Hawaii Study Tour in Oahu 2024 Spring

Hello, this is Kaburaki, GLI representative.

This year's spring break was two weeks long, with Saturdays and Sundays falling on the weekend before and after. Therefore, the Oahu Tour last year was 4 nights and 6 days, but this year we were able to make it 6 nights and 8 days.

GLI tours are all handmade. With the help of people we know who have lived in the area for many years,The concept is about places you can't normally go, people you can't meet, and experiences you can't have.We have in mind the creation of tours in which participants can experience growth and change when they return home.

By the way, my consulting services to schools are,Creating a curriculum of experiential learning that fosters competence through this experience.It is.

In Japan, school excursions have become a form of sightseeing rather than learning, but simply put, we teach students how to master learning (shugaku) through experience. How do we turn on the motivation through experiences and experiences? I'd like to share some of the secrets with you. Please read the last part of this article to find out the secret.

Tour Digest

Well, on the 27th, I left Narita for Honolulu on an ANA flight.

The first stop on arrival is,Bishop Museum (=BM)BM is a place of learning where many local children visit to learn about Hawaii's history and cultural origins. Many families purchase an annual passport.

The purpose of this tour is to learn the basics of Hawaii for later use in your tours. Please visit us when you visit Oahu with your family.

Then we went to the Hawaii State Legislature. This is where we encountered an LGBTQ demonstration last year and suddenly got culture shock. We visited the secretary's office of the state legislature, asked a lot of questions, and got a stamp of the state legislature on our passports (a rarity).

I wonder what the children thought about the fact that important decisions of the state of Hawaii are made here. I was surprised to see photos of state legislators, who are much younger than those in Japan.

twenty-eighth day of the month

Mid PacLocated next to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, it is an integrated school from kindergarten through high school.

First of all, I was surprised at the size of the premises. There were no partitions between classrooms, and most importantly, everyone greeted me in a friendly manner, which made me feel the warmth of Hawaii. There are also robotics and business classes, and it is one of the few IB schools in Hawaii. If you are interested in studying abroad, please feel free to contact us.

Afternoon.Genki Allawai ProjectParticipation in the

The Ala Wai Canal is the symbolic canal of Waikiki, but it is very dirty. This project to clean up the Ala Wai Canal is led by a friend of mine, Chikako, a Japanese woman from Okinawa who has lived in Hawaii for over 25 years.

A program that throws dirt-eating microorganisms into the canal in the form of sludge dumplings.It is. We made a lot of dumplings and then threw them into the canal. We actually saw fish eating the dumplings that fell down near us, and we were able to feel how clean they were.

twenty-ninth day of the month

In the morningMarine Biology Center (=MBC)visited the

MBC is located on Kaneohe, a remote island off the east coast of Oahu, and is a facility of the University of Hawaii that conducts research on marine life by blocking off the outside world to prevent unwanted organisms from entering.

As you can see in the picture, the researchers also go to the facility by boat. On this day, they spoke about their research on coral reefs.

In the afternoon, we will go directly north along the eastern coastline for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.Waimea ValleyThe difference between this view on the east shore and the view in the center of the island on the way back is a symbol of the diversity of nature in Hawaii. The difference between the view on the east coast and the view in the center of the island on the way back is symbolic of the diversity of nature in Hawaii and is definitely something I would like my children to see.

Waimea Valley is home to over 5,000 plants and many native Hawaiian birds. The iconic banyan and monkeypod trees are too large to describe, and the old-growth forests are divine.

At the far end of the canyon is a waterfall, and a swim in the waterfall basin is shown in the photo.

The children were swimming loudly and excitedly. Perhaps swimming in a waterfall pool is not an experience you get that often in your life.

In the evening, we returned to the hotel for a dinner prepared by Ayumu Sensei.

thirty days

Wake up at 5:30 a.m., leave at 6:00 a.m. for the west coast of Oahu.Port of WaianaeThe first day of the tour, we took the east coast route. This route, combined with yesterday's east coast route, will take us almost around the island of Oahu.

The west coast of Oahu is an area that still retains much of its pristine nature and has not been developed as much as the Honolulu area, and is an area where you can see Oahu as it was in the past.

From Waianae Harbor, we set out on a Taklamakan ship to look for a pod of dolphins offshore. Although April is the limit month for whales to go to the Arctic Circle, they were able to encounter them this year as well as last year.

The tour lasted about 2 hours, stopping the boat for snorkeling and lunch. Rieko, the president (president) of Dolphin University, is also a business owner I know, but she is a quirky (in a good way) and unusual woman. She is a dolphin lover.

thirty-one days

Sunday Morning. Held every Sunday at Aloha Stadium.Swap Meet & MarketplaceI went to a flea market called

It is the largest flea market in Hawaii and has everything from daily necessities to crafts. The souvenirs are less than half the price of those in Waikiki, and the kids and teachers were buying a lot of stuff.

In the hour we were in the field, we made only 20 meters of progress. It was hard to move forward because of this and that. At the food space, we each bought something we liked and ate it under the shade of a tree.

thereafterSeelaufparkto feed the birds and visit a museum to learn about wildlife and the reality of plastic waste.

We learned that the most damaging microplastics are those that have been scraped off and reduced in size, and that wildlife mistakenly eat them.

The windy winds of yesterday suddenly changed today, and it was scorching hot and summery. On the way to Sea life park from Waikiki, we passed through the Kahala area, a very upscale residential area, and saw the size and gorgeousness of the area.

Some of the children insisted that they would live here in the future. We asked them to please live here and invite us.

At 6:00 pm we went to Kzoo Radio for a rehearsal. We decided on the order and the content other than the presentation.

The main announcer, Colleen, is a well-known announcer who knows many celebrities. She is good friends with Tube and Southern, and Dr. Ayumu (a big fan of Southern) was envious.

one day

On this day, we finally appeared on Kzoo Radio, a local Local radio station. For 30 minutes from 10:45 to 11:15 AM, we each had 2-3 minutes to announce our experiences on this tour in English.

Music was playing, announcements of evacuation drills were made during the drill, time signals were sounded, and a glimpse of the radio broadcast was also available.

Above all, the main announcer, Colleen, kept the broadcast well-paced, well-colored, and well-structured. Since it was an online broadcast, parents in Japan were able to listen in.

The broadcast time was 5:45 in the morning in Japan. Thank you for coming so early in the morning. The children's sense of accomplishment after the broadcast was so refreshing that words cannot express it.

After that, we finally had some free time to shop at the Ala Moana Shopping Center and go swimming at the Hilton Lagoon.

At night, we had a Farewell BBQ Party, which was attended by local business owners, Kzoo Radio, and University of Hawaii students who attended the event.

Now, how can we encourage growth through activity?

Among them.Two elements of particular importance are "two."We believe that there are

One is.How to proceed with the tourIn many cases, the teacher or adult is in charge of everything. In many cases, a teacher or adult is in charge and the children simply follow his or her instructions. In other words, it is a pre-made tour.

However, in GLI tours, the children are the main actors and the teachers are the facilitators. Although the itinerary is fixed, the children think and act for all the activities in the tour.

For example, what to eat for lunch, or what time to do something. 、、、、 By doing so, you will take the initiative, develop the habit of thinking for yourself, and when you get it done, you will feel that you have done it yourself.

The other is."People."I think that is a good idea.

The places you visit and the activities themselves are important, but what kind of people will you interact with? But what kind of people are you going to interact with?

In this case, I am a student at the University of Hawaii. She is the daughter of a local business owner I know and her friend.

They treat the GLI children like little sisters and brothers. And by being together for the entire 6 days, they become like real brothers and sisters.

Or, Colleen from Kzoo Radio, who organizes the activities. They are not just tourists, but treat us as if we were their relatives' children.

In each case, the children's sense of belonging to Hawaii is strengthened. The activities alone are a great experience, but by getting to know the people who actually live and work in the area, they will always leave Hawaii wanting to come back.

And then it really, really does.Experience seeps into the mind.It is.

What happens when experience seeps into the mind? It is different for each person, and it can manifest itself in a variety of different ways. They become more confident, more generous, kinder, more positive,・・・・ and this is reflected in their words, actions, facial expressions, and attitudes.

I regret that I cannot show you this because it is honestly not a tangible ability, but I believe that parents who greeted their children at the airport would be able to feel the change.

And the other day, two Hawaii university students came to Japan.alumni meetingopened.

Come to think of it, the children who went to Nepal on GLI's first study tour abroad kept in touch with each other afterwards.

If you are a parent or guardian who is worried that your child is not motivated to learn, does not want to do what he/she wants to do, or is withdrawn, please let him or her participate in a GLI study tour.

As a variant of the APA Hotel president's words, I believe that willingness is proportional to the distance traveled. In other words.Motivation increases in proportion to the amount of action.That is to say.

I am not a big fan of the term "motivational switch". I don't like the term "motivation switch" because there is no way to motivate with One action.

The child's motivation is,It is heightened like hot water in a bath by many influences, including actual experience, accomplishment, and relationships with others.In short, studying all the time does not increase the desire to learn.

So if you want to motivate your child to learn, we recommend that you first get out of the house and do activities with them.

　
turnip-shaped whistle made of hollowed-out wood or deer horn (attached to an arrow to sound when fired)

　
P.S.
Study Tour to "Davao, Philippines" this summerThe following is a summary of the results.

For more information.briefingPlease come to the