Race to the Future is an activity modeled after a
“town and gown” event held in Delaware, Ohio, for
over 30 years called the Treasure Hunt and resembles
the recent reality television show The Amazing Race.
This activity exemplifies how 21st century skills can
be incorporated into core subject instruction and at
the same time positively enhance student engagement.
In Race to the Future, students work quickly and cooperatively
with their teammates and use 21st century
skills to successfully decipher five clues related to science
content. We have used this activity with excellent
results with different groups of students (middle
school, high school, and university students), for different
purposes (ice-breaker, team-building, course assessment,
and evaluation), and with broad curriculum
areas (science and math). However, the activity is especially
powerful when introduced in the first day or week
of class. The meaningful and enjoyable student collaboration,
the upbeat class environment, and the enhanced
student engagement achieved at the conclusion of this
challenging activity, set an optimal teaching and learning
environment for the entire quarter/semester.