Thank you. That is a wonderful idea. I will apply this idea with students this semester.
Field trip can do a variety of things for the students. It can help the student better visualize the application of the class. Further, it provides opportunities to exchange knowledge with other on those field trips.
I feel that field trips are very beneficial because students get to see what they may experience and be subject to in a real job. Guest speakers also give students insight into what they have experienced and how hard it is sometimes to climb the ladder to the top.
Field trip are great especially when you take your students to a potential place of employment, they get a taste of the real work place.
My students get so excited seeing the real application of what they are learning in their course work.
Field trips are important, not only as a way to show students "a day in the life" of their chosen profession, but also as a way to reinforce concepts that may differ from what would be expected of a healthcare worker. For instance, I work in a water treatment plant. During the portion of my microbiology class when we discuss waterborne illness, a field trip to the plant may help to reinforce what is done to protect the population from waterborne disease. Even though this trip isn't directly related to healthcare (the primary focus for my students)it would serve a valuable purpose in helping to make connections. Using my contacts at the medical school could also help by bringing in a speaker to talk about specific diseases. Experts in the field would really give the students an idea of what pathogens can do.
This allows learners to visualize how their new skills can and will be applied in the real world. Guest speakers provide motivation for learners in how their success and yes even failures will allow them to succeed and continue in the real world of health care.
I think it's very beneficial for students to see how the course of study is actually placed into practice on field trips. Utilizing guest speakers also reinforces your presentations and adds overall enhancement to the course.
For one thing, it gives the students a break from me!! Field trips can expose students to the realities (both good and bad) of their chosen career, which might be difficult to demonstrate in the classroom. Guest speakers can be highly motivational to students, if they hear of real life success stories.
Making field trips and having guest speakers has always been an effective tool for me to motivate and encourage students. They love to see for themselves, and ask questions. When they see, it makes the "doubting Thomas" run away. They seem to be more hungry, and they talk about it for weeks, sometimes months. The speakers can relate what they are doing in the classroom to the working world of their chosen field.
I've never incorporated guest speakers, but I understand that they can often bring another perspective to the students. I have, however, taken my classes on field trips and the results are marvelous - they get to see first hand everything that goes on in the day-to-day operations of their chosen career. I recall when I was earning my degree that it would have been of immense benefit to have seen how it all works, putting classroom "theory" into physical reality.
brings them closer to their career education.
Another perspective is always good.
Hi Carl:
It is obvious you've used these helpful activities before.
Students do interact in a social way that's different from the classroom, and these can't be duplicated in the classroom or skills lab either.
The cool thing is often a good experience will inspire and provide an inner motivation that begins to burn like a desire to really excell in some students to the degree they begin to perform better in class. The thought of of a better (potential) future is a hard motivation to overcome.
I'll take that any day.
Regards, Barry
Both of these events break the monotony of just going to class. Field trips create an opportunity for interaction among students that might not otherwise occur. They become a social activity as well as educational from a practical application perspective. Guest speakers separate the subject matter experts from the sometimes perceived instructional matter experts.
Hi Betty:
I agree that well planned field trips can be one of the most memorable experiences a student may have in a class. Field trips share a real life version of something that can't be duplicated in the classroom.
It also opens the eyes of many students and may inspire some who were not too serious to buckle down and want to do better in class based on the field trip experience.
Regards, Barry
Students love field trips. They think we do them just to get out of class initially but I would say 99% of the time they realize pretty quickly that they learn a lot from field trips. I teach a Law and Ethics class and we always make a trip to the court house. Most of us do not hand out at the court house unless we are there for official business and at that point we are not paying attention to what really happens in the court house and how it runs. It is a eye opener for many of the students. It is one of the highlights of the term.
Hi Julie:
A good guest speaker can also inspire and provide inner motivation and drive when a student realizes the potential for an awesome future with a rewarding job for themselves and happiness for their family.
Regards, Barry
I agree. Having guest speakers would allow the students to get another perspective on the topic.
Students look forward to anything "unusual or out of the ordinary." If handled correctly, the guest speaker or field trip is a special treat to the students. In addition, it gives the students a way to apply the knowledge they have acquired in class to the real world. Nothing makes a point more relevant than when an expert in the field reiterates a point that was made in class by the teacher. It seems to say. "this is real, not just textbook stuff, pay attention!"
