UBC Students Learning and Teaching in the Community
Marley Macvey’s eyes light up when she talks about her most memorable experience as a UBC Learning Exchange student leader with the TOTEM (Teaching Others to Enjoy Math) project at Britannia Elementary School.
“We were working on an Olympic-based project with grade six and seven students to show how math ties into sports. One of the UBC students told me she was a bit nervous about her own skills in teaching them. We sat down and talked about it, and the next day she showed the kids how math and physics applied to the bobsledding project they were working on. She talked about velocity and distance, and before long the students were understanding, and even able to do more complex problems. The kids built their own bobsleds and set up a course which younger students tried out. It was really exciting to see the older kids help teach the younger ones the concepts they learned from us.”
The UBC Learning Exchange invites UBC students to engage with diverse communities in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and other parts of metro Vancouver. The Trek Program brings students to inner-city schools and non-profit organizations where they can contribute to community programs and learn about important social issues. As part of the Trek Program, Community Service-Learning (CSL) opportunities such as TOTEM and Let’s Talk Science allow UBC students to mentor and share their math and science skills with children in elementary and secondary school environments. These interactions lead to positive impacts on academic performance, values, leadership and future career choices, with the ability to integrate this volunteer work into academic courses.
Funded by supporters such as HSBC Bank Canada, The Learning Exchange has become an amazing growth opportunity for everyone it engages.
Third-year honours English student Stephanie McGee has seen the benefits first-hand. She, was a literacy mentor in the Trek Program at Queen Alexandra Elementary School. “I’ve seen improvements in reading and writing skills, but I’ve also seen kids learn how to deal with challenges in a more positive way,” says Stephanie. “Instead of getting frustrated with a setback, they are learning how to work though it and to help other students as well.”
Kate Okros, a science mentor with the Let’s Talk Science Program, agrees. “I know it works. I’ve seen the benefits. I’ve seen the better marks, and I’ve seen the smiles on kids’ faces! I think I’ve shown them that it’s cool and fun to do well in school. And I’ve hopefully given them the skills to write an awesome lab report!”
Stephanie recalls “One of the biggest impacts that my experience had on me was when a young student asked me one day if she could go to UBC too. And it struck me as so remarkable, because to have a student realize this on her own, that she too could take this step in her education, that was such an amazing thing to experience.”
