Guest Speakers & Field Trips
By including guest speakers and field trips you add variety in the classroom. Mixing it up keeps class interesting.
Also seeing the result of what you are discussing in class, validates the information being presented.
Hi Lawrence,
On a field trip students get to see book theory into real action. Love the idea of the report!
Patricia Scales
The idea of field trips and guest speakers is to give students a look into what their future may bring. I agree with all about this motivates students to see what their own hard work can produce. I find after a field trip most students increase in their classroom participation. I always assign an After Action Report to students who went on the field trip. This gives the student a chance to put their own personal thoughts and ideas on paper about the experience. Also it provides an avenue for some extra points they might be needing.
Hi David,
Field trips put book theory into real life.
Patricia Scales
Hi Roland, I am teaching drafting and want to start taking mini field trips around the campus to look at the various objects that we can find to discuss with the students how would they approach drawing the objects. Would they need sections how many views etc.. I have not tried this yet but look forward to doing this.
Hi Robert,
I agree! There is nothing like proof, how motivating!
Patricia Scales
When I bring my class on a trip to meet a successful graduate in their field it inspires even the fringe students. Showing them the outcome of their study is a wonderful motivator!
Hi Roland,
Nice way to change things up. Students enjoy field trips, and I like the convenience of doing a field trip around campus.
Patricia Scales
I am currently a Biology professor and the coursework is difficult for "new" students who are thinking about making biology their major. It is important to sometimes surprise students with a "mini" field trip around campus to observe and identify in a broad way the activities of different species and the environment to keep them relaxed, engaged and interested.
I have a small group of business students currently studying Managment and Marketing. We've already taken a field trip to a retail/manufacturing business. I'm looking for suggestions on different options for a second field trip.
I teach courses in the field of HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning. Many of the HVAC concepts are very complex and difficult to comprehend from simply lectures and power point presentations. An ideal guest speaker would be an individual who is currently employed in the HVAC field as a Building Engineer for a large hi-rise office building or condominium. He can speak about his day to day challenges to keep the HVAC systems in good running condition in order to keep the tennants, who are his customers, comfortable. Additionally, if he could arrange for the class to visit one or more of these hi-rise buildings and actually see the HVAC systems functioning, this experience would greatly enhance class interest in learning all the can about HVAC systems and their operation.
