Resourcefulness – Knowledgeable Thinkers who use multiple resources for research (K16) During the summer of 2019, I was able to partake in a once of a lifetime experience, tagging along aboard a Hokudai research ship, and learning what oceanographers and researchers do at sea. This was an experience that I feel ads alot of value to my life, and also helped me understand how the research done at the ocean can benefit us, humans.
Knowledge is gained through an eye-opening experience, and when one is able to partake in the experience, they learn more from it. During 2019, my science teacher generouslly invited me and two other students to tag along on the research ship, so that we could gain a further understanding of the world of research and science. I went with the intention to know if science was an option for my future career. I also wanted to see the different modes of research that oceanographers use. This falls with the husky of knowledgable thinkers who use multiple resources of research, and the habit of mind of curiosity. The cruise itself lasted for 3 days and two nights, and we stayed in Hakodate for a day and a night as well. Hakodate was a beautiful city filled with vintage items and buildings, and they had the best hamburger restaurant I have ever been to, Lucky Pierot, The first day we explored and learned about the coastal city, and we gained an appreciation for the history of this unique location. Through this, we used our curiosity to gain a understanding of the city of Hakodate, and its history. The cruise itself started on our second day. We were all very excited, and we were talking about how it must be on a ship. However bad news struck, as we learned that a typhoon was on the way, so our cruise on the seas would be delayed one day, however the good news was they would let us on the ship and allow us to tour and stay the night on the ship. We were able to see the engine room as well as the deck and we were given our cabins. Inside the ship, there is movement, that made me really dizzy. On the third day, we were able to go out to sea, and we were able to experience hands on, the life of an oceanographer and researcher. We were allowed to steer the boat, fish for squid and fish, dissect them, clean the decks, and we were given lectures on tidal movement, as well as biodiversity. We were given the opportunity to throw jars into the ocean that would track ocean currents, and we were also able to measure levels of ocean temperature and plankton abundance through the use of their expensive research machinery, We also were able to go up on the observatory deck to observe the life above the seas, in the form of ocean birds. Through this, I gained an understanding of the importance of multiple research resources. We learned that these different modes of research all contribute to our overall understanding on how the ocean and organisms within, function. Through these data we are also able to predict and understand where the state of the ocean is headed. Without these informations, we will be none the wiser, and thus we would not be able to make smart decisions on climate change control or the preservation of endangered species. This was eye opening in how these different methods all are each important in their own way. On the last day we had to head back to port, however, on the way we were able to steer the ocean drone that allowed researchers to see what its like under the waves. We also were given the task of giving the ship a thorough clean. On this day however, I started suffering from extreme fatigue and nausea as I had not slept well the night before. However, as we got back on shore, I started to feel abit better after we ate some more hamburgers. Overall this trip was a very eye opening experience, that I value very much to this day. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I was given. In the end I learned so much about life on and within the sea. The curiosity that I had, gave me so many memories that I can carry with me, and tell my children about. I attached some pictures above that show myself using different methods of research to gain an understanding of the marine life. That is me dissecting a squid, and also the tool that they used to calculate ocean temperatures. I also attached a picture of the ship I was on, as it itself is a tool of research. Through this experience, I learned that pursuing new experiences will create memories and eye opening experiences that will last a lifetime. I also learned that there are many different modes of research that go into our understanding of our world. In the future I will be more open to understanding these many methods of research, and maybe even use them. I loved this research trip. Curiosity and Knowledge is goals.
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Engagement – Effective Communicators who actively and empathetically listen, speak and discuss (E21) Three weeks ago, I was able to experience for the first time in my life, snowshoeing. (crossedthat one off my bucketlist.) It was a great experience being able to trek through the snow, with our destination being summiting Mt. Sapporodake. Little did I know that this experience would turn into one where we as a whole outdoor class would need to exercise our communication and thinking skills to our full extent as our trip turned into one where it became a literal matter of life or death.
We started our experience by hiking up to the hut which was located halfway up the mountain. Our group consisted of my outdoor class, and our teacher, Mr. E, as well as a volunteer supervisor, from niseko. For the first night we stopped at the hut, made dinner(hamburgers) and then we relaxed and played cards until we called it a night. All was well on the first day. The next day we woke up and decided to summit the mountain. We started out with 6 people. 5 students and the supervisor from Niseko, however due to circumstances, the supervisor and one student had to return to the hut, while the four of us continued to the top. At this point we were without an adult, but we were led by an experienced leader, Krzysztof who effectively led us to the summit, where we were able to take in a breathtaking view and take shirtless pictures. (these pictures above are some pictures from the summit.) On the way back to the hut however, we met our supervisor, who was making his way to the summit. We offered to go with him to the summit, but he told us to go back down to the hut, and would only be 20 minutes behind us. Naturally as students, we agreed and left him. Little did we know that this would be a mistake that would challenge us as a group for hours. After a descent that consisted of us jumping down ravines and sliding down cliffs, we made it back to the hut. We then waited for 20 minutes, then 30, then an hour, after which we realized that our supervisor might be missing. We then exercised our communication skills and told our teacher exactly what had happened with the missing individual near the summit, and we then tried to communicate with the man using our walkie talkie system. We then actively listened for any response. There was none. We made the decision to split up once more, one group going back to the bottom, while the other would go with the teacher to look for the missing man. I talked with Mr. E. and promised to call if I found anything or heard anything, and that we would call Mr. P. our emergency contact if we had no information by 3 pm. We then parted ways. Little did we know that the missing man had gone all the way back down to the bottom of the mountain, as my group showed up to the car, we were relieved to find a smiling safe man sitting in the car. However, we still had three members looking for this man at the summit. Through a series of communication mishaps by this individual, the search party kept searching for him for three more hours. When we eventually got back together, we had a talk with the individual, and through discussion we were able to figure out that he had gotten lost and had gone in a completely different direction out of radius with our walkie talkie. Furthermore, he did not know how to use the walkie talkie which had led to further confusion and the search party looking for an extra few hours. Through this experience I was able to learn the importance of communicating effectively, and the importance of listening to directions, and seeking them out if you do not understand something. Also one extra lesson I learned from this experience is the importance of the buddy system no matter how old you are. I do not have any pictures from the search as I was not a part of the group, and while the man was missing, we did not feel like taking pictures, so these pictures are what I have.) My goal is to use the buddy system whenever there is a chance to get lost from now on, as well as embrace nature and head out with my buddies whenever possible, because this was a great experience overall, I love nature. Also, I will always make sure everyone in the group has an emergency plan, such as a meetup point and walkie talkie knowledge. |
Tadashi ShichidaSenior @ Hokkaido International School Archives
June 2020
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