Sample pre trip lesson schedule

Six Week Plan for

Pre-Trip Lessons

Galapagos Islands

Week Theme

One Set-up, Background, and

“Getting Excited”

Two Cultural Competency and

Empathy

Three History and

Modern Context

Four “Global Significance” and

Research Plans

Five

Systems Thinking

Six

Media Production

Week One

Set-up, Background, and “Getting Excited”

Week One

Objectives

1. Students are comfortable using online platforms

2. Students have basic working knowledge of destination

3. Students are motivated to learn more about their destination

4. Instructor understands student interests and knowledge of

destination

Logistics

• Students receive log-in details for Schoology and

Blackboard Connect course sites

• Meeting time for 1 whole-group meeting (Blackboard

Connect)

• Meeting times for one-to-one sessions (via Skype)

• Students utilize course features of Schoology to access

materials and upload assignments

• Instructor provides personalized feedback on assignments

Materials

1. Passions/Interests ranking exercises

2. Internet scavenger hunt for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

3. Map of the Galapagos Islands

Week One

Activities and Evaluations

Activity Output/Assessment

Students fill in basic profile on

Schoology

Interest ranking work with students

Response to Internet scavenger

hunt exercise

Students perform ranking exercise

on passions/interests , followed by

meeting with instructor 1-1 over

Skype

Students have choice of 2-3 outputs

related to their passions

Students conduct independent

research “internet scavenger hunt”

Online assessment for answers;

Sharing of “interesting things

learned” via discussion board

Students trace itinerary onto map

with “most excited” activities for

each destination

Instructor reviews and comments on

map with itinerary

Instructor provides first online

lecture on destination via

Blackboard Connect at end of week

Students voice questions about trip

and online courses

Week Two

Cultural Competency and Empathy

Week Two

Objectives

1. Students understand the complexity around defining and

delineating cultures

2. Students have developed a personal definition of what it means

to be culturally competent

3. Students understand how personal and cultural lenses affect

perceptions of events

4. Students have developed personal definition of empathy and

sense of what is required to be empathic

Logistics




Materials

1. Empathy pre-test

2. Judging expressions exercise

3. Cultural definitions exercise

4. Perspective taking exercise

Week Two



Students take empathy test and

discuss its utility

Test results and quality of discussion

Instructor facilitates asynchronous

discussions on definitions of

empathy

Quality of discussion

Students take online test on judging

emotions and discuss results

Test results and quality of discussion

Students pursue independent

research on different definitions of

culture and approaches to cultural

competency

Students present results of research

to group, Instructor facilitates

discussion

Students perform preparatory

activity on social perspective taking,

and discuss two sides of a personal

conflict

Evaluation of activity papers and

mediation of discussion of personal

conflicts

Week Three

History and Modern Context

Week Three

Objectives

1. Students broaden and deepen their knowledge of the

Galapagos Islands

2. Students develop an interest in a specific topic related to the

itinerary

3. Students gain appreciation for the work of their peers as

resources for learning

Logistics




Materials

1. Reading and viewing list

2. Assessment

3. “Briefing Sheet” assignment and examples

Week Three



Students watch/read selections

from history reading and viewing

list

Online assessment on history

of destination

Students divide modern context

topics and conduct individual

research

Students create their own

“need-to-know” briefing sheets

for modern context topics

Students present, share, and

review each other’s briefing

sheets

Instructor provides feedback

on sheets

Week Four

“Global Significance” and Research Plans

Week Four

Objectives

1. Students set realistic research topics for their trip and form

“affinity groups”

2. Students create research goals for pre-and-during trip research

3. Students select realistic individualized research outputs for the

trip

Logistics

• Meeting time for 1 group meeting (Blackboard Connect)

• Meeting times for one-to-one session (via Skype)




Materials

1. Global significance factors and broad topic exercises

2. Questions grouping activity

3. Templates for final research plans

Week Four



Instructor leads presentation on

factors that make a research topic of

global significance

Students ask questions during

presentation

Students undertake questions

grouping activity

Peers review each other’s

“questions groups”

Students choose an overall research

question

Instructor approves overall research

questions

Students categorize question groups

into pre and during trip research

Instructor approves basic research

plan

Students form affinity groups for

research and divide roles for pre-trip

research

Instructor approves groups and

roles

Students select the tangible output

that they will produce at end of trip

Instructor approves outputs

Week Five

Systems Thinking

Week Five

Objectives

1. Students understand the basics of systems thinking

approaches

2. Students comfortably use the vocabulary related to systems

thinking

3. Students are able to draw high-quality systems maps on a

range of topics

Logistics




Materials

1. Systems thinking “prep” sheets and exercises

2. Systems thinking assessment

Week Five



Students work through systems

thinking sheets and exercises

Instructor evaluation of student work

Students post and discuss examples

of feedback and balancing loops

from their own lives

Peer review and comments on

examples

Students take online exam on

systems thinking

Results of exam

Week Six

Media Production

Week Six

Objectives

1. Students understand the basics of media production planning

2. Students set up research teams to produce videos

Logistics




Materials

1. Prep sheets and exercises for

• Picking a Genre: PSA or Promotional Video

• Who's Your Audience

• What's Your Role: Producer, Writer, or Director

• Research, Research, Research

Week Six



Students choose a genre for their

documentary

Instructor approval of decisions

Students choose an audience


Students split media teams into

specific roles and begin outlining

content needs


Final group and 1-1 meetings

Documents

Sample pre trip lesson schedule