WHY People Explore: Past, Present and Future

One of our favorite questions in The Hive is "WHY DO WE NEED TO LEARN THIS?". We're educating our young learners to frame their experiences around that very question; to continually seek out the relevance in what they are learning each and every day both in school and in the broader scope of their life experiences. "WHY?" should be the driving force behind each of their learning experiences and their curiosity and quest for future knowledge and understanding of everything around them. 

As you may recall from our last blog post, we've been delving into the motives behind early European exploration in North America. Our discoveries (no pun intended) have helped us better understand the past and how it has shaped and influenced the world we live in today. To offer an opportunity to have our learners really extend their thinking on the knowledge they have built around this topic, we asked them to consider some challenging ideas. Specifically: How has exploration shaped our world? How might the reasons for exploration have changed over time? Are there still more opportunities for future exploration? This week's guest bloggers exercise their brain muscles in a big way as they think deeply and critically about the impact of exploration in the past, present and future. This is what the "WHY?" looks like. Enjoy.

One way that exploration has shaped our world is that people have been able to bring resources to new places. People used to explore to find new land and resources and to spread Christianity. Reasons for exploration now include things like scientific research and finding cures for sicknesses and diseases. There are still lots more opportunities for future exploration like oceans that haven't been fully explored. There could be new sea creatures or plants that could help with scientific research.   - "Mala"

There are still more opportunities for future exploration because there is a lot that we don't know about in space, like new planets and resources that we could use on those planets.  - "Santa"

One way that exploration has shaped our world is that many more people became Christian because the motive of some explorers was to spread Christianity. Another way is that languages have been spread as well throughout different parts of the world.  Exploration has changed since the 1500s. People who explore now are more interested in finding things that will help improve science, technology, and civilizations.  There are plenty of opportunities for future exploration, like in space, you might be able to start new civilizations on other planets or you might find new resources on other planets that could be useful to us. -"Cheese"

I think exploration has shaped our world by explorers bringing different cultures with them when they arrived at new places and learning about new cultures in places they explored and bringing it back to their countries. There are still more opportunities for future exploration because there is a whole universe to still explore as well as oceans. If we explore those places, we might find new plants or animals that could help us.   - "Lize"

One way that exploration has shaped our world is if exploration didn't happen, people might not desire new and interesting resources or technology. People would be stuck in the way that they lived a long time ago, knowing almost nothing. There would also be a lot more people dying every day due to sickness and disease because cures would not be shared.  One way that reasons for exploration have changed is that more people today are interested in finding new medicines or cures for sicknesses.  - "Cat"

There are still more opportunities for future exploration because there are many things to explore in space. I find space interesting and I think that you could find new resources or even things that could help make new medicine in space if we try hard to find it.  - "Ritzi"

Exploration has shaped our world by bringing people to new places and having people settle and colonize in new places. People have moved around and found new places to live and they bring their culture with them when they do. This shows other people new ways to dress, introduces new foods to eat and maybe you even bring your language with you and other people start to speak that language. You also might bring resources with you and introduce them to the new place you live in. There are still more opportunities to explore - years of research and exploration in space and in the ocean!  - "Soda"

Exploration has shaped our world so much since the 1500s. For example, if European explorers hadn't discovered some of the resources and materials that they did, like certain spices, then life in 2020 wouldn't be all that it is now. Those spices represented a different culture and with those spices, people could make foods that originated in different parts of the world. They were able to experience different types of foods right in their own country. Reasons for exploration have changed somewhat because now there are people who want to explore space and the deeper parts of our oceans. Some people believe there may be life on Mars and that it could help us in some way. Others believe that there are ocean plants and animals that haven't been identified yet that could benefit us in some way. There are definitely still more opportunities for future exploration.  - "Glisten"

Hold Onto Your Sails! Experiential Learning is Taking a New Turn in The Hive

Understanding how much benefit the kids reap from actively experiencing their learning through PBLs, design thinking and field experiences (even when field experiences happen via Skype), we hoisted our sails as teachers presented learners with a new way to experience their learning: through interactive simulations. As we continue to strive to foster deep and meaningful learning, we find that interactive simulations really seem to hit the mark when it comes to exploring historical events. They can be both motivating and empowering, providing opportunities for learners to put their investigative interests and skills to work, to take on responsible roles and develop important critical thinking and problem-solving skills as a result of their interaction.  

This week, learners engaged in two different interactive simulations that offered them an opportunity to deepen their understanding of some of the challenges that early European explorers faced during their expeditions to the "New World". This week's guest bloggers reflect on their experiences. 

The simulations helped me to understand how hard it must have been for explorers to try and find land, explore, and be successful. I didn't know that explorers first had to find someone to finance their expeditions, that they had to load certain supplies on their ships and after they were at sea, their boat could sink, they could run out of supplies, or they might not find new territories or resources and be unsuccessful. I think the biggest challenge for explorers was finding someone to finance their expeditions.    - "Cat"

These simulations helped me to better understand what explorers might have experienced on their voyages to the New World because I realized how hard it was for them to navigate without a lot of knowledge about where they were going (they did not have the best maps). Also, they didn't know how long they would be at sea and they could run out of food and supplies. In my opinion, the biggest challenge that explorers faced while they were at sea was keeping morale high.     - "Blinga"

The simulations helped me understand how hard it must have been for the explorers - something I never thought of. I learned that a lot of bad things would happen on their voyages because they didn't have the technology to help them navigate. In my opinion, some of the biggest challenges explorers faced while they were at sea were getting blown off course or running out of supplies.      - "Clover"

The simulations helped to develop my understanding of what explorers might have experienced when coming to the New World because during the simulations, I kept going back and forth between "Europe" and "Visit With the Royals", which meant that it must have been hard to get funding for expeditions. I also learned that if you didn't have a reliable crew, your expedition would not go very well. In my opinion, the biggest challenge or obstacle that explorers faced was keeping the crew's morale high and the possibility that they would run out of supplies.      - "Glisten"

These simulations helped me to understand some of the challenges that explorers faced while at sea. It was important for everyone on board to do their job correctly because the rest of the crew was relying on you. In my opinion, the biggest challenge that explorers faced on their voyages was keeping the food from spoiling and eating only a little bit at a time so that they didn't run out of it before they got to their destination.     - "Water"

The simulations helped me develop a better understanding of how hard it actually was to get across the Atlantic Ocean. For example, their caravels could freeze in the ice (navigating through the Northwest Passage) and they could be stuck in it for a long time, sometimes years. I think the most challenging obstacle that the explorers faced was the lack of food on their ships. If they ran out, they could starve to death - especially if they were stuck in the ice for a really long time.      - "Wifi"

In my opinion, the biggest problem that explorers faced on their expeditions was keeping morale high so that their crews would not commit mutiny.    - "Yo!"

The simulations helped me to better understand some of the problems that explorers experienced while at sea, like running out of supplies, weather, and going off course. In my opinion, the biggest challenge for explorers was trying to keep the food from going bad.     - "Fia"

The simulations helped me learn a lot about what explorers experienced on their expeditions to the New World. I learned that keeping the crew's morale high was really important, otherwise, they might commit mutiny. Lots of sailors would get seasick on their journeys and that made things worse for the crew. In my opinion, I think the biggest challenges that explorers faced were getting funding for their expeditions and not finding new land or territory to claim.     - "Cheese"

In my opinion, the biggest challenge that explorers faced was navigating their ships because maps weren't that helpful back then and they did not have a lot of tools to help them find new land.    - "Champ"

The Power of Productive Struggle

Learners in The Hive are learning that math is not just about getting the right answers, it's about the process. 

As teachers, we know that not every math problem-solving method/strategy speaks to every learner. Introducing a variety of problem-solving strategies and tools, and allowing learners ample time to grapple with them is paramount to math success. It's this grappling or "productive struggle" that encourages learners to attack a problem in a way that makes sense to them; it allows them to build perseverance through trial and error and practice using a variety of strategies. As each learner attempts to solve a problem or learn a new strategy, they ask themselves questions like: What is the problem asking me to do? What information is provided? What part do I understand and what part is giving me trouble? It's these types of questions that engage learners and provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of a problem because they're given the opportunity to attack it on their own. Productive struggle helps learners develop important learning habits, including but not limited to perseverance and flexible thinking. Teaching learners to embrace the process of working through a problem, thinking outside the box, and not getting discouraged when they initially fail is essential to their success as a math learner.

When learners understand the purpose behind the struggle and embrace the idea that their efforts must be focused and working toward achieving a goal, it can change feelings of hopelessness to empowerment. This week's guest bloggers reflect on the successes of their own productive struggles.

I really struggled with adding and subtracting like and unlike fractions. I think I knew how to do it all along, but my brain just blanked out at so much information, I couldn't pick out the parts of it that I understood and which parts I didn't quite understand. I got through this struggle when I gave myself some time and put some thought into really focusing on just one part of a problem at a time. After a while, everything just came to me, like I switched on the lightbulb in my brain. It felt so good to finally understand something I wasn't able to understand for so long. If my peers were struggling with something in math, the advice I would give them is to not expect to understand everything right away. I would tell them to slow down and take the time to realize that it's totally okay to struggle with something that your classmates or friends aren't. Everyone's brains learn differently and work at a different pace.    - "Glisten"

Something I really struggled with in math was when we were adding fractions. I wasn't sure how to get the same denominator. I got through it by practicing, not wasting time, and working with others. Now it's easy to add fractions with unlike denominators! Some advice I would give to someone who is struggling with fractions would be to not give up.    - "Cat"

I was struggling with comparing and adding fractions a lot, so I started to use the rectangle fraction manipulatives to help me make sense of fractions. After a couple of weeks, I didn't really need the manipulatives anymore and now I can do it on my own. If a classmate of mine was struggling with fractions, I would try to teach them the strategy that worked for me, and if they are still struggling, I would have them try a different strategy.     - "Clover"

Struggle time in math is really helpful, especially when we were learning about division. I was trying to find a good strategy that I could understand and had spent a week trying to figure out the strategy that made sense to me. I finally discovered the magical strategy of the Big 7 Method! From then on, I could solve any division problem. If you are struggling with division, it's okay. You will figure it out at some point, as long as you try new methods and don't ever give up.     - "Dune"

The advice I would give to my peers who are struggling with something in math is to ask for help from a teacher, focus on what is being reviewed, and to participate even if you are not sure if you have the right answer.    - "Aloha"

In math, I struggled with fractions for so long. I got through it by working on fractions and practicing with them almost every day until I got better. My advice to someone who is struggling with fractions is to never give up because you will eventually get it.   - "Yah"

Something I really struggled with in math was double-digit multiplication. I kept messing up when I was adding up the numbers, so I would get the answer wrong. I got through it by asking the teacher for help if I couldn't figure out the answer myself or if I knew the answer was wrong. My advice to my classmates would be to never be afraid to ask for help because that's what I did and my teachers really helped me to find out how to fix my mistakes.     - "Rianna"

In math, I was struggling with double-digit multiplication because I kept forgetting to drop the zero. I helped myself by spacing everything out correctly and then adding the zero. My advice to someone who is having trouble in math is to take it easy on yourself and take whatever time you need to figure things out. Don't rush.     - "Lize"

Something I really struggled with in math was division. I really just did not understand how it worked. When we learned the Big 7 method, I could not figure out how to do it on my own. Ms. Davis and my dad both tried to help teach me the method, but when we had a division problem for our math warm-up, I would always get it wrong. I could not remember how to do it. Finally, I was introduced to the box method and it made much more sense to me. Now, I always get my math division warm-ups right!  The advice I would give to my peers who are struggling with something in math is to be patient and try new strategies. Eventually, you will have success.      - "Ritzi"