Seafaring Adventures in the History Classroom

Sometimes learning through simulation and stepping into someone else’s shoes is the most engaging way to understand other people’s experiences…especially when they are the shoes of a 15th-century merchant! Last week, our Pre-AP History and World History students were lucky enough to take part in a hands-on class that explored the struggles of merchant life.

This simulation is just one example of the many forms of teaching at LAS that balances fun and learning in the classroom. With the help of our dedicated teaching staff, LAS courses and programs cater to many different learning styles and use creative methods to immerse students in the subjects they are studying. 

In the simulation, students were given the task of maximizing merchant profit while trying to balance issues that affected ocean trade over 500 years ago. As you can imagine, this was not an easy task! Students encountered severe weather, unsettled prices (and oceans!), and disease outbreaks amongst their sailors.

After the simulation, students worked together to debrief on their experiences and connected the activity to academic articles. This allowed them to understand the importance of trade throughout history as well as the hardships faced by maritime workers. We are sure the students can all agree that life on the ocean waves was sink or swim!