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These teachers want students to learn from 'their own adventure'

Lewis, Carlson turning journeys into lesson plans
Posted at 2:43 PM, Oct 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-03 14:43:09-04

CINCINNATI -- This fall they’re back in the classroom, but over the summer two Tri-State teachers spent their time off trying to beat world records.

One teacher single-handedly took on an ocean. The other took on a legendary mountain trail. Now an Over-the-Rhine company is turning those educators’ experiences into an opportunity for hands-on learning.

“It’s trading one adventure for another,” said Seven Hills biology teacher Bryce Carlson who rode solo across the North Atlantic in just over 38 days.

And ultrarunner Harvey Lewis, a teacher at Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, finished his run of the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail in less than 50 days.

The two are turning their journeys into lessons for students everywhere.

“There are just so many amazing and inspiring stories that I’ve really taken in, embraced and embodied,” Carlson said.

Carlson and Lewis are sharing their stories through Abre -- an online learning platform that connects students and teachers. The company is based on East 12th Street in Cincinnati.

“Connecting them (students) with experiential learning to make learning more inspiring and more motivating,” Lewis said.

Abre is working to take the pair of epic quests and turn them into interdisciplinary units involving geography, English, math and science.

Carlson says there’s a bigger takeaway.

“Maybe a little inspiration to go out and choose their own adventure and go out and see stuff,” he said.

Lewis and Carlson are considered pilots for the program. You don’t have to be a record-breaking teacher to build a lesson using Abre. The company’s goal is reaching teachers who are doing amazing things in any spectrum.