Naveducando
Our Educational Programs
Program Development and Planning for Students in the Galapagos
The Naveducation Foundation delivers educational programs for Galapagos schoolchildren, encouraging them to cultivate a caring attitude for the natural world. These programs prepare them for the opportunities and challenges they will face as the next generation of leaders charged with protecting the archipelago. We strive to make our lessons about ecosystems, sustainability, and conservation both personally relevant and actionable to encourage more thoughtful living every day.
Each of Naveducando’s programs are aligned around the following objectives:
- Increase our students’ knowledge of the unique Galapagos ecosystem they call home.
- Encourage them to approach nature with a sense of wonder, respect, and appreciation.
- Help them understand their connection to nature and their interdependent relationship with it.
- Raise awareness of the ecological and social impact of personal lifestyle choices.
- Spur critical consciousness of the challenges facing Galapagos.
- Foster thoughtful and ongoing discussion about conservation and sustainability.
- Motivate and empower our students to take action and encourage others to do the same.
Teaching and Learning Strategies that Focus on Conservation
The Naveducando Foundation delivers learning experiences that are top-notch, effective, and impactful.
Why do we spiral?
Echoing the spiral shape of the nautilus shell that represents the Naveducado Foundation, we base our curriculum on the spiral learning model because studies have shown that it leads to better long-term retention of information and ideas.
We spread out learning over time, frequently spiraling back to revisit topics, intentionally deepening our exploration with each iteration. In doing so, we continually reinforce and build knowledge so our students’ understanding or skill level progressively expands from basic to complex.
Why do we assess?
We strive to produce high-quality evidence-based educational experiences for our students. To do that effectively, we continually assess and adjust our efforts.
We define specific and measurable student learning outcomes to ensure we are consistently aligned across all of our programs. We systematically collect and analyze data to understand what our students are learning. Finally, we hold ourselves accountable. We are thoughtful and deliberate in our approach, and our students gain value from the learning experiences we provide.
Naveducando’s Education Programs in the Galapagos
Galapagos Infinito
The Galápagos Infinito program, launched by the Naveducando Foundation in 2017, is a “floating classroom” experience for Galápagos seventh-graders. It immerses students in nature through island hikes and marine activities like snorkeling and kayaking, teaching them about ecology, conservation, and biodiversity. Participants engage in environmental clean-ups, analyze microplastics, and learn stewardship principles. Onboard, they gain insights from the crew, exploring careers like navigation and marine engineering. Evening activities reinforce lessons on climate change, mindfulness, and personal growth. The program fosters community, respect for nature, and a sense of responsibility, inspiring students to take action to protect the Galápagos Islands.
Galápagos Infinito En Línea
The Naveducando Foundation’s Galápagos Infinito En Línea program, launched in collaboration with the Governing Council of the Galapagos, targets students aged 11–13. This virtual initiative broadens horizons by connecting students with global ideas, people, and places, enhancing digital literacy and online communication skills. The program fosters appreciation for nature through interactive lessons on ecology, climate change, and volcanology, while recorded “Missions” provide ongoing learning opportunities. Career-focused sessions inspire ambitious goals by showcasing diverse professions. By linking education to real-world possibilities, the program motivates students to value hard work and set themselves on a path to future success.
Mission: Space!
In partnership with NASA, the Naveducando Foundation connected 7th grade students from twelve Galapagos schools with Astronauts in the International Space Station. In January 2021, Astronauts responded via live transmission to sixteen questions from our students. They were excited to learn about how they could become a scientist living and working in space if they study hard in school.
Educational Program Objectives
Inclusivity
One of Naveducando’s top priorities is to make the Galápagos Infinito program more inclusive. Currently, a small number of students are nominated for the program by their teachers, based on academic achievement. The Naveducando Foundation seeks to eliminate merit-based considerations as selection criteria for participation in this transformative, tuition-free experience. Our intention is to make this program accessible to all 7th graders enrolled in the Galapagos school system every year, establishing it as a regular part of the curriculum.
Naveducando is conscious of the access issues that preclude some children from participating in our online programs. Not all students possess the technological resources and support at home that distance learning requires when their families are rightfully prioritizing their financial survival during these challenging times. We are exploring ways to get devices and internet connectivity to these students to close the gap between them and their more affluent peers.
Growing Our Community
Naveducando is establishing new communication channels to strengthen the sense of community among our students and to more effectively engage local school teachers, keep them up to date on events and activities, and encourage them to incorporate Naveducando’s Missions into their lesson plans.
Instructor Collaboration and Support
Naveducando works with local educators to incorporate our course content into their lesson plans. We also seek to collaborate with teachers to identify knowledge gaps and strategize about how to address them with future programming.
