Taking field trips is a great way for students to experience what life will be after they finish school. Being able to see what their education can lead to, and what they can accomplish after school is a great learning tool for the students.
Guest speakers help to initially introduce students to the possibilities that are available after they finish the education. They get a chance to ask questions and receive direct knowledge from a person that will one day maybe even serve as their peer in the field.
Martin,
Yes, it's especially nice when a guest speaker or tour facilitator speaks about something that reinforces what the instructor has been emphasizing in class. These opportunities to visit real time workers or work setting are usually quite motivational and memorable experiences.
Barry Westling
Its really the best way to demonstrate real world work situations. A great opprtunity to reinforce the lessons from the classroom.
Amber,
Yes, often some students may have only vague ideas about their profession or job area, or what knowledge they have is from information contained in their textbooks. A gust speaker can reinforce what the instructor has emphasized, or put a different spin on an area that's very important by bringing a taste of the real world to them Same with field trips. Even just one, that experience will usually be forever implanted in their memory.
Barry Westling
When students go on field trips as part of their coursework they are able to get a taste of an area in their field. It will help to make them enthusiastic about that area and it will help them to put together what they are learning in class. Guest speakers help to motivate students and inspire them about the field they are studying. It can help students to explore different career opportunities in their field. It can also help them to determine possible interests they may not know they had and/or careers they may want to explore further. They both help students to see what is being learned in the classroom put into practice.
Wanda,
I think you are spot on. The (inaccurate) adage in medicine of "see one, do one, teach one" does have a degree of truth that is realized in the field trip experience. I have seen many students become motivated and begin to buckle down following an interesting or pertinent field trip. I think as instructional strategies go, that's powerful! Engagement and drive to learn is internally driven. Inspired speakers or exciting field trips can very effectively create that inner drive.
Barry Westling
Wanda,
Great! These activities stimulate and motivate. Often students receive clearer ideas about their career choice solely from an inspired guest or interesting tour. In some ways, I've thought these ought to be required activities for vocational training.
Barry Westling
Field trips are essential to my class of Medical Office Receptionist. These allow my students to see first hand how and what they should expect. Field trips play an important role in customer service and getting hands on experience creates the scenario of what or what not to do. Coming back and briefly discussing experiences is very valuable and creates learning opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Guest speakers are also a valuable asset to the class room. Every speaker is different and helps each student focus on what is being presented and different from just being from the instructor every time. It is also nice for the guest speaker to focus on some of same details being taught so the student realizes that this is a real skills test in learning.
My class utilizes field trips and guest speakers. My students look forward to these to help them have exposure to their chosen studies. I use these field trips so students can see other employees working as a team and completing their assignments. I use guest speakers to help students understand their chosen fields and to be able to ask questions they may have.
Chris,
Yes, it's important to keep the primary reason why students are enrolled fresh in their minds, to reinforce they made a good decision, and to reaffirm hope and anticipation of a better job and career. Field trips can do this, as can guest speakers.
Barry Westling
It breaks up the routine of "normal" class and revitalizes student's excitement for their career learning.
Lisa,
Also, practical application of courses they're currently studying about. It brings a degree of reality to the theoretical aspect of school training.
Barry Westling
They get an opportunity to see where their future career could take them.
Dareen,
Perfect example of the motivational benefits a good field trip can provide.
Barry Westling
Brittney,
It's true that a single instructor can't provide all aspects of every topic, so introducing another perspective through the lens of a guest speaker or a tour can be a refreshing change of pace, and worthwhile educational experience
Barry Westling
Hi Barry,
We recently took our students to a hospital that specializes in spinal cord injury. The students were able to observe treatment and talk with the therapists before and after. The response from the students was amazing. They were so motivated to learn more. It truly helps the students see the relevance of what they are studying and it excited me to see them get excited about their future careers!
Some of the benefits of bringing students on field trips is they will be able to gain real world experience and make a correlation between what they have learned in the classroom to what they have experienced on field trips. In addition, guest speakers can also provide real world experience and can further reinforce what is being taught in class. Both field trips and guest speakers can also allow for additional information, perspectives, and job opportunities to which students may not have previously thought of.
Tom,
Also, sometimes a guest speaker can validate information an instructor is conveying. Seeing real life work settings can be a great motivator, and create a boost in morale.
Barry Westling
The advantage of having gest speekers is that the students can hear what it is like in the field that thay are learing and ask questions to someone that is doing what they are learning about. Field trips can be a nice change of scenery and get the students excited about the subject as well as hear from others that yourself about the real world and see the job in action.
Janette,
Terrific! That's a creative and practical way to incorporate guest speakers into the classroom.
Barry Westling
