are field trips a good idea?
Hi Joyce,
Great field experience, and they can apply theory to the real setting.
Patricia
I am a clinic supervisor in Massage Therapy and I take students on field trips for Chair Massage to different companies in the area. This helps the students work on different people and get use to working with future cliennts.
The BODY World exhibit is amazing! I wish it was available in rural areas. When I was a student I was lucky enough to have access to UNM’s cadaver lab. I wonder if other state universities would allow this type of access.
Hi Jamie,
Great story. I feel as though field trips turn theory into reality. Some students need to see it, in order to fully understand.
Patricia
I think field trips are a great idea but it all depends on the degree in which the students are trying to acquire and what the course requirements/objectives/expectations are.
For instance, for my game production classes, students had to make textures from scratch in Photoshop. As they were having difficulties with picking which textures to create, I took the class to our local art museum, the DIA.
The students, most of whom had never been there, were overwhelmed by all of the art, and instantly began seeing everything as inspiration, not only for my classes, but for other classes as well.
I had each student choose their favorite time period from the art exhibited and they then created their textures based on the time period that they picked.
Not only did it give them a starting point for my class, but it also aided in their other classes and now they regularly visit the art museum for more inspiration!!
Hi John,
Impressive when other visitors want to listen to what you have to say. I like the idea of you being the tour guide, you certainly know what theory has been expressed in the classroom and how it relates to what the students are seeing.
Patricia
In some instances field trips are a great idea. It gives the students more insight on what they have learned in class and what to expect in their choice of profession. I think it would be beneficial to let the adult learners organize their own field trip to see exactly what their interests are.
I'm not a big believer in field trips but if they enhance the knowledge of the course, I have done them. I don't do field trips just to pass the time in a class. When I taught a crime lab management course, I took the students to an actual police crime lab. This is what I mean by a direct connection.
Hi Sean,
Field trips are a great idea. Students get a break from the classroom, and they get to see theory in action. Field trips are very exciting, motivating, and put theory into perspective for students.
Patricia
Feild trips are very good. I once took my students to BODY World exhibit. Few of us instructors became tour guides throughout the exhibit. Who else to better explain a subject matter that relates to our class objectives and lecture but the instructors themselves. In fact, we were doing very well that we had other people following and listening to our own "tour" other that own own students.
