On April 15th 2015, a group of 15 BFA high school students and 2 chaperones embarked on a trip to England for 10 days. This multi-disciplinary educational adventure was centered on the cultural and intellectual history of England while providing ample opportunities for fitness and fun. One critical element to its success is that students plan the trip from start to finish; they are not passive travelers being moved from place to place with a tour guide. Each student is an active, fully invested participant, the leader in creating his or her own itinerary.
During the first part of their trip, students spent numerous hours on the ground and under ground navigating their way through the city of London. Some of the cultural and commercial sites they visited include Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, the Science Museum, the British Museum, Greenwich, Globe Theater, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and more. Students then traveled via high-speed train to the heart of the Lake District and the small, historic village of Keswick. Keswick is on Lake Windemere and is famous as a haunt of the romantic poets Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth. Keswick offers an intimate encounter with the fabled English countryside with paddling, mountain biking, horseback riding, shopping, hiking and visits to historical sites. As with London, students created their own itinerary in Keswick.
This adventure is a great example of authentic student-centered, student-led learning outside classroom walls. This keynote, created by CeLynn Siemons captures the experience from a student’s perspective.
Essential Expectations:
Problem Solving
Citizenship
Habits of Mind
Communication
FWSU Action Plan:
Leadership in a Student Centered Learning Environment
Student-Centered Learning
Flexible Learning Environments
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