Community Based Instruction Transportation Training
Kalli Nowitzke/Kellison Kohler
The goal of this program is to go into the community and practice academic goals and career goals in real life scenarios. This helps students to see the purpose in their learning and make connections between what they are learning in school and how it applies to the real world, future living and employment. The students in the High Needs Resource Room also plan to complete the community lessons with peers. The students will also work on using public transportation to obtain access to the community as public transportation is how our students will gain independence in their community as their peers of the same age learn to drive on their own.
Dexter High School currently offers consortium courses for students to explore their field of study in a hands-on experience. Community Based Instruction allows students to explore the community and apply learning to real life situations. For example, at the grocery store students will make a grocery list, make a budget for their list, write down the aisles to locate their items, recognize how the store is organized, read labels and locate items on shelves, compare prices, calculate tax and sales etc. This allows students to work on real life math and literacy skills.
The students will learn how to use public transportation to allow for further independence in the community. The students will learn how to become independent in their community in the grocery store and library. We also have students practicing entry level work skills in the community in order to obtain summer employment (as well as training students on how to use public transportation to get to and from work), work on communication skills, professionalism and completing multi-step tasks. Students are also completing personal shopping at the Dollar Tree for teachers in the building. This skill helps students to navigate the community further, work on money skills, communication skills and future personal shopping career skills.