January 13, 2007

Vinalhaven Island Viking Adventures


I just got off the phone with an old friend of mine. He was telling me about a project his school is doing called Viva Sail.

A group of students have restored a sail boat and sailed it to the Bahamas. Come spring they will sail it back to Maine while keeping up with their course work from the boat.

They have a web site telling more about the project including crew bios and the ship's log. I like this quote from their mission statement.

"This program is designed to bring relevance to the learning process and thereby engage students in a way that is largely absent in public schools. Relevance refers to the importance of learning. When a student can make the connection between the “what” and “why” of learning, natural curiosity and a willingness to seek out knowledge are promoted. Relevance can not be separated from learning when the student is learning through experience. It has long been known that “experiential education” can put life into learning."

Nice project - I can't wait for the return leg to start so we can follow along.

2 comments:

  1. This is often overlooked, experintial education orginated from sail training and was intended for mariners. The sea and the winds are the greatest teacher in the world.

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  2. Anonymous8:35 AM

    Ha Mr.Mundahl, that sounds like an incredible experience. I know Someone from my trip to Ireland Who lives in New Jersey and has done the same thing. She did it with a program instead of her school. I think that is an outstanding idea and that the students who do that must be lucky to beable to have a lot of fun and learn so much as well.

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