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Explorers in the Classroom – Keep students engaged and learning from home

Explorers in the Classroom – Keep students engaged and learning from home

Mark Hoffman

Senior Product Marketing Manager • K-12 Science/Disciplinary Literacy • National Geographic Learning | Cengage

A 5th grade teacher friend told me about how she is trying to keep her students engaged as they continue their learning from home. “There’s a limit to the number of math worksheets you can give them,” she explained. “Have them read anything, the back of the cereal box, just as long as they’re reading!” She was hitting on the problem of keeping her students engaged from a distance, but also wanting real-world and authentic experiences that she can no longer provide in person.

One way to overcome this challenge is with live streaming videos of real National Geographic Explorers, scientists, engineers, and conservationists right at home. This is exactly what teacher Joe Grabowski started doing in his own classroom several years ago. His methods and results were so successful, he was selected to become a National Geographic Explorer in 2017 and soon after became National Geographic’s first Education Fellow.

So how can your students benefit from what National Geographic and Joe have started? Two ways, actually.

National Geographic Explorer Classroom

Explorer Classroom connects classrooms around the world with National Geographic Explorers, bringing science, exploration, and conservation to life through live video events. Students have the opportunity to ask the explorer their questions directly. Each month Explorer Classroom features a new theme and provides supporting resources for educators. Throughout the school year, classes can also join explorers live on expedition through their In the Field series.

To help students stuck at home, starting March 23, Explorer Classroom is launching a daily broadcast at 2pm Eastern time. This is in addition to other scheduled events throughout the day/week. They have also set up Family Guides for parents to help students learn more about the Explorers and the topics they study including pre- and post-session activities and questions.

Every talk is recorded, so if you can’t attend live to ask questions in person, you can view over 100 past talks with Explorers any time on National Geographic Education’s YouTube page.

Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants

Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants is the nonprofit set up by Explorer and teacher Joe Grabowski with dozens of live events each month streaming Science, Exploration, Adventure, and Conservation into classrooms across North America. Joe and his team host guest speakers and take students on virtual field trips with leading experts from around the world using special transmitters to broadcast live into classrooms and homes from the most remote regions on the planet. Since September 2015, they have run well over 1,000 live events connecting hundreds of thousands of students to scientists and Explorers in over 70 countries.

Their news series starting this month, Coronavirus Can’t Stop the Virtual Classroom, was created specifically for students and parents at home.

These talks are recorded as well and you can view hundreds of them on-demand at the Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants YouTube page.

Resources and help for those affected by COVID-19

We’re monitoring the spread and impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on K-12 schools across the country. If you’ve been affected by Coronavirus and are experiencing a school closure, we’ve collected resources for educators that may help.
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A Distance Learning Lesson On—Paper Towels?

A Distance Learning Lesson On—Paper Towels?

Andrea Kingman

Executive Product Marketing Manager • Social Sciences, Humanities, Health Science • National Geographic Learning | Cengage

As I looked out my home office window, I noticed a piece of paper towel gently billowing along the deck on a breezy, sunny March afternoon—left over from grilling outdoors the night before.  I sat up straighter—paper towel? I immediately went outside and grabbed it.  I knew I’d use it for something.  It had been outside, but I couldn’t see it going to waste.  Paper towel—gone from all the shelves in my community grocery stores, gone from the normal online ordering channels, and almost gone from my own pantry. Perhaps I could use the one piece of paper towel for cleaning or dusting.  I immediately retrieved it from the deck and set it aside.

Is there an opportunity now, in this time of an unprecedented pandemic, to create a lesson about sustainability? Is there a teachable moment to focus on developing a conscience so we are more aware of how and what we consume, usually without a moment’s hesitation?  Commodities like paper towels are taken for granted in U.S. households, in schools, restaurants, and grocery stores.  Americans use close to 13 billion pounds of paper towels each year or 80 rolls per person per year—most of which ends up in a landfill.  Once in our landfills, our serious methane, waste and pollution problems continue to grow.  (The Environmental Impact of Paper Towels, durafreshcloth.com/881-2/; Copyright c GLOBECOMAINE 2015 [email protected]; March 20, 2020)

For a distance learning lesson, why not challenge students to create a personal story.  When do they usually reach for a piece of paper towel? What could be used instead that is easily be found in the house? And on an annualized basis, how many trees might be saved?  How many trees might be saved by the time they graduate from high school? Have students think of other metrics to present.  What are other ways students can reduce use of paper or plastic?

Suggest that each student develop his or her own sustainability story and include songs, photos, or even poetry.  Ask students to create a short video, if possible, documenting their case study.  Set up a panel of judges and different categories—or even extra credit activities.  Online research sources are plentiful—and students will feel in control in a time of such uncertainly.  Their ideas or stories may even be submitted to their local newspaper.  A seemingly small contribution on how to conserve our planet’s resources starts within their family and could extend to their community. This small inquiry lesson could be fun, engaging, and rewarding.

If you are a high school teacher, the lesson above could be turned into an economics lesson on supply and demand.  Ask students to identify a commodity that is in short supply—and high demand–and turn this into a simply supply and demand research project.  Paper towels, hand sanitizers, and even spring water are good examples.  Do prices change in relationship to supply and demand? As the daughter of an economist, this was one of the lessons I learned about economics.  Now is the perfect time to illustrate how the concept of supply and demand plays out in unusual times.

Students and families are adjusting to new ways of living and new routines. Encourage your students to experience the satisfaction of being at the center of a lesson—and at the center of their own learning. 

Resources and help for those affected by COVID-19

We’re monitoring the spread and impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on K-12 schools across the country. If you’ve been affected by Coronavirus and are experiencing a school closure, we’ve collected resources for educators that may help.