Cathleen,
I think a good guest speaker can stimulate thought and give students an opportunity to ask questions in a way they might not even think to ask their instructor. Asking good questions is a reliable sign that students are thinking, and getting students to think about topics in thier course is always a good thing.
Barry Westling
Leigh,
You've already experienced the tremendous benefit the use of field trips in the curriculum affords you. Students are usually impressed and inspired following a good experience, and some weaker students may even become motivated to improve based on their "eyes being opened" by the new found knowledge gained, and the the internal drive to be a part of it.
Barry Westling
When I was teaching wine and mixology, there was a section on beer. I found out that there were several local breweries and contacted them. I was able to have the brew master/owner come into my lecture class. He brought barley toasted in varying degrees and fresh and dried hops for the student to touch, see and smell. He told how he started in the beer brewing field and where it took him in his career. The students asked so many questions. The also paid attention!
Field Trips have been such a great learning tool. The benefit to apply real world experiences to the subject is so eye opening for most. I have been fortunate to work for some upscale hotels and restaurants in my area and kept great relationships with the staff and management. This has opened opportunities for guest speakers in the classroom, for field trips to operations that students wouldn't normally have the opportunity to see, and even open doors for employment as well as building their own networking relationships.
For the past year I was challenged with a new subject to teach out of my expertise and it wasn't until the second time teaching it that I applied the field trip technique. We went to places such as grocery stores, specialty shops, farmers markets, farms, and co-ops to apply what we were learning in the classroom. And even some trips were classroom experiments to open our minds to new ways of learning and applying the material.
The students are excited to share what they learned and discussion after the trip is always a hot topic.
Melissa,
I think this is a very creative way to use the magic powers of a guest speaker introduced in an online format. Kudo's!
Barry Westling
I am lucky to have my campus colleague as a guest speaker for my online course. Because we have worked together for 5 years, we are able to bounce ideas off each other, implement them, and analyze how the session went together. I send out a letter to my students announcing the dates the speaker will present and include his bio. I also have the students prepare questions that he can address during his presentation. The students may attend live or they are able to watch the recorded archive of the session. If they choose to watch the archive, their question will still be addressed. I receive great feedback from the students in my course evaluation regarding the guest speaker.
Melissa
Diane,
Yes! I think the field trip opens eyes on some things that might not be seen in the classroom setting. Sometimes, the student's knowledge is vague about some things, and it's not until an activity like the field trip occurs that there is an "aha" moment, or the student becomes very inspired and thus, motivated in class.
Barry Westling
Field trips and guest speakers are a great way to get students excited about their career choice and see prospective employment sites. I have students prepare questions for guest speakers and for businesses we visit on field trips.
it has benefited us to bring in guest speakers because they come with a hands on knowledge and usually some pretty good 'toys' that the students like to play and learn with. the field trips we do are mostly to conferences so they have to learn. but they are also assigned a paper on each topic that is presented. so there is some retention and notetaking and they are encourage to do particiapte in the question answer part of the forums.
Saranna,
Wonderful. Some experiences are just going to be better and more mememorable than others. It sounds like this one was particularly beneficial for your students.
Barry Westling
wE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME TEACHING AT THE BODIES IN MOTION. THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE EXACT SAME DISEASE PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE COVERED. IT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL.
Gisele,
Often, the ability for students to ask a guest speaker questions are different than they think to ask from their teacher. Questions are created in the student's minds based on the usually great information provided by the guest. I think both the guest speaker and field tripo are very unique and excellent adjuncts to the instructional process.
Barry Westling
It shows them a real world perspective of what they want to be a part of, it enhances instruction and validate the instructors views and teachings about field experience and expectations. The Guest speakers are great because they can deliver the same message content in a different way.
Vickie,
I think field trips, and to a lesser degree guest speakers, is a very cool experience. It breaks the routine, students see and visualize themselves in their future roles. I've found nearly every time students become very inspired and motivated, to the degree that their grades and effort to do well are improved. Anything that can that kind of impact is very worthwhile.
Barry Westling
As a Pharmacy Technician Instructor I take my students on field trips to visit a hospital pharmacy. The benefits for the students are great, the get to see an active and functioning work environment and get very pumped about the career they have chosen. It helps them to think about what area of pharmacy they might be comfortable working in, and gives them the opportunity to see technology the cannot view in the classroom. They get to ask questions, and come away with a renewed interest and excitement about their studies.
Charity,
As an educational resource, there's nothing quite like the field trip experience. It can inspire, motivate, and give students the momentum to grasp what they're training for in a new light.
Barry Westling
Field trips sometimes help bring a visual to a class that being in the classroom can't. In the field that I teach in, there are so many "hollywood" stories that my students hear before coming in. By taking them into a part of the field and showing them the day in and day out--there is a greater sense of reality. The same thing can be seen with guest speakers, where a student can ask questions about certain aspects of the professional world.
Laura,
I think a good guest speaker will create a good environment to ask questions, something not all guest speakers can do. But when that happens, yes, student questions can be many, and their questions meaningful. A good guest speaker is one who can present what they have to share, with the students questions in mind, or what they would most want to know in the first place.
Barry Westling
Having a guest speaker allows the students to ask questions of the speaker so that they will know more about what they are going into. It will help prepare them for the career field that they have chosen.
Corliss,
Sometimes, what is seen during a field trip is the only experience a student may get with a particular procedure, activity or demonstration. These can be quite motivaltional and inspiring. Manty times, students remember the field trip as one of the most significant memories of their entire training.
Barry Westling
