Posted by Atsumori. Category:
I believe that field studies are an important part of the learning process. Leaving the school house and learning in different environments when done well has the potential to serve as a lightening rod for student learning. For some children, the field trip is their only exposure to theater, a musical performance, a zoo, nature preserve, or museum.
In fact, when I was ten-years-old, my Girl Scout troop took me on a field trip to Audubon's Drumlin Farm. I loved it. It was my first exposure to a nature sanctuary and farm like that. Later I took my nieces, nephews, and children there. After that my own children went to Drumlin Farm camps and worked there. Over the years I've brought my Drumlin Farms exploration experiences into the classroom in wonderful ways. That one field trip resulted in such a dynamic domino effect.
Field trips can be frustrating to plan for teachers for so many reasons including the following:
- Dates: Often school dates are not known until the start of the year which limits summer planning, time when you can visit the destination, talk to program coordinators, and get that return call.
- Phone Access: When teaching large numbers of children during the school day you don't have the time to sit and wait for someone to answer or respond to a phone message.
- Money: It can be difficult to access the funds for busses, entry fees, chaperones, and more.
- Collaborative Planning: A field trip for more than one class takes thoughtful planning particularly if you want to make the trip an invigorating field study with state-of-the-art tools and follow-up
How does your school plan and execute field trips? Have you grown the field trip experience so it is an off-campus learning endeavor? What tips and tricks do you have for me to make this process more efficient and effective? I appreciate any advice you may have.
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