Hi Sandy:
Certainly, getting away from the same old classroom can be refreshing. But when that's coupled with a dynamic experience, something that really opens the eyes of students who may not have realized they'll soon be in the workforce - that can create a powerful drive to do well. Inner motivation and commitment to achieving a better life for themselves and their families is also very powerful. Exciting times await those who respond favorably to a dynamic field trip.
Regards, Barry
Hi Eric:
Motivation, inner drive, enthusiasm, excitement - these are attributes possible when a student gets a vision of a potential future and a chance for a better life. That's a might strong force.
Regards, Barry
During field trips, I believe that students can benefit from real world experience of their chosen career. I am a dental hygienist, and going into a dental office as an observer was one of my favourite activities as a student. It's out of the regular classroom, you're actually seeing all of the things you've learned being put into action, and it give you a realistic view of how the industry works.
Guest speakers can also be beneficial in this way. They provide their experiences and educate us about their view of the industry.
If they students have a chance to go on a field trip it sort of helps what has been taught in the classroom come alive for the student. Guest speakers are nice because you can have someone come in who is an expert in their field. I also allows for a nice variety.
Hi Iam:
Field trips and guest speakers are usually quite exciting and interesting, and can be most inspirational, even to the degree of students wanting to do better in class. Inner motivation is a strong drive because for some students get a vision of a potential great future, sometimes for the first time. Ought to be required for every class in my opinion.
Regards, Barry
Great idea when your facility is willing whether financially or to adjust time frames, etc. Field trips would be incredibly valuable in job training courses, etc. Guest speakers are also valuable. I taught video production at the secondary school level and every year I had a friend who was a local filmmaker come in and speak to the class. The students just ate it up. They always spoke and wrote about the guest speaker day as one of their favorite and thought it was very valuable to them.
It is a way to reveal more about the real world to them and gets them excited and energized. For a culinary school student a trip to the Farmer's Market is the perfect way to get introdced to produce.
Hi Sandra:
Yes - the excitement. For many, thiese activities provide the first real touch with the reality of the work setting they'll soon be a part of. The inner motivation can be strong drive to perform or do well in class just based on a "vision of a potential future" soon withing their grasp.
Regards, Barry
Guest speakers and field trips both provide steps into what the "real world" is about in terms of work. Visual and hands-on learning are wonderful tools for students. Field trips and guest speakers provide these tools. Students are given the opportunity to talk, ask questions, and share stories, expanding on what they learn in a classroom. Guest speakers and field trips bring excitement to the classroom, keeping students interested and excited in their respective careers.
I usually have a field trip at the beginning of the quarter so the students can have a preview of the work environment. I always have at least one guest speaker so they can hear information from a different view point.
The benefits students get from taking field trips are: they see business in action, they see what they will be doing in the near future if they finish their education, and they see real situations.
The benefits of guest speakers are that the students see business people demonstrating how, when, where, and why they are working and the work ethic and the moral ethics necessary to succeed in this world of business. Also the speaker comes to the classroom bring all necessary supplies so there would be no lost classtime in transportating the students to the business location. If the students would like to visit the business they may do so on their own time.
I think having a field trip at the beginning of the quarter is excellent to show an overview of business and one near the end of the student's education career would show the in-depth view of the student's choosen career. When the students go on field trips I give guided questions on 5 X 7 index cards so that each student will have certain information to look for or ask questions about to gather the necessary information requested. I try to have at least one guest speakers a quarter to give a different view of the computer industry and the work ethic of an office.
As an instuctor in the medical field, I feel that field trips are an important part of the students' learning experience. Trips to the hospital in the early stages of learning the field are extremely effective. It gives the student an opportunity to visualize and make more sense of what they are training to become. Having a guest speaker will allow for the students to hear another point of view relevant to their future career.
Although we may be creatures of habit, almost all human beings like small changes in routine...in fact, it is when we tweak our routines that we experience growth in any aspect of our life. In the educational process, the addition of new people and places such as guest speakers and field trips stimulate the minds of the learners and provide jolts of energy to not only the days of the guest visit or the trip, but to the entire progrtam as well.
I remember when I was in school we looked forward to feild trips and guest speakers. I always took something from both experiences, It could have been something I saw or heard that I hadnt before and it just stuck in my head. This just goes hand in hand with providing a different style of teaching to enforce what we instruct.
This gives them a different view of what the instructor is giving in the classroom. It is another visual.
I have taken my students on several field trips. It allows them to see the field in "action" and reaffirm their decision to select this major. I also use guest speakers to allow them to hear the most up-to-date information in the field. Inviting guest speakers into the school, allows for the students to be exposed to the possiblity of employment. Our school encourages field trips and guest speakers, and I am glad!
Field trips are imperative as they give students exposure to their chosen field of study. In my experience many students don't have a clear picture of what their intended career field really looks like. They often have a very unrealistic notion of the enviroment and inner workings of the companies they are interested in. Walking through a workplace, hearing the hustle and bustle can bring a sobering picture of what it will really be like.
Guest speakers also serve to shed light on the realities of the "working world" and the soft skills needed to succeed. Guest speakers can act as a spark to inspire students, a living example of all they are trying to be.
Based upon the class that the students are taking a field trip with, field trips give the students more insight to their area of education. I took my medical students to the "Bodies Exhibit" and they loved it, the exhibit gave them a lot more insight to what they were being taught throughout the course.
Hi Mark:
Guest speakers can be inspired, informational, quality sources of useful information students can find great value from because it potentially provides an inner motivation or drive that produces a vision of working the student realizes is possible.
Regards, Barry
