Arctic Transect and GoNorth!
GoNorth! is the world’s forerunner in adventure learning, with free K-12 adventure learning programs delivered to classrooms worldwide on an annual basis since 2000. Reaching more than three million learners annually (across all fifty states and the entire globe), the first six GoNorth! programs provided the grounding proof-of-concept for AL. In these programs, students from around the world completed research-based lesson plans while interacting with an Arctic dogsledding expedition team, scientists, and their peers and teachers. Students learned about climate change, Arctic geography and culture, and issues of sustainability, among other topics, as they followed live expeditions that traversed the circumpolar Arctic.
From the Arctic to Africa, adventure learning (AL) is changing how students learn and teachers teach. AL provides students with authentic learning experiences within a hybrid online environment, as students follow along with a live expedition centered on a specific location and issue and tied to a predesigned curriculum. Learners separated by distance and time are able to connect with one another, access authentic data and media assets tied to a real-world event, and collaborate with each other, with field experts, and with the expedition team.
Aaron is a pioneer in adventure learning, and established the framework and guiding principles for AL. You can read more about adventure learning by accessing one of his many research articles or www.earthducation.com.
GoNorth! 2010 Greenland
Brought focus to our oceans and to Greenland and the Kalaallit people as the team explored approaches to sustainable development of the ocean’s resources, sharing their journey and discoveries with millions of schoolchildren worldwide.
GoNorth! 2009 Nunavut
The team explored the consequences of transboundary pollution while traveling along the spine of Baffin Island and up the coast of the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay in the land of the Inuktitut people.
GoNorth! 2008 Fennoscandia
The team traveled 1,000 miles by dogsled across Arctic Sweden, Finland, and Norway in the Sápmi region, investigating the issues of deforestation with the Sámi people.
GoNorth! 2007 Chukotka
Traveling to what is considered the most remote Arctic region, the team explored culture and the use of mineral resources in the last secret outpost of the former Soviet Union. Geographically isolated, the peninsula is considered one of the least known places on earth.
GoNorth! 2006 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The team journeyed across northeast Alaska through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, stopping at five Native communities and one oil platform along the way while investigating impacts of oil exploration and the sustainability of the Earth’s natural resources.
Arctic Transect 2004
A 6-month, 3,000-mile traverse of the Canadian Arctic from Yellowknife, NWT, to Pond Inlet, Nunavut, this expedition documented climate change in the Arctic. The team met with Inuit Elders and students enroute and explored traditional ecological knowledge in the remote communities along the trail.
Acknowledgements
The research, design, and delivery of GoNorth! were supported in part by grants from the Best Buy Children’s Foundation and Nomads Adventure and Education.