Transformative Power of Travel: Short Term Study Abroad for High School Students

Abstract

Much of current educational research and instruction is focused on standardization.  Test scores have become the dominant currency for measured success.  In this paper I argue that as educators we must stop fact based instruction directed at building good test takers.  Our responsibility, especially in the Humanities, is to help students to become moral and productive citizens.  To this point, this article discusses exploratory learning through short-term student travel.  There is a great need for educators within the Humanities to critically debate what it is we want of and for our students; this article is a small part of that debate.  It is my central argument that the experiences students have outside of the classroom have a more powerful and lasting impact on their educational, social, and moral development.

Keywords: study abroad, student travel, pluralism, experiential learning