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Rural Fridays

December 15, 2017

Montana Western teacher candidates
Montana Western teacher candidates engage Rural Fridays students in a group activity based on their observations of the UMW campus.

Ask any Montana Western elementary education major about the Rural Fridays program, and they’ll tell you it’s one of the best and most innovative programs they’ve ever experienced.

For six Fridays each semester, children and teachers from the surrounding one-room and two-room schoolhouses come to Montana Western, along with area home-schooled students, for a chance to experience a college campus and to be in classes with same-age peers.

Rural Fridays
Students work on “under the sea” paintings after learning about the wonders of the ocean and its many inhabitants, as well as the concept of saltwater vs. freshwater.

UMW teacher candidates also benefit from this opportunity. Working in the Education Department’s Model Classroom, these pre-service teachers plan entire units of instruction and collaborate with their peers. Later, they receive targeted written feedback from both the rural classroom teachers and their professor.

Rural Fridays
After learning about the octopus, students were able to engage in creating their own versions based on tracing their hands and fingers as a guide for the body and tentacles.

The Rural Fridays program is a rich example of the authentic experiential learning that makes a difference in the lives of Montana Western education students.

Click here to see the Rural Friday schedule for 2022/2023.