Learning Beyond the Classroom
Over the past few days, I have heard so much wonderful feedback from our students who participated in the school’s global trips over break. Some traveled to the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences in Honduras, where they worked alongside marine biologists and used the barrier reef as a living lab. Some were in Greece exploring the ancient sites they have read about in classics and history, as well as the roots and realities of modern Greek democracy. Some traveled to Arizona where they took in the region’s natural beauty, learned about indigenous history, and investigated climate change and water issues.
The programs were chosen and designed by BUA faculty, who added their expertise and learned alongside the students. The guiding vision behind all three trips was to create rich, hands-on learning experiences tied to BUA’s curriculum, but which could only happen outside our walls.
Many of the students I’ve talked to reflect on how powerful and memorable these learning experiences were – how eye opening place-based learning can be; how great it felt to be learning alongside students outside their grade and typical friend groups; how nice it was to be with their teachers and advisors in a different setting; how purposeful it felt to be learning by doing. I’m grateful to all our teachers and staff who led these programs and to our students for diving into these learning adventures.