the Students can greatly benefit from field trips because it immerses them in their future potential work or career environment and promote interactive learning versus just normal classroom learning. Having guests speakers can motive a student that wants to call it quits. Guests speakers bring in a different perspective from the outside world and how the student's career choice plays out in the near future.
Doretha,
Right. Also, students seem more willing to ask questions - both of their guide for the field trip, and of me. I think when students begin to spontaneously ask questions because their curiosity about their potential work setting has been stimulated, we have achieved a terrific milestone in our learning goals for them.
Barry Westling
Bev,
I think my students really enjoy the field trip experience. Often I will see students become much more enthusiastic and excited about their studies as a result of a meaningful field trip. For some, it has become a wake up call to begin to buckle down and get more serious about their studies.
Barry Westling
It makes their choice of training/education more real. What they are in school for and actually seeing and walking through a facility they someday will also have the opportunity to work sparks motivation, excitment and makes the student want to do their best and learn the necessary skills provided.
Field Trips give the students many oppurtunities.
1. They get "outside their comfort zone".
2. They can meet and greet potential co workers/advocates in thier field.
3. Let's them see what they have learned, is really utilized.
Amy,
Right! Guest speakers can effectively break the routine and often add a dimension or different kind of information that brings a little different perspective to the topic at hand.
Barry Westling
Amy,
What a great "in-house" resource for instructors to consider using as a surrogate for having outsiders come in, or the challenges of traveling to another location.
Barry Westling
I use guest speakers as often as I can. It's a great way to capture the students attention!
Having students visit other parts of the campus is a great way to assist the student in understanding hard and soft skills.
For example, when I teach Administrative Techniques and Office Procedure a mini on campus field trip is an excellent way to show students how to use the office equipment as well as the professional dress and etiquette the business world demands.
Tamara,
True. And I find most students really enjoy a break from the routine by having a guest speaker come to elaborate on one or more areas of the work setting the student is being prepared for. They often feel inclined to ask questions, and usually feel more enthusiastic about their efforts, and therefore, may decide to buckle down with their studies as a result.
Barry Westling
Having guest speakers allows the students to see another part of the real world. They get to listen to their real experience in that field.
Cynthia,
Students seem very free to ask guest speakers questions about all sorts ofthings, sometimes questions they may feel a little uncomfortable asking their instructor. And the field trip can be a dazzling experience that energizes an otherwise slugglish class that has reached a funk.
Barry Westling
Barbara,
Wow! What an interesting sounding trip! I've found students really like field trips as it is usually a break from the routine, and sometimes students may really get motivated to buckle down, based on the field trip experience.
Barry Westling
My students are able to see the different products that are out there and how they work. also they can get the things they will enjoy utilizing these things in the classroom. guest speakers are important because it help the students realize there is life after the classroom. Guest speakers help to excite the students into graduating and getting into the profession.
I've just begun field trips in my class and it has been such a fun experience with the students! We visit a medical history museum where they can see how far their chosen profession has evolved over the years.
Toni,
Great! To me, the ability to ask virtually any question of someone from the career setting is a tremendous value plus benefit for students. I've found students will ask quests from perfect strangers they would not ask their instructor.
Barry Westling
Having guest speakers helps the students understand more about the career that they have chosen. This also gives the students a chance to ask someone from the field questions that they may have about their career choice.
Lydia,
Wonderful. And really, coordinating a list of qualified, useful guest speakers is really not that difficult. Too many instructors have valuable speaker resources right under their noses but fail to take advantage of them.
Barry Westling
Upon adding job shadowing and guest speakers to our curriculum our retention rates have sky rocketed. It has given our student such a clear understanding of the things they are learning in class to tools and fire they need to succeed. seeing themselves and previous graduates has worked wonders in my classroom.
Jason,
This is a great idea. Where these "guest speakers" may be lacking in years of experience, I find they make up for it with enthusiasm and an optimistic outlook for prosperous outcome for the current students.
Barry Westling
