Students gain a "real" world view of the occupation or area they are seeking by attending field trips. Guest speakers afford students the opportunity to ask specific questions.
I have an evening class and a field trip will be hard to schedule. I will definitely take advantage of guest speakers.
Hi Sheri:
Yeah, I agree field trips can be a real shot in the arm to the class rather the same routine every day. If possible I always try to get the "tour guide" to mention a couple of specific items that tie directly to the lesson or course I'm teaching - when that happens it makes for a more complete experience.
Regrads, Barry
I love field trips! I wish I could take my classes more often, but with schedule and time constraints, it can be difficult as times. The students really value the experience!
Hi Arlene:
Thanks, just a way to express the point that although field trips can be time consuming, they can also be instructive. It is best when the experience is well timed and aligned with the course curriculum. Oftentimes it is not, but the expereience is still remembered and appreciated by students.
Regards, Barry
Well said, icing, cake etc.
Hi Arlene:
I agree - the internal vision many students have about their potential workplace or work environment can be stimulated by many activities, among them field trips. One important point is to attain relevance to the relative time consuming event by doing what we can to meet one or more of the student learning outcomes. Then, the experience is not just icing, but the whole decorated cake!
Regards, Barry
Field trips add relevence to what the students are learning in the classroom and can even rienvigorate a students reasons for being a in school if they see and enjoy being in the field where they plan on working. This is an important reality check for some students who may have romanticized visions of what their workplace will be like when they graduate.
Hi Cindy:
Students like guest speakers and experts from their profession. Guests usually bring a whole different perspective to the teaching environment. They may not be polished expositors but what they have to share about the profession they work in is invauable.
Sometimes I'll coach a guest "to be sure to cover such and such", but most of the time they are so full of interesting material, they capture the students interest for the entire time slot.
Regards, Barry
I think it is interesting to see another perspective of the material and you could even have an overlap such as criminal justice with math in a crime scene to show the real use of the topic (can you tell I teach math?).
This allows the students to not become so focused on just the theory and be able to see how it is actually applied.
Hi James:
Keeping students interested can be a chore on some days. Bringing these real life persons and their knowledge adds flavor to an otherwise bland meal.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patti:
Your comments make sense. Time is the enemy when trying to plan for field trips. I agree students benefit from these experiences, but it's a time consuming way to achieve a smaller amount of learning. I always tell my guests and filed trip guides what I want them to emphasize, then they can put their spin on it.
Regrads, Barry
Field trips or guest speakers adds a real life assest of life to the class room. Students get to see and learn from seeing life in action or a another person's perspective. Every day class activites can become boring and students can easily lose interest if they are going down the same road everyday.
First of all, I think going on field trips or having guest speakers adds variety to the class room. Students get to learn from another person's perspective or see the cirriculum in a different setting. Every day lectures can become boring and students can easily lose interest if learning becomes the same routine.
