and running a play program on campus is one practicum option for second-year early childhood education students. It's been part of the program for four decades.
Community children are invited and students do everything from publicizing the program and providing information to parents to designing and decorating the play space, planning snacks and cleaning up.
Play is a natural fit as many of their courses focus on it, such as Observation and Play and Outdoor and Nature Play. Play isn't just fun, it's also a way to learn. Students put what they've learned in courses such as art, music, movement, literacy, math and science experiences as well professionalism when they deal with parents.
Play is in the title of more than one course in Early Childhood Education.
Literary experiences are part of the play program.
Movement is part of a child's development and play is part of that.
Knowledge from a health, safety and nutrition course is applied in the play program.
Painting is both an art experience and part of sensory development.
Building a tower can be an exercise in counting, colours and coordination.
Choosing, preparing, serving and cleaning up after snacks are all part of the play program for second-year students.
Feeding imagination is part of active play with toddlers.
Games and songs are part of the learning experience for both the children in the play program and the Lakeland students running the program.
Each student group chooses what to include in their play programs. A ball put provides fun and a number of sensory and developmental experiences.
Both infants and toddler care can be part of the play program, If there are two groups, a second room is devoted to the infant side.
Play can be part of many learning experiences including math and science experiments.
The play program is one of many activities early childhood education students may undertake.
During the semester, students have opportunities to:
- create educational games in schools
- apply reading strategies when working with students
- plan learning experiences for children in our onsite Child Care Centre
- create outdoor playscape activities for children
- develop onsite recreation activities for youth
- participate in field trips to community agencies
- interact with industry experts
- implement leadership activities with community partners
- immerse themselves in American Sign Language classes
- create programming for aging individuals
Proof is in the practicum
Both in-person and online students require work-integrated learning experiences to successfully complete their programs.
We collaborate with 200+ field placement locations. Below is a list of possibilities:
Courses are completed online. Field placements require a 4-week in-person experience in a K-12 classroom.
A program for homeless teens, in-school wellness programs and a youth justice centre are a few of the places CYCC students have completed their field placements.
Our American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies students master skills before moving on to the next course.
Since their courses are based at the Alberta School for the Deaf in Edmonton, they are immersed in Deaf culture and practice their ASL skills.
While students learned resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, a little positivity helped push through the difficulties.
Human Services students created positivi-trees with support messages. The trees were sent up in high traffic corridors. All students were encouraged to grab an affirmation.
