Daryl,
Besides having a break in the routine, another professional worker often brings a different spin, gets students thinking, asking questions, and usually promotes more motivated energy than what could be provided by their instructor alone.
Barry Westling
Joe,
Good points, all. Besides a break in the routine, I think the ability to ask questions, and see firsthand some segment directly or indirectly related to their work setting can only help students visualize their ultimate place in their chosen career.
Barry Westling
Field trips expose students to their careers of study in action. Guest speakers bring the real world onto the classroom, and allow students to relate to someone other than the instructor when forming their opinions.
Field trips and guest speakers help students see the real worl application of their studies. A site visit helps students see the corrolation between what they learn in the classroom and how it is applied in the work place. A guest speaker can also motivate and help student understand what thier roles would be in the work place.
Dawn,
Also, I always make sure there is an opportunity to ask questions. Students are usually quite ambitious with questions and the feedback I receive tells me this is one of the more beneficial aspects of having someone come in to speak.
Barry Westling
I feel this has great value to the students. These experiences are real situations they may/may not encounter.
Having guest speakers can motivate students to seek other areas of interest within their career path that they were not aware of. It makes them feel human and that others have walked in the footsteps.
Shanika,
Even if some of the experience is not totally relative, most field trips offer at least one aspect of something that is related to the course of study. Probably most beneficial is the ability to ask questions.
Barry Westling
I think field trips and guest speakers are essential o the learning process as it shows students how they will apply what they learn in the clasroom to the career that they are pursuing.
Ann,
Yes, students can get inspired while participating in field trips. I think one factor is students begin to see themselves as workers in that setting, and realize they will soon be involved in the same or a similar segment of that work setting.
Barry Westling
The students enjoy the "real-world" field trips. The labs that are conducted in the class room are skilled techniques they learn, but visiting an actual site brings real life situations and reality. They have their goal in site and realize they will be in the real professional field soon. I love the enthusiasm they have after a trip.
Field trips gives students visual learning experience of the subject and guest experience shares his or her hands on experiences in the field.
Brittany,
Very true. I also think students get incomplete or vague ideas about what their career setting involves, and a good field trip can help sort out misconceptions while providing concrete, realistic portrayals of select segments of their profession.
Barry Westling
Taking field trips helps show the relativity of the knowledge being learned. Working part-time retail and getting a chance to go visit a business where you'll be doing art has a huge impact on a learner or adult who's trying to achieve their own personal goal.
Jantez,
Students enroll in classes because they have an idea, perhaps a vision, for something better for them in their lives. A field trip that is related to their career setting can add substance to the imagined work setting. And good quest speakers are usually willing to answer questions that help frame a more accurate image of what the student can expect. This is usually an invaluable experience for students.
Barry Westling
Amandeep,
Yes, students have always been receptive to these activities in my classes. They break up the routine, provide insight, and can be very motivational.
Barry Westling
What are the benefits students get from taking field trips and listening to guest speakers?
Students are able to see the information that they have been learning about in a real –world setting or from someone that is experiencing it. The students are able to gain insight into how the information given applies to them and the importance. The guest speaker can answer questions that experience will be helpful in answering. They will be able to see and learn beyond the class materials, but it may motivate them to want to learn more in class.
Jantez Taylor-Harrington
I believe having both of these activites as a part of the course curriculum are beneficial to the students. It helps them stay motivated. It helps students get a better understanding of thier carreer when observed in person on the field.
Mickey,
Another thing about the field trip is many times some students really have only a vague idea about the career area they're studying for. On more than one occasion I've seen students really get motivated after attending a field trip because they had no idea about what they would be doing. And even if some students know what they're getting into, they are often even more motivated seeing something about their eventual work setting.
Barry Westling
In a pre-med course I took several years ago, several doctors of different specialties were brought in to share their experiences going through medical school. I really appreciated seeing these "success stories." Their input also helped me decide if medicine was right for me (I am not training to become a medical doctor, but I am a doctor in research).
I believe that field trips serve a similar purpose as guest speakers. They serve to help the students see what their career will be like. A field trip is more "hands on" than a guest speaker as the student gets to see the work being done and not just hearing about how it is done.
Lisa,
These are all terrific descriptions of benefits students may realize. I have seen these experiences transform some weaker students, giving a renewed motivation and inspiring them to begin to buckle down with their studies. That's always a rewarding side effect.
Barry Westling
