Perhaps not "future peers" since they will be entering the field in entry level positions. However, I agree that they enjoy seeing things in action.
One very important bit of instruction to give to your students prior to a field trip is this; "Do not ask them if they are hiring." This is an immediate turn off, and it will make the host uncomfortable, if not outright annoyed. The question implies that there isn't any real appreciation for the host or the company.
The better questions are things such as "what kind of skills do you look for... how does that machine work... how long have you been with the company... do you enjoy what you do... what advice can you give to someone seeking to enter this field...? Etc...
Occasionally, I've had that one rude student (even after telling them not to ask), who will still ask in an impolite tone, "So, you hiring or what?" Needless to say, the host can become very de-energized for the rest of the tour.
These 2 aspects of a class benefit students in many ways:
it lets them see a different perspective on their chosen career field; it allows them to get out of the clasroom and see the "real world"; it gives them new perspectives on how people in their field do their work.
Fieldtrips and guest speakers are an invaluable part of the learning experience!
Students learn of the work environment by taking field trips. It helps them integrate the knowledge and skills they are learning in class with what they will be expected to do once they graduate. Field trips can help motivate students to excel in their classes when they are excited about what they see in the "real world."
Guest speakers also bring "real world" experience and insight into the classroom. If you choose the right speaker, it can go a long way in motivating students to work harder.
they get too see their future peers in action in fthe field..they really enjoy seeing the action..
I concur, and it is a great way to enhance the student’s learning. In another forum, someone mentioned that extra credit might be given to students who arrange for guest speakers, and I have had students arrange field trips thru their employers, which also adds value to their learning.
Hi Luis:
These can be a great way to remotivate a student's interest in the topics you've been discussing.
Regards, Barry
Field trips and guest speakers are a good way to illustrate that the instructor truly is presenting valid information. Students will often ask, "why do I need to know this?" Visiting a sympathetic facility or engaging a guest speaker, help to reinforce that, "yes" people really do use this information everyday in their careers. Of course, you'll want to choose locations and guest speakers that will underscore your message, and not undermine it.
I have made many field trips and had guest speakers in my classes and it is an added tool for the students. They like hearing experts in the line of work that they might be choosing for careers.
Hi Barry,
I try to plan 2 field trips per term where our alumni work. What is dynamite is when one of our alumni leads company tour.I usually provide a handout asking questionsabout benefits,products produced,company policies,dress codes,travel,job skills required.I make this handout part of a course grade.
I think the students get to see their field of study in action with guest speakers and field trips. Also, speakers usually end up reinforcing something that the teacher said and end up giving credibility to the instructor in some way.
My students are always happy to go on field trips, because it shows them a facet of their future careers that they've never seen before, and allows them to *have* an experience, rather than just hearing about it.
I have taken my Anatomy & Physiology students to see Body Worlds, and they loved it. It's one thing to see diagrams of body parts, but to see things in three dimensions, in relation to one another, is spectacular. For many, it is their first exposure to human anatomy, and it sparks their interest.
Real world application of the teaching concepts. While we do not have 'field trips' online, guest speakers certainly would augment the learning environment.
Field trips allow the students exposure to multiple view points on the instructional subject matter. Not just the point of view of the instructor or the textbook.
Students get to see what they are working towards by taking field trips. They see all the things they have been studying about in "real life". By listening to guest speakers students can get a real look at their choosen career field and ask any questions that they have been wondering about.
These experiences allow students to see and get a feel for their future professions. A reality check.
I think that field trips and guest speakers are such a great way of motivating and getting students excited about the field they are going to enter. It also gives them a change to ask questions from a person who is actually working in the particular field in which they are interested. Sometimes students pay more attention when they are able to ask questions of the person actually working in the field than the instructor who they see on a day-to-day basis, even though the instructor has probably worked or is working in that same field.
I organize 54 guest speakers for my course and the students love it. I bring the top person in each career field and the students can ask questions about topics that I might not have known the answers to because I am instructing and not actually working the profession any more.
I have already called the coronor of Delta County to see if he would be interested in sharing the experience of anatomy and how it was essential in his career field. He was very interested. I now have to get the administrative protocol on how we do field trips or guest speakers.
I've made a list of a couple of other professionals who are specialized, but haven't actually contacted them yet. Thanks for your response and ideas.
Have a Happy and safe New Year!!
Hi Kevin:
A good easy resource for guest speakers might be to have a recent graduate, one who you know to be above par, who has secured a good job. They'd probably be flattered to asked to speak to your class. What they lack in experience, they compensate for with enthusiasm and "if I can do it, so can you" attitude. It creates a possible vision of potential future more real.
Other suggestions are civic leaders, service clubs, professional societies, all these people are potentailly able to either personally assist, or can offer an inside referral to someone who can.
Regards, Barry
I teach dental assisting and I like to get guest speakers such as dentists, lab techs, hygienists, or even office managers to give them different fields they can be interested in and to understand the people that they will be working with when they get a job.
