Views of different perspectives.
Field trips are great motivational tools, allowing the students to feel the sizzle of their chosen profession in action. I teach evening classes and cannot often find an available evening site for a field trip. I find success in bringing the venue into my classroom in the form of a mock or moot courtroom, complete with attorneys, court reporter, and judge (for the paralegal and court reporting classes).
I sometimes feel the students see me as trying to sell them my profession. I highlight the good points, but I also prepare them for the downside, and how to avoid it. The guest speaker, in my opinion, gives credibility to the instructor and removes the "sales" connotion. My students enjoy the unpaid enthusiasm of a professional in their career choice. Of course, I hand pick the speaker for motivational impact.
I think for the class I teach it is difficult to do field trips or guest speakers. I am barely able to get the material covered in the time allotted, plus I teach my class at night when there are fewer opportunities. I usually do take a short field trip to a nearby store to look at antimicrobial products which relate to the course.
Students are able to see or hear about the concepts and skills they are learning. This gives students a peek into their future and provides motivation to continue their career path.
Good points Patti. In the criminal justice field I see applicats that want to be a police officer but are applying for a correction officer. They are both under the criminal justice umbrella but realistically very different. The students get an idea of what is involved in each career field to help them make an educated choice in what they may want to do. I took a class to a prison and had 3 students tell me they had changed their mind and wanted to work in corrections.
Hi Earl:
That's great. Planning these activities add so much to whatt students remember and carry away them long after they've graduated on to other settings.
Regards, Barry
I know from experience just how uplifting and encouraging a guest speaker from the field can be. It can make the difference between a student giving up or continuing on and becoming successful in their chosen profession.
I try to do one field trip and one guest speaker per qtr. My students look forward to the change and we discuss what they got out of the experiance in the next class.
Hi Earl:
There are probably some classes that a field trip or guest speaker isnn't real applicabkle, but I can't think of any vocational or career courses that couldn't benefit. It's too bad that time constraints and other barriers prevent these exciting activities from being regular occurrences.
Regards, Barry
Hi Earl:
That's what's so cool about field trips - everyone including the teacher can be the recipient of a dynamic, powerful experience!
Regards, Barry
Hi Roberto:
Field trips are like aventures and are usually quite memorable. Questions, impressions made, contacts and interaction al contribute to an enhanced, engaging experiece. Memorable.
Regards, Barry
Hi Robert:
Both activities are strong motivators. Even a recent graduate can be dynamic if they've landed a good job - they can bring a level of enthusiasm and relate to the students in a way that a seasoned worker may not be able.
Regards, Barry
I think the field trips help students to look at the overall goal for the field they are studying in. They get to see their field in action and it gives them a better understanding of what to expect when they get out there. Guest speakers can shed light on the field the students are getting ready to get into. A guest speaker will bring with them their experience and can answer particular questions that studnets might have regarding the field they chose.
I never really thought about the change of scenery for real world. I lioke the alternative view. I think I get wrapped up in my views at times and maybe need that for myself as well.
exactly the point I was making. The re-enforcement was a good example.
Students benefit from field trips by seeing first hand the skills they are learning being applied to real-world environments. With guest speakers, students are given re-enforcement of the lessons they have been learning from the instructor via someone in the field.
A couple of benefits regarding field trips and guest speakers are first a change of scenery to see how what is studied is practiced in the real world. Also, field trips and guest speakers provide an alternative view of the material and know that the concepts can be applied across a spectrum.
Students get to see and hear real life experiances from speakers who are in the students chosen field.
I agree that guest speakers ad to the class learning. At times I have said the same thing 10 times and students didn't seem to catch on. I've had a speaker come in and repeat the same thing and it's like they never heard it before. I think students get a lot from a different aproch.
