Teacher's Notes
Getting Started
The idea behind adventure learning is pretty simple. Transport students outside their classroom walls through an online, real-time, real-life adventure. Engage their imagination and spark genuine inquiry by collaborating with them as the journey unfolds. Make their experience part of the fabric of the expedition by valuing their contributions in the forum and posting their work in the Learning ZONE. You can use this site and the adventure as much or as little as you choose. It might fit into a few minutes before the bell goes on a Friday afternoon, or it might be how to kickstart your literacy block. There will be a 50 page student workbook and a full curriculum to download here by the end of May. This 4-8 week learning block will draw on the daily shared experiences gained through the expedition, 'The Crusoe Project'.
Daily
Every evening, beginning August 1st, we will post a brief report and photo with progress from the day. These reports will also include responses for the forum, suggestions for lessons, and a word of the day. In your classroom, have a map available for students to track progress with coloured pins. Encourage students to post ideas to the forum, suggest subjects for photos, and make predictions. Anything that augments an understanding of isolation, nutrition, and island biodiversity will be a particular focus this year. Google Earth is a powerful tool to discover more.
Weekly
The Learning ZONE is there specifically for student contributions. Every week, or when possible, set aside some time to conduct a lesson from the curriculum. Use the suggested lesson ideas or build your own (be sure to post your lesson plans to the forum so other teachers can use them too). Choose some finished work to be sent to the site for permanent publication. This is an excellent way to reinforce the relevance of their work, as others will read it and learn from it. Slowly, the Learning ZONE will build into a reference tool where each student or class group has some ownership. By following the daily dispatch, students will naturally find areas they want to find out more about, go with the expedition flow!
The Forum
The forum is where students can pose questions, make suggestions, add comments and generally be a part of the expedition as it happens. We will be reading it daily and responding as soon as possible (most days). In the interests of privacy, students should not post with their full names and not disclose unnecassary personal information at any time. The forum is monitored daily and all posts are read and approved by a moderator before going online.
Going Further
The online collaboration and unfolding journey are free for everyone, no strings attached. But if you're a Tasmanian school who would like to add an exclamation mark, we offer school presentations (1 hour), and school workshops (1 day) before the expedition.
The students in Mr Mechis' class throw a few curly ones at me.
