I believe that our students benefit greatly from both field trips and guest speakers. With field trips, it gets them out of the classroom setting and into the career setting. This gives them an oppertunity to see themselves in the business of their chosen career. It also allows them the oppertunity to ask specific questions about the material covered during the field trip. I am an instructor of cosmetology and it is definetly beneficial to my students to get into salons, supply stores, and/or shows to get them out of the four walls of a classroom and into the hands-on scene of the industry as much as possible.
With guest speakes,I believe that the students can gain a huge amount of knowledge and information from the instructor, however, sometimes a new face in front of them can get their attention. Students can benefit greatly from the perspective of those in the industry and may be more inclined to ask questions to the speaker.
Our students may not even know that they have questions until they are given these oppertunities like field trips and guest speakers.
Hi Ricky:
Although there are probably some courses where a guest speaker or field trip isn't applicable, for the trades, these activities are invaluable. They tend to inspire, motivate, and cultivate an inner drive to do well as students begin to realize they will soon be a worker in that setting.
Regards, Barry
Hi Cynthia:
Concur. Guest speakers bring a dynamic that can't be duplicated. Good speakers will inspire and motivate. I've rarely had students complain or feel the time given to good guest speakers wasted their time.
Regards, Barry
i think bringing in guest speakers with personal experience adds a nice touch to the lecture and allows students to relate
As far as field trips, the students would be exposed to a real world enviroment that is directly related to their course of study. This would reinforce a positive aspect of how what they are learning in class relates to a future career. Having a guest speaker would get students excited about looking forward to a career by hearing someone directly related to the course talk to them about thier current experiences in the field.
Hi Brandon:
I think recent grads are excellent as both guest speakers and tour guides for field trips. They bring a fresh perspecetive, are still motivated and excited about their career, can relate to the students (as they were there not that long ago), and are willing to share realistic information that students typically want to hear about.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patrick:
Making it a part of the instructional process is often the most difficult part, considering which site, which speaker, availability, etc. But once these details are worked out, the activity can be very interesting and contribute to a newly motivated student!
Regards, Barry
Gives students the opportunity to see and feel what the industry is all about. It would inspire students to want to achieve more.
Guest speakers can first hand share the passion and experience of the field.
We don't often get the opportunity to go on field trips at my school, however when we do it is often very beneficial to the students. They get to see people in the field, working at the jobs that they want to be doing. I often connect with someone who is a graduate of our program, so that the students can connect more easily. Guest speakers are great and I utilize them, often. My field has many different modalities and my experience does not cover all areas. It would be impossible. So, I bring people in who are experts in their specialties. The students love this.
This is very inportant to adding credibility to the learning process
teaching in medical/veterinary fields, it becomes easy to "give" students descriptions of various signs/symptoms/conditions. when you have a "real,live specimen" in front of you, it makes more sense to correlate those "givens" with the variations and how to interpete the data in a whole view.
i also found it an excellent tool to identify which of my students are going to be "hands-on" learners and "non-hands-on" and can adjust the presentations both individually and by classroom.
Field trips provide students with "real world" experiences. They can see firsthand what they will potentially be doing when they graduate. Guest speakers bring the "real world" into the classroom. Sometimes it is beneficial to bring back recent graduates as guest speakers so they can share their experiences. This allows the students to see that their goals are achievable and again get a feel for what they will be doing after graduation.
I teach in the paralegal studies program. In the introduction to paralegal course, I have brought in a wide-range of speakers. There have been paralegals that work in criminal defense, prosecution, business, family and appeal work. This gives the students a overall view of the profession and may tweak an interest in one area of law.
we take several field trips during our class to various dealerships.
it helps the students understand what the workforce is looking for.
I use field trips for my Digital Prepress Class. I can tell my students everything about the operations and the workflow of a large printing facility, but they must see the size and scope of the work involved and the way people work as a team to really understand the processes. Nothing makes a better lasting impression than seeing the entire operation for themselves.
I am also fortunate that the printing company that they see also has exceptional people who can explain all aspects of their operation to my students.
Actually, my field trips show, explain and also involve guest speakers as presenters.
field trips and guest speakers help to instill in students what to expect in their career fields
Hi Daniel:
One source for a good guest speaker is a recent grad who did extra well while in school who has now landed a fairly good job. Students will relate to s/he as one of their, and the guest will have a lot of valuable student-use information coupled with real world wrk examples to share. They are usually very enthusiastic as well.
Regards, Barry
Hi Emily:
Good guest speakers and dynamic field trip can offer a perspective unlike anything we can provide in the classroom or clinic. Students get motivated, questions get answered, and student usually leave both inspired and enthusiastic about their career choice. Often, these activities create an inner drive that makes for a very powerful focus and perspective about the merits of trying harder to achieve better results. Awesome!
Regrads, Barry
I love field trips. The students always have positive things to say when we are done. Some have never worked in a professional shop setting. Some have never stepped into a shop. This really opens them up and I get some great topics that all the students get involved with. guest speakers are okay, but be careful of who you get. I only use someone I know well and know what thier experience level is.
They get to see the real people and places of the working world they hope to join. This can be very motivating if it helps them make their dreams more concrete.
With my problems of getting organized as a new instructor, doing a field trip is a bit daunting. Inviting someone in to speak seems more doable.
