If your school doesn’t have iPads or tablets, then your students are probably bringing miniature versions in their pockets. However, current technology has put this medium at our fingertips in ways that elementary-aged kids can access. It is also a strategy that any teacher can put into practice, whether they are going on an expedition or not.įilmmaking may sound like an activity for older students, requiring a specialized teacher and expensive equipment. What I discovered was a strategy that intrinsically motivates students, providing them opportunities for meaningful learning and a powerful way to share their knowledge.
Months before, when I learned that I was selected as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow for National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions, I began to look for a way to engage my fifth-graders in the experience. I was filming his eating behaviors in a field on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands-not for a nature show, but for a group of 10-year-olds. I recently found myself face-to-face with a giant tortoise.
Bryan gathers footage for his students while on his expedition as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship is a professional development opportunity for pre-K–12 educators made possible by a partnership between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Education. The following post was written by 2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Bryan Johnson, a fifth-grade teacher from Tacoma, Washington, after his expedition to Galápagos.
