Was "Voyage of the Mimi" Effective?

This post was edited by Sarah Nakamoto on Sep, 2020
In recalling your experience with the "Voyage of the Mimi" project, and the mixed reception that it received, you once again ask us to confront the decades long question about the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. From the days of our youth when television was touted as a potentially important educational medium (in the '50's; how far we've strayed!) to in-class media we variously watched as filmstrips, 35mm films, laserdiscs and CD roms (because image files were too large to reliably be delivered over the nascent internet), videotapes, to our current universal access to websites with animations, visualizations, live streaming, podcasts, virtual reality, etc. (all with teacher guides of some kind) the tension between instruction and entertainment has always been with us.

I think that the answer lies in a clear articulation of the learning goals that are addressed by the production of the instructional resources. If the goals are strictly limited to the conveyance of knowledge, then most of the multi-media outlets may be limited in their utility--do we really need high-cost production to relay information that can otherwise be found in a book (or now, a static website that acts as an archive of information)? But, if the goal is also to inspire curiosity, represent the joys of discovery (i.e. affective components of learning), or to open the world of possibilities to students who might not otherwise consider a career in science then these multi-media productions may provide a real service.

I recall that Bill Kurtis (former CBS news anchor, host of The New Explorers shown on PBS 1991-1997, and late of ATT Internet services commercials) was the keynote speaker at the NSF convocation on Shaping the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education. An excerpt from his presentation (NSF 98-73, page 51; www.scribd.com/doc/1002239/National-Science-Foundation-nsf9873) describes how he "sold" his story to audiences about the science topic of the week for The New Explorers: "The New Explorers shows typically have a "mysterious opening", then a quick explanation that tells you what the mystery is, and thus the point of the program. Sometimes it attempts to pique your interest with adventure, then moves on to esablish the mystery...We don't expect that a class or teacher will immediately absorb all the science in a particular topic with the first video showing of a story. The beauty of video is that a trained teacher can use it like a blackboard or slide presentation...it can also be used to make related points, for example, the existence of female scientists functioning as equals with male scientists. In fact, half of the New Explorers are minorities who can potentially become role models, justifying the eries in and of itself...We offer students reality--a real scientist working in the real world, brought into the classroom." Bill Kurtis is a very effective storyteller (the entertainment component), and in working his craft, he (and by extension, Voyage of the Mimi) provides an important service by imparting lessons that go beyond simple content. Entertainment is not necessarily a bad thing, nor does it necessarily detract from or dilute the underlying scientific content. It does have the ability to make the Science "come alive" to student audiences that might otherwise be disaffected.

I find it interesting that one critic viewed teachers who use instructional media as being lazy. Can this be said of any instructional media that detracts from e.g. rote recitation of the multiplication tables? As with any tool, the key is to use it appropriately. Plug-n-play is probably not the best use of instructional media, particularly if it is used only to take up time, pacify unruly students, or as a substitue for truly engaging the subject. But in the hands of a skilled teacher, instructional media can be an amazing portal to discovery--about Science itself and about personal opportunities to participate in Science.

This post was edited by Kim Kastens on Sep, 2009
Yeah, I was pretty surprised to come across such strong criticisms of "Voyage of the Mimi." For literally 25 years, I've been thinking of "Mimi" and Mimi's creators as visionary, pioneering, exemplary. I've felt proud to have played even a small role in making it happen, and lucky to have had Mimi open the door for me into science education innovation. Reflecting on the criticisms hasn't actually changed my mind, but it's been a useful reminder that not everyone shares my point of view.

I found the criticisms entirely unfounded, and even had some of the facts mixed up. I have used the Voyage of the Mimi with grade 5, 6, and 7 students since the early 1990s, and used it again this year. We just completed the unit and I have to say the kids enjoy it just as much now as they did the first time I used it. I haven't met a student who didn't enjoy the voyage, and every year they are very sad when it is over. This year I shared with them the information I had found on the internet about the demise of the actual Mimi boat, just a few months ago. In my experience, students have a very strong reaction to so many aspects of the story line, and enjoy the expeditions as well. I am hoping to share some of their thoughts on this discussion page soon. I am impressed each time I use this resource at how well it carries so many years later. The students relate to the characters and don't seem at all concerned that it is dated. I would love it if the expeditions to could be updated with respect to science, but that said, as I do my own research on the internet to check for current information, it seems the science hasn't changed too much in most of the areas explored. The Voyage of the Mimi is a great resource and I love what it brings to my Language Arts and Science education program.

Mimi I and Mimi II are part of the curriculum for the Gifted and Talented program in our large school district. I cannot take my students to the Smithsonian or to field and labs where experts disseminate information on their specialty field. The videos are short (15 minutes) with activities for each segment. We also use the questions for Quiz Bowl after each segment. There are experiments involved and interactive activities. My students keep a Mimi journal and write essays weekly on what it is like to work on a whaling boat a hundred years ago. They write about how to catch a whale, what products are made from the whale, how they feel about whales, and the hardships of the life of a child on a whaling expedition. They also create an essay on being shipwrecked and about the captain suffering from hypothermia. They have to describe the symptoms of hypothermia and how to help someone with that condition. Students include the Braille and hand signing alphabets and write/sign messages to each other. The students draw and label the boat and a humpback whale. They use a navigation map to follow the story. The technology is not always up to date but this gives us the opportunity to do research to find out what the latest technology is. I am looking for the computer programs that came with the Mimi set. Has anyone formatted them to a cd? I believe the Mimi would be good for Common Core. I would love to have updated materials! I recommend this program and think it challenges my 3rd-5th grade G/T students. It also has helped to get them excited about Science.

The lessons from The Voyage of the Mimi seem to resinate decades following exposure. Perhaps they were indelibly imprinted on an impressionable young mind. Conversely, the characterological corniness is unforgettable along with the contrived flute pounding privateer anthem that served as an opening theme song. What a score!

I was one of those middle school students from the 80s who experienced the Voyage of the MiMi program and I LOVED IT! As part of the year long academic theme of Humanity and the Environment, Voyage of the MiMi was part of the Charleston County SC Gifted and Talented fall curriculum. Living in a coastal town in the Southeast, my understanding of maritime culture certainly had a low-country perspective, e.g. shrimp boats, crabbing, the Intercoastal Waterway. The MiMi series exposed me to the maritime culture of the Northeast which I recall being so different, yet relatable. I learned to read maps, use the nautical slide rule, and turn saltwater into potable water through evaporation. It was so cool! To this day, I credit the Voyage of the Mimi series for my ability to read longitude and latitude coordinates.

I never became a scientist, yet the series still has a lasting impact for me today. I work in digital media programming for international broadcasting and I've been thinking about pitching a modern day equivalent to Voyage of the MiMi for foreign audiences. I wish there are more interactive, multi-platform learning programs like Voyage of the Mimi. Today's equivalent would be a video series available on the TV or online with an accompanying web site and/or a mobile or tablet app tied in to the series.

Thanks for believing in this long shot of a idea for an educational program. IT WAS WORTH IT! I know there are people out there like myself who have been positively influenced by the series!

If anyone still comes across this discussion, I have a few observations and will be happy to engage. I wrote The Voyage of the Mimi (I & II) and wrote and directed the 25 documentaries that accompanied them. Kim was both a wonderful role-model and a delight to work with as an on-screen talent. The shows broke a lot of new ground and challenged a lot of ideas and practices in education, so it is not so surprising that they elicited strong reactions of all kinds. It is interesting that when I read Postman's reaction - at least in this quote - I take it as high praise: of course learning is (and ought to be) entertaining. Enjoying learning is as selective as enjoying sex; we need to engage in both to survive!

I watched both series when I was in elementary school - and it was huge. I'm currently writing a research paper on technologies use within the classroom and will be using this page (and comments) as a source. Thank you for writing on this!

I am currently teaching in Texas. I just showed the last episode of Voyage of the Mimi and I just want to say that even though this was made in the 80's, it is still relevant to my 5th Graders today. My students have thoroughly enjoyed every part of the series (even though they got a kick out of the "boom box" at the beginning of the series). We have discussed how research methods and technology have changed, of course, but even that has been a good lesson. My students not only enjoyed the story part of the series, but also the science portion. I truly believe that they were introduced to different fields of science of which they had previously been unaware.
I feel that this has been an excellent use of time for my students.

I first watched Voyage of the Mimi when I was 4 years old, my parents recorded it on VHS cassettes, and I watched it over and over and over. We still talk about the show, various segments of it, both story line and real life field trips, I remember where I was standing the first time I heard Ben Affleck was becoming famous, (his name indeliably burned into my brain from the intros to his field trip segments), and the joy with which I went at age 34 to my parents when I again found it on YouTube. Mimi had a profound impact on me and the way i see the world, full of wonder and acceptance. If students have had a bad experience with it, it can only be because certain teachers did and do not understand how most students think, especially the exceptionally gifted ones, and managed to kill the joy with drudgery and discouragement in the accompanying assignments. However, for each one of these teachers, I'm sure there are ten more who did not miss the point, and utilized Voyage of the Mimi to light a spark in other students the same way it did with me. Thank you to anyone who contributed to this fantastic program.

I taught the Voyage of the Mimi for many years to 4th and 5th grade students. My fellow teachers and I used this format to incorporate our own curriculum into the Voyage, making the journey a semester long study of many outcomes in art, language arts, math, social studies and science. Perhaps the most innovative aspect of using the Voyage of the Mimi was the application to the real world. Many times we teach subjects in isolation and students aren't able to make connections to real life situations. The Voyage of the Mimi allowed students to see how the characters applied their knowledge to solve problems or perform tasks. I think the expeditions also allowed them to see the work of real life scientists in natural settings. The best part of using Voyage of the Mimi was the way students engaged in the learning. They were hooked from the first minute and threw themselves into the work because they were excited to learn!

This post was edited by Denise Alexander on Sep, 2016
I taught the Voyage of the Mimi every year for 5 years. The only reason I do not teach it now is because I left the school I was at and do not have the materials. I have been looking and looking on a weekly basis for the VHS tapes and/or the teacher materials. I have yet to find them. If anyone knows of anyone who does have the materials I'd be happy to pay for the photocopied teacher materials. My students LOVED it. I have former students who I am friends with on Facebook that remind me of The Voyage and the things they learned. We made a life sized humpback and used scaled drawings to do this. We hung it in the gym...math/art combined. We make scrimshaw with ivory soap, we made sandwiches like they did in the series. We traveled to our own natural history museum where we lived. Students learned geography, science, math...pretty much every topic out there. I had a woman who came in to teach a mini lesson on sign language. I cannot honestly cannot remember every little thing that we did, but I know it was a great experience for all involved. I know that the episodes are on youtube, but if anyone could help me out with any teacher materials, I would pay to have them. Teecherd@yahoo.com is my email address. Thank you!!