Can teachers use sail training to create more inspired and engaging lessons?
Can sail training use teachers to get more students interested in the maritime world?
Click here to access a copy of the presentation file presented at the 2013 Sail Training International Conference in Aalborg Denmark.
An adapted version of this presentation will be made at the Association of Sail Training Organisation’s conference in January. Click here for more details.
Teachers have a remarkable influence on those in their care. Aside from parents, if you ask a student who has had the most impact in their lives, many will say their teachers at school.
It is with this in mind we look to another avenue of providing inspiration and guidance to the students. That being the provision of inspiration and guidance to their teachers.
The Teachers @ Sea (T@S) Program seeks to utilise a avenue of experiential learning that has been well documented through numerous studies to have tremendous positive benefits for youth. The activity, sail training.
Sail Training is an adventure learning program conducted at sea usually aboard a tall ship and has a number of unique characteristics that help make it a successful personal development experience for those who participate.
With this in mind we take the same concept and instead of sending youth to sea, we send their teachers to undertake a similar program, but one tailored specifically to showing the teachers how best to utilise this experience to create more engaging lessons and develop an interest and passion for the maritime world within their students.
A single youth participating in a sail training experience may influence between 1- 5 of their peers into taking a voyage. A teacher on the other hand has direct influence over between 30-150 students and a passionate teacher has even more influence.
Imagine then, what can be accomplished by engaging and connecting teachers with sail training through direct exposure and what they can then pass onto their students.
And don’t forget the direct cirriculum links that can be found throughout the KLAs between formal education and a sail training adventure learning program.
Science, Maths, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, Language, History, Music, Geography, Psychology, Communications, Business Studies, Visual Arts, Technology and Design, International Studies, Engineering.
Teachers who have been to sea on a sail training experience have the following comments…
“I got out of it a number of ways we can incorporate this into the classroom”
“Every time I go to the classroom we just talk about the excursion”
“Able to share the experience with other students”
“I’ve been inspired and would love to do something like this with other students”
“I’ve thought about a lot of other students that would really benefit”
“Thinking about how to create that kind of environment within the classroom”
“Most of the subjects [in school] can link with this type of activity”
“As teachers we are the first line (apart from parents) to give students input on things”
“Always thinking of ways to get students thinking outside the box and when I can say ‘this is what I did’ it may get them inspired”.
The following are some of the organisations that link education and sail training in one fashion or another. Each has their own unique approach, resources and concepts to inspire further ideas on possible links.
Citizen Science (UK). Scientific monitoring of the biology of marine life and chemistry of the sea.
Irish School Curriculum: Recommends outdoor adventurous learning to complete parts of the Physical Education Syllabus / also Yearly “Transition Year” voyage with JST.
Class Afloat (Ca). Conducts formal education “Blue Water High School” college prep program at sea for subjects like Science and Social Science from high school to university.
Poland: Multi-month and short programs with regular classes aboard and direct links to syllabus eg ‘biology of the ocean’, ‘physics under sail’
Cirdan Sailing Trust (UK): Indirect links – develop closer bonds between teachers and students. Increases in motivation in class.
Helmsman Project (AUS): Selects students from schools for an extended mentoring program with sailing components.
Marine Stewardship Council (UK) provide Skype links to the classroom on “Exploring the Oceans”
Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation (AUS) – Gain credit towards senior graduation.
Ocean Youth Trust Scotland: State school ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ used as the building block for on board program.
Gordonstoun School Scotland: Sail Training for building resilience and confidence has been written into the curriculum.
SeaMester (US) – Blends formal learning and real world application at sea (80-90 day voyages)
Spirit of Bermuda – Connect theory with real-life applications STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), connecting with the public middle school curriculum.
Alma Dopel (AUS). Multi-week student restoration volunteering program. Connects with Humanities curriculum and outdoor education
Spirit of New Zealand: Connects to every school to draw trainees from but intentionally has no direct links to curriculum. Runs a trophy program to include teachers.
Sea Education Association (US) provide long and short term post secondary education experiences
Ocean Classrooms Afloat (US) provide semester long and week long secondary education experiences covering curriculum whilst at sea.
Additional resources will be displayed here following the conferences as they are sent in by practitioners and opertors. Additionally we are in discussions with Sail Training International in regards to developing an online resource portal for all STI members .
For more information and suggested programs contact murray@mchenstock.com