Cheryl Schnell, Co-Founder – Wisconsin Green Schools Network (now FIELD Edventures), was looking for a program that would encourage educators to foster learners through discovery. When she found Agents of Discovery, she was pleased to find it provided: content that was aligned to curriculum objectives and performance expectations, analytic dashboards for teachers to track student progress, and flexible options to guide student learning outdoors. As schools look for inquiry-based activities, Agents of Discovery acts as a guide where the teacher cannot. One of the many drawbacks in a blended learning environment outdoors is that the teacher cannot be in all places at once. Agents of Discovery “takes students outdoors in an inquiry-based activity that is guided – it guides them where students should be in location and in study”, says Cheryl. She is confident that students explore inquiry-based learning and critical thinking through the pre-Challenge and post-Challenge content. Questions can be prompts for deeper thinking or journal entries which provide meaningful connections to the content they are investigating.
“It’s a format students are familiar with, and it eases teacher’s anxiety when taking students outdoors for the first time. Using the environment as a context to learning is essential in learning and teaching, and Agents of Discovery is a tool educators can use to make that process easier.” Cheryl Schnell Co-Founder Wisconsin Green Schools Network (now FIELD Edventures)
“During COVID-19 the Agents of Discovery app keeps learning meaningful and connects students with content – all while ensuring they keep a safe distance”, says Cheryl. The platform has become a tool for educators to turn to for assistance.
Sometimes classrooms within a district are not fully integrated into inquiry-based learning, so the Agents of Discovery platform becomes a valuable tool to support educational innovation. It’s a great first step for students and educators who are new to the outdoors and want to explore geospatial skills using GPS tools.
The Agents of Discovery platform blends effortlessly with experiential learning, and becomes a tool for deeper learning outdoors. Connections between content and location are created. Place-based learning provides a way for students to stop at a specific location and connect content to their learning experience at that location.
Cheryl has found that students are engaged when playing the Agents of Discovery platform. She encourages older students to apply their learning by creating Agents of Discovery games that can be shared with other students.