Tourists vs Travelers....Looking at Learning Through a Different Lens

As our plane touched down in Athens, Greece in late March, I had no idea the impact the experience that traveling with 37 students would have on my ideas about learning. Our tour director in Greece, Michael meet us at baggage claim and guided us to our bus. Once we were on the road, Michael, welcomed us all. He was upbeat and commented on how happy and alert we all seemed after a very long day of travel. I secretly was thinking, ya buddy we aren't really that chipper, but then I gave him the benefit of the doubt in greeting us positively. Michael then went on to ask each of us about our motives for traveling to Greece. He continued to ask questions... What is it you are curious about? What is it you want to know more about? What is it that you'd like to experience? He said repeatedly that a traveler wanders two or three blocks past the ordinary and experiences the people and actions that are actually happening in the culture. ​Michael had my attention.

You see he went on to explain that in his eyes tourists were visitors that came to Greece to see things, have their pictures taken, and say I have been there and done that. Yet, travelers are people that come to dive into the culture and learn. A traveler enters a destination ready to mutually learn from the people they interact with.  

As we traveled, Michael gave all of us background knowledge that we would need to fully understand and learn from the destination that we would be visiting. After giving the information he would check for understanding every time. He did this by walking the aisle asking each person on the bus a question. He would return to the bus microphone and clarify any questions people had, he engaged the adults on the bus the same way he did the kids. We then experienced the historical site, or venue and had time to hear additional information from a local guide, and explore on our own. But before releasing us each time to wander, Michael asked a question he wanted answered when we returned. After time alone, we returned to our bus, our classroom. Michael would unpack our experience. And then again walk the aisle of the bus and get specific feedback from every traveler. He would use the questions and reflections that he collected to guide our learning as we moved to the next destination.

In our classrooms, are we asking our kids to grab pictures and facts to say that they have been there and done that? Or are we asking them to go a few streets back and experience the content and connect in a meaningful way. As educators, are we serving as guides providing background knowledge and conveying an expectation to learners that they are embarking on a journey. And as kids make wrong turns are we saying it's ok and allowing them to back up, retrace their steps and try again? You see Michael upped the game when he met our group, he told us up front that we could be tourists or travelers and asked what are expectation was and why were we there?  He gave us a choice.

I made a decision sitting on the bus. I wanted to be a traveler and to learn and go deeper. I approached every experience differently with that mindset. I needed content and background knowledge, I needed to document and take pictures and make connections along the way.  I needed to enter each experience with questions that I was looking for the answers to. And I needed a time and space to share what I observed and learned.

 In parting Michael shared a beautiful poem, "Ithaka" by C.P. Cavafy.  My journey wrapped up with me searching to find the text and soak it all in.  (Here is also a youtube link of Sean Connery reading Ithaka.) 

As educators are we framing the experiences in our schools in a way where kids can make a choice to connect to content in a more meaningful way, not merely as students but engaged as learners?