Project-Based+Learning+Background

My involvement with Project-Based Learning has included more experiences than I have time or space to recount here so I've included the "biggees" for your review.

In addition to the adventures below, I've been privileged to meet ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I've met and worked with giants such as [|Norman Vaughan], [|Will Steger], Julie Hignell, [|TAKANO Takako], [|OHMAE Jun-ichi], [|Louise Huffman], [|Maryse Sari], Michel Poymiro, [|Diann Boehm], [|FUNATSU Keizo], Inge Lise Hammer, [|Viktor Boyarsky], Qin Dahu, [|David Heil,] Gary Cuneen, [|Tik Liem], Jennifer Gasperini, [|Walter Enloe], and a host of others.This is not meant to be boastful, but merely to illustrate the connections that resulted from involvement in Project-Based Learning ventures. My travels have taken me to 5 continents, 12 countries and virtually every state in the union (except the Dakotas). I've had the opportunity to present at conferences for teachers, governors, and foreign dignitaries (on three continents). When I started out these were not my goals and as I reflect on them it's still hard for me to believe this has happened to me. My original goal (and one that''s always driven my efforts) was to find new and exciting ways to ignite a spark in students. A spark to excel and make a difference.

1989 - 1990 [|International Trans-Antarctica Expedition]: Students followed the adventure of the first non-mechanized traverse of the Antarctic continent by a team of six scientists and explorers. No Internet, so updates came weekly from the DuPont "Polar Phone". Updates were two minutes long and students were charged with delivering the news and then reworking the content for delivery to elementary students via in-class presentations. Will Steger, co-leader of the expedition, on return to the US organized the first Antarctic Institute at Hamline University (St. Paul, MN) which I attended. The following year I met Norman D. Vaughan at the Antarctica Institute and established a relationship that changed my life and the lives of teachers and children in countless places. More on that later.

1991 - 1995 [|International Arctic Project]: With rudimentary distance learning technologies teachers from 4 continents came together to form the World School for Adventure Learning. I was fortunate enough to be part of the original Design Team that developed curriculum for this four-year project. With three training expeditions and the featured expedition teachers and students integrated environmental themes into their Language, Science, Math and Social Studies curricula. Each summer the Design Team would meet to review, revise and re-invent the school connections, Emerging Internet technologies were pioneered and more times than not, they failed to meet expectations, but the commitment of the group never wavered and in May of 1995 the international team of two women and four men completed the crossing of the Arctic Ocean. In the process they gathered vital data pertaining to global warming (an issue that was either scoffed at or ignored at the time) and tested the limits of human endurance. The efforts (successful and otherwise) of members of the Design Team are chronicled in the book: //Project Circles: The World School For Adventure Learning// [|Click here to download the book in PDF.]

[|1991 - 1994 Mount Vaughan Antarctic Expedition:] Concurrent with events and activities of the International Arctice Project I was serving as Education Director for Norman Vaughan's expedition to the mountain Admiral Byrd had named for him for his contributions to the 1928 - 1930 Byrd Antarctic Expedition (the first American expedition to the Antarctic). Using e-mail and a very primitive web site we shared the excitement of the expedition and the inspiration of this "non-traditional" hero (an 88 year-old man with a dream) with students in 47 states and six countries. It was a labor of love, or as Norman called it, A Marvelous Adventure and brought about the realization that dreams are meant to be followed.

1998 [|World School - Antarctica]: Inspired by Norman Vaughan's indomitable spirit and motivated by a life-long desire to visit the highest, driest, coldest, windiest, iciest place on Earth, and accompanied by a fellow member of the IAP Design Team, Justin Mutrux, I organized the World School - Antarctica Adventure Learning Project. In November 1998 Justin and I departed the US along with Will Steger for a two-week Antarctic adventure. Before, during and after we conducted lessons "from the Ice" and communicated with students and teachers across the country and around the world on issues from global warming to penguin behavior. This was the fulfillment of a life-long dream and getting to do it with America's premier polar explorer, Will Steger, was nothing short of icing on the cake. Ask me about our crossing of the Drake Passage!

2002 World School - Alaska: Once again the inspiration of Norman Vaughan put me on the trail of adventure - and lured Justin out of retirement (he's a former Presidential Award Winning Science teacher from Missouri). This time we were joined by a new friend and believer in Project-Based Learning, Gary Scranton (now retired, School Psycologist from Wyalusing Area SD). Our mission was three-fold: introduce a new group of students and teachers to Norman Vaughan; explore the ecology and environment of the Alaskan Interior; and get to know the daily life of residents of the villages along the original Serum Run Trail. Norman organized an annual three-week trek from Nenana to Nome and we were going to represent the Lower 48. The trip was a huge success and as in the past, we worked with students and teachers before, during and after to make curriculum connections. Teachers in Wyalusing, Wellsboro, Sayre, Loyalsock Township and across the country became part of the project. The web site for this project is no longer available via the WWW, but it is archived on CD.

"DREAM BIG AND DARE TO FAIL"
 * A Final Note:** Yes, there's a definite //polar bias// to these projects, but that's simply because these regions are of personal interest to me, In addition to these projects I have also worked with projects in South America, Europe and Micronesia - where even the concept of snow is unfathomable! And projects don't need to be of "global proportions" to be interesting. The most rewarding outcomes of all the projects I've been connected with have been the local-action components. This is where the real work is done and where the real (lasting) learning occurs.