Posted by Atsumori. Category:
Multiple education organizations surround my school. We have museums, theaters, zoos, nature preserves, and parks within an hour's reach in all directions. In each of those organizations, there are many experts who have stories to tell, artifacts to share, and field experiences to lead.
Yet, when it comes to field studies, the experience is still mostly passive, and not deep and meaningful.
I've been experimenting with growing field studies to make them more meaningful to students. I think we're missing out on some great learning experiences by not synthesizing the efforts of schools and those nearby organizations for rich learning. I'm not the first to think this way and over many years of teaching, I've seen individuals work hard to make this happen, but the efforts usually don't last due to the time, money, and planning involved.
How can we change this? What can we do?
First, as I mentioned to a young, bright college student recently, we need a "Travelocity" for field trips--a one-stop shop where we can sign up for a great field experience over the Internet. Perhaps funding sources would be right there ready to access if needed. Just think parents could pay through paypal and teachers wouldn't have to work so hard to collect the fees, write the notices, and make the phone calls to buy tickets, reserve spots, and most difficult of all secure transportation.
Next, I want to see schools, grade-levels, and subject areas create relationships with local organizations so that it's not one visit, but multiple visits so that children really get to know a place and interact with the organization's day to day efforts, focus, and work. Many children get this experience through summer camps and vacations, but many don't--I think we're at a time where we can build in these experiences for all children in ways that inspire their future work and efforts.
Finally, we want to provide our students with a broad experience in education which means that grade levels and schools will need to coordinate their efforts so by the time a child reaches twelfth grade, he/she has visited most of the cultural institutions and nature preserves in the area. My son, a college graduate with an agricultural degree, has inspired me with these thoughts in part because his passion is helping people understand, enjoy, protect, and contribute to their local habitats.
Hence, in summary, I'm working on this. I'm wondering if you have any thoughts or links in this direction? What relationships has your school made with local organizations, and how have those relationships fostered deep, rich learning? I'll be thinking about this as I call around to gain information about potential field trips today. I look forward to your ideas.
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