Travel Essential Questions

The Task

Sophomores in Mexico, 2002

Every year since 2001 students at the International School of the Americas have taken trips outside of Texas with their entire grade level. I was on that first (sophomore) trip to Zacatecas, Mexico. As a freshman teacher, I now travel to Arkansas, where all 125 students spend 48 hours at Heifer Ranch to learn about hunger and poverty. We also spend a day in Little Rock. This year our administrators challenged us to create a focus question for the trip. We chose: “If there is enough for all, why don’t all have enough?”

The Work

While at Heifer Ranch, the staff uses the question to apply to food. The freshman team realized we could take the question and broaden it:  If there is enough _____ for all, why don’t all have enough? In the blank, we could write words that would apply to all the places we visit. At Central High, the blank would be filled with “quality education,” at the Clinton Presidential Library, “political power”, at Hendrix College “higher education,” and at Heifer Village/Headquarters, “sustainable resources” fits the bill.

We have always had Guiding Questions on our travel site to give parents a rationale for why we travel to Arkansas. But we have never, until this year, had a formal curriculum for students while on the trip. Circumstances necessitated some rearrangement of our itinerary this year, and we are taking that opportunity to develop more intentional time to reflect on learning during the trip (instead of only before and after). To meaningfully incorporate the essential question into our trip, we are making plans.

Reflection

To support students in Digital Media as they confront this essential question, I can provide them with a context for what they will encounter. Several years ago, I created a Google Earth lesson that allows them to use technology to explore Heifer Ranch as well as the countries that are represented at Heifer Ranch. The lesson asks them to read about and consider aspects of global poverty both abroad and in the United states. I hesitate to use the exact wording of the essential question prior to Heifer, because the impact of the statement is maximized at the moment it is revealed–at the scarcity lunch on day 1 at the Ranch. Exploring with Google Earth helps students use technology to investigate the world. 

Looking Back to Look Forward

This year’s trip will be fundamentally different from the other nine times I have been to Heifer. Because we have collaborated as a team of teachers to develop a more reflective experience, I believe students will come away with a greater appreciation for the trip. We will be giving each student a mini composition book, with questions to answer and space for writing and drawing. During my post-Heifer lesson, I expect deeper, richer learning. After they communicate ideas in a Microlab, I ask them to choose an “aha” moment to create a VoiceThread.

Another thing we are doing this year is participating in Speak Up, Speak Out. Inspired by the man who created Heifer International, we are inviting students to choose a problem in their community and develop a workable solution. They will present these plans to one another, and the best groups will present at a local competition on December 5.

The new trip curriculum and follow-up activities should enrich the experience for everyone who travels to Arkansas during the 2018 Heifer trip.

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