I agree 100%, students need to see and hear related experieces from other individuals, not just the instructor. This also confirms that what the instructor is delivering is accurate and correct.
I feel that field trips get students more excited to excel in school and get out into the working world. It makes them remember why they started school in the fitst place!!
I find that field trips really help with putting what I am teaching in class into real life situations. They can actually see what I am talking about and picture it than when we get back to class. I also find guest speakers are helpful because students sometimes get bored hearing me speak all the time about my situations I get into, it is nice for them to hear it from someone else that works in the field also.
I feel that field trips are good for the students so that they can see and evalute how things are done in the field that they are going into. It also gives them variety in the learning structure. As for guest speakers I think that it is good for the students to be able to hear about real world experiences and have someone else be able to tell them some of the same things that they have been taught so they can hear/see how they will be using what they are learning in school when they get out into their career.
Each one allows you to open the door to a more interesting experience for your students. A guest speaker brings real time information into the class room, allowing students a sense of "hands on." They are able to ask questions of someone who is already working in their field of study and may gain a sense of what they can expect once they have graduated. Field trips allow the experience of visiting first hand a factory, hospital, clinic or other settings the students may work in once graduated. It helps to meld the didactic material to the outside world.
I agree, I plan on using an individual who has been in the nursing field for over 30 years. She will come and talk to the students about the professionalism being displayed in the medical field and the importance of being in compliance with your facility. Some of the students fail to understand the importance of following the dress code rules when they are in school. Their famous line is "we're just in school, I don't have the job yet"!
They get inspired when they see and hear professionals in their desired career
I agree, however, I am concerned about some instructors who fill class time with guest speakers so they don't have to prepare any material on their own. Have you ever encountered that?
The guest speaker component was certainly advantageous to my students. I used a former school instructor that my students once had and admired greatly for her secular work experience as well as her teaching skills. I also used a former college classmate of mine as both of us attended the school where I am teaching at and this visit stimulated my students even more so because my fellow classmate as well as myself were personal testimonies that the education we received paid off tremendously from our school.
The benefits that students get from taking field trips and listening to guest speakers are: If it's a field trip, the get to see people working in the area of concentration and possibly even be able to ask questions ore experiment. This will allow to students to see if this is really the career that they want to remain in or make changes to another career field. As for guest speakers, I personally think that guest speaker, providing that they are from the field of study as the students, will be very informative and bring many great ideas, etc. to the classroom.
Students hear a different point of view potentially then their regular teacher and going on a field trip makes the career seem more real to life.
The benefits of field trips and guest speakers is that students can get out in the field to see real world applications (field trips) and can get face time and establish possible future networking opportunities with industry professionals (guest speakers). Both are invaluable in aiding in instructional delivery methods. My one concern is that students have an expectation of having a field trip or guest speaker for every class including basic/general education courses (English, Math, etc.). I think we have to watch sometimes how much of the classroom we treat as a "dog and pony show" in an effort to not dilute course material beyond recognition. I have had some students in a live setting on the first day of class ask, "Where are you taking me?", and "Who have you lined up?". For some of us, we don't necessarily have a broad range of contacts to satisfy every class. I think at that point it is incumbent upon the school to provide instructional support in the way of field trips and guest speakers.
To gain experience and knowledge in their career choice. Field trips and guest speakers make the course more interesting and students gain real world information.
There is nothing like “real life†exposure as a teaching tool. When I was a student some of my most impactful learning experiences were with the people that came as guest speakers and my internships. These were the times that I truly knew I had chosen the best field for me and helped keep me going through the tougher academic parts of school.
I agree that guest speakers are helpful. One challenge I face is that many people decline when I ask them to be guest speakers. I now teach online and we have used guest speakers in a webinar format. The challenge with that is only a few students showed up.
I think field trips can be effective. When I taught a class in administrative law, I took my class to the Immigration Court and the students got to see how administrative hearings go. The students commented that they really liked this. I have also used guest speakers. They provide a "real world" approach to the material. Guest speakers can also inspire students and help them think about different career paths.
Field trips are an excellent way to give students hands on real life experience in their chosen profession. Guest speakers provide great insight regarding a particular profession. They really get students excited about their new career.
The school in which I teach (SAE Institute) focuses on audio engineering and music production. We have guest speakers (seminars) every Friday afternoon, and this is an imperative part of our curriculum. Student's crowd into our theatre to attend these seminars, which are primarily given by successful people in our industry. In addition, we take field trips to local recording studios on a regular basis and these give our students real world experiences they could never get from the classroom. It all depends on the curriculum being offered by the school, but the field trip and guest lecturer component is a monumental success for our learners.
I also broadens their interest into specialty areas within their field that they may otherwise be unaware of.
It gives them a glimpse of their possible future career.
