BIG IDEAS Education Program
The Vancouver Biennale is committed to building a legacy of education, advocacy and social responsibility enabled through art. The BIG IDEAS Education Program (BIG IDEAS) was launched in 2010 based on the same educational principles as the British Columbia Ministry of Education’s new curriculum. BIG IDEAS aims to build a creative, collaborative community connecting educators, learners, artists and researchers who in turn shape the program and strive for innovation in education.
BIG IDEAS has now reached out to over 10,000 Kindergarten to Grade 12 students and 128 schools in Burnaby, the Cariboo, Coquitlam, Delta, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Richmond, Squamish, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver.
BIG IDEAS meets British Columbia learning standards and facilitates core and curricular competencies development. The program includes the following features:
- Arts Inquiry fosters discovery and creative learning through Vancouver Biennale public-art projects and installations.
- Arts Infusion facilitates expression in multiple art forms through artist-led workshops in schools.
- Cross-Curricular Unit Plans utilize integrated concepts that weave multiple subject areas together.
- Socially Inclusive Concepts connect schools, grades K-12, not only in British Columbia, but also Canada-wide.
- Community-based Initiatives take students beyond the classroom into diverse urban environments.
- Digital Resources include exemplary multimedia instructional samples and project toolkits.
BIG IDEAS learning resources can be downloaded and printed free of charge by educators desiring assistance with classroom planning or by those seeking personal, professional learning opportunities. Should you wish to use the documents for other purposes (for example, as part of a workshop or seminar), permission must be sought directly from the Vancouver Biennale. Please email your request to [email protected].
