Get Your Students Hired
This would give the student (s) the opportunity to interact with a professional from the outside. To gain a better view of what is expected of them and what to expect, once class room training is completed. Field trips are good because it breaks the cycle of school. I may also allow student to get a close up picture of the field they are training for!
Deward,
Field trips are great in that they provide an experience pretty much unlike anything we could provide to the stuednts in our classrooms, labs, or by other onh-campus media resources. They motivate, inspire, and inform, and sometimes can change the whole attidute a student may have towards their educational pursuits anhd ultimate career.
Barry Westling
Jaime,
Right. Many students have only partial or vague ideas of what their profession offers. I have seen literal transformation in marginal students almost miraculously getting motivated, turned on, and completing the program superbly - all based on the inspiriration they received from particualrly interesting field trips.
Barry Westling
Brian,
One way to achieve nearly the next best thing to a senior person from your profession is to ask one or more recent graduates who are working to come and speak. What they lack in experience they more than make up for in enthusiasm, familiarity with your program and it's classes, and experiences they may had that are interesting and attractive to current students. Often, student are more willing to ask pointed questions to "one of their peer group" than they might of "an outsider".
Barry Westling
I think taking students on field trips to different aspects of the occupation is a great idea. It shows the different ways that they can follow their career. They arent just stuck to whats in their minds. They do have opportunity out there and they need to realize this. Many students come into career schools thinking 1 thing and leave having an open mind. It also helps because there are some things that cannot be seen in a book or video. They get hands on which is always a help.
They get to "connect" studies to the real world, and see the practical applications of the lessons. Examples from actual places, and discussion from people actually doing the work is very useful. Unfortunately, my school does not allow field trips (liability issues) and getting speakers can be difficult.
Connie,
Field trips are unique and few activities can provide exactly what a good field trip can accomplish. Often, what may have taken days or weeks to explain is resolved for students in a single outing. What an amazing resource. What a creative way for a field trip. Good for you!
Barry Westling
We take field trips to the mall to do assessments on GAIT and how to watch people.
The students actually document on at least 12 different people and then on each other.
Once we return to the classroom, we compare notes. Many times they are very pleased to see that we are taking similar notes. This has encouraged several students to people watch on their own.
Michael- I agree that fieldtrips help the students visualize themselves in a particular role. I teach dental assisting, and many times after a fieldtrip, I have had students come to me and say "You know, I never thought I would enjoy working with kids, but today I realized just how great kids are. I totally see myself in this branch of dentistry" or "I didnt realize how much work and creativity went into making crowns, bridges or dentures" or "Today everyone in that office looked so professional" And by observing professional and not so professional offices, it allows my students to decide just what type of patient care they want to provide.
Nancy,
Dissection labs and autopsy visits are nearly always among the most memorable experiences students remember when they are in school. This goes to underscore the tremendous benefit these kind of experiences can provide. Oftentimes, a more motivated student emerges following a good experience such as you've described.
Barry Westling
As an ultrasound instructor, I took our class to the Vet tech lab during dissections, to see the similarities of human anatomy to animal anatomy. A lot of the organs look the same. The students loved it and I really helped. We also go the the city morgue at times. That is a great experience.
Ninette,
This is but one of the many benefits a good field trip can provide. Talking and discussing, and readiing and media all contribute to a certain "picture" in the students minds eye. But a field trip integrates those separate images into a concrete, firm portrait of the realities of the workforce the students are training for. Plus, these are usually quite memorable experiences.
Barry Westling
I'm currectnly in dental assisting, I find field trips to be beneficial not only to show the student their reality but the importance of the relationship of the dental office with the dental lab to ensure good patient care and outcome. this shows how their quality of work can and will impact outside of their office including their patients.
Kelsey,
I really love the field trip experience. As you say, it gets students out, but it can be tremendously motivational as well. And motivated students will do better in class as the result.
Barry Westling
My classes are in a wheel and are 5-6 weeks long. I try to have a field trip each course and announce it on the first day of class. It get the students excited about the upcoming trip. Stepping out of the classroom and into the workplace lets them experience what the job will be like and highlights why they are enrolled in the program.
Patricia,
Every experience related to the profession being trained for can invigorate a stale perspective, and even lead to inspired, motivated students. I'll take that anytime!
Barry Westling
Variety, even a short trip to some other department on campus, breaks the 'monotony' of same instructor contact, it also validates us often, when students hear the same thoughts from other instructors, gives them a 'bigger picture' of their world and in many ways, especially for the younger students, helps them to become better critical thinkers. I think doing field trips and having guest speakers is a very valuable part of the student experience.
Thomas,
Great observation. Field trips by virtue of their limitations of larger students nunbers usually prevents a "partcipative" component. But needless to say, when that limitation is removed, what a wonderful experience may await the student. Field trips are awesome in that they can inspire and motivate unlike other instructional strategies. I think some students have only vague ideas about the profession they're training for, and field trips can provide a glimpse that other activities cannot.
Barry Westling
Something that I did not see mentioned is that field trips can be observational and good for seeing a creer in action, but they can also be kinetic as well if it is a field trip where participation is expected. This may help break up a long required stretch of didactic material and get the students out "doing" things. One of out best field trips was taking our physical therapist assistant students to the YMCA and getting them in the pool to actually participate in aquatic therapy. They learned the concepts much better and it was a good break from class because they were actually in the pool exercising and participating.