Two Stanford researchers, Tom Malone and Mark Leper, had summed up in three points their 15 years of research in what best motivates children to learn. Challenge students realistically by creating learning experiences neither too difficult nor too easy. Give students control over their learning environment. And the team offered abundant opportunities for students to control the experience. Class votes determined where the team would travel and how best to use the expedition's resources and time.
More adventure is in the works.
I had trouble believing that after hearing his stories about gross and gory Central American parasites, venomous snakes and diseases. But Buettner, tan and athletic, is ready for more adventure. The next adventure, AfricaQuest, takes the team and its online contributors to the cradle of civilization. And this is the perfect time to explore. Movements of Earth's crust have exposed geological areas previously impossible to reach.