Portage Academy in BC: Q&A with the coordinator of services at Portage Keremeos

05-juil.-2010All Portage centres for youth offer mandatory on-site school programming, recognised by local school boards and adapted to the needs of the residents. Whereas in the past many Portage residents have struggled with school and some have even abandoned their studies altogether, Portage Academy helps them rediscover their academic abilities and often reawakens the drive to complete secondary school and even to go on to post-secondary studies.

Barbra Paterson is the Principal of the Outreach School and the Okanagan-Similkameen Learning Centres and she coordinates the services offered by the school board to the Portage Academy program at Portage Keremeos. Her enthusiasm for learning and for facilitating the academic experience for Portage residents is evident in her appreciation for the impact that Portage Academy has on the youth. She eagerly engaged in a Question and Answer session to better explain what Portage Academy is all about.

Q: What is the relationship between Portage Keremeos and the Okanagan Similkameen Learning and Outreach Centres?

A: We plan and deliver self-paced learning programs for the residents as well as provide the teachers to facilitate the Portage Academy program at Portage Keremeos. We focus on meeting the kids’ needs in core subjects and also offer electives that they can do in their own time.

Q: At Portage Keremeos, the youth are all at different academic levels. How can the teachers offer specialised course work for each individual based on his/her needs? How exactly does Portage Academy work?

A: Portage Academy at Keremeos is a self-paced distributed learning program, much like schooling by correspondence. Each student receives a course package tailored to individual needs for each subject that he or she is enrolled in. The students work through the readings and assignments in their packages with the support of the teachers who act as facilitators.

There are currently two part-time teachers who come to the facility four days a week – one who specialises in math and science, and the other in English, social studies, and economics. The boys’ groups and the girls’ groups rotate between the teachers, who work with students individually or sometimes in small groups based on the content of their course packages and at a pace set by the students. Small classes facilitate their academic experience.

The teachers find that their role is greatly facilitated by the therapeutic community at Portage, because of the additional support that the students get from their peers and from the Portage staff.

Q: Self-paced learning is one of the cornerstones of Portage Academy. Could you elaborate about why this technique is so effective?

A: Within a self-paced program, students take control of their own learning and develop a sense of responsibility to their studies. Though some Portage residents have been good students in the past, many of them have struggled terribly with school, largely because they could not keep the pace that a teacher in a large classroom was setting for them. At Portage Academy, the teachers are there to support and encourage the students as they work through their course packages at their own paces; facilitating, implementing, and overseeing the learning process of each individual.

Of course, some students advance faster than others and some are motivated more than others. With self-paced learning, those residents who are extra-motivated can work on getting elective credits outside of school time. They can work through course packages on subjects such as art, computers, law, and economics during their free time.

Students respond well to this technique because they set the pace and they feel accountable for the work that they do. Every time a resident finishes a course, it goes up on the Wall of Course Completions, which acts as motivation for all.

Q: What courses are provided and how are they credited towards high school completion?

A: Residents typically take four courses at time. During classroom time, we focus on the core subjects of science, math, social studies, and English, because that’s typically where the students need the most support and assistance. But we also encourage them to take more specialised courses such as Independent Directive Studies (which focuses on life skills and integrates what the student is learning at Portage) and Planning 10 (which helps prepare students for school completion with instruction on career searching, relationship building, goal-setting, and so on).

All courses are recognised by the BC Ministry of Education and residents can prepare for and write their grades 10, 11, and 12 provincial exams while at Portage so that they can get their secondary school completion degree. So far, in Portage Keremeos’ first year of operations, 31 residents have successfully written provincial exams, which will eventually lead them to completing their high school diplomas.

Q: How is Portage Academy integrated within the larger Portage program?

A: We work closely with the Portage case workers to make sure that the teachers are on top of all situations. Students know that their behaviour in one area is recognised in the other. Their work ethic at school is also directly related to the Pass System (which allows them time outside the facility with family members for progressive social reintegration). Teachers evaluate them based on responsibility, cooperation, motivation, independence, and leadership in the classroom. A positive report from the teacher will work in their favor in getting a request pass granted.

Success at Portage Academy facilitates success at the Portage program, and vice-versa. When these young people finish the Portage program and complete their high school education, they have a whole new lease on life. One young graduate is now headed to a college in Ontario and is thrilled to bits. Another is enrolled at Kapilano College in North Vancouver for the fall.

Portage gives them hope for the future and Portage Academy gives them the tools and the confidence to pursue their studies and broaden their horizons as far as they’d like.

We are doing our absolute best to support these brave young people and to encourage them to be all that they can be.

"For the first time, I feel that I have teachers that care about me and a space where I can learn. I know that there are huge gaps in my knowledge - but I know that you are willing to help me fill those gaps. That’s what motivates me to keep working at it." - Tom, Portage Academy student