Field Trips
I have found that the use of field trips can be a very helpful tool in instruction. They can actually help the students make contacts for possible future employment as well as provide insight in to how various task are performed.
Hi Margilane,
These can be used as field trips or they can be used a service learning opportunities if the students are performing some type of service, such as health screening. Either way they are learning how the world operates outside of the classroom and this is very important to them as they make the transition from school to employment.
Gary
Do you consider going to career fairs, health fairs & doing volunteer work part of field trip??
I like doing field trips where the students can see a manufacturing process taking place with parts that we use in school. The logistics involved can be alot for the instructor to handle.
Hi Mark,
I know for some schools and classes field trips are difficult if not impossible to conduct. This is where having guest speakers can really help bring the real world to the classroom. A successful graduate can create a mental image of success for the students that will remain with them for a long time and will help to motivate them toward working hard in their class. The speaker will also reinforce what you have been telling the students all along. If you have classes that are just a few weeks in length you can keep the length of the guest speaker's session shorter so you don't take time away from the course content.
Gary
i would agree that they could be very helpful. unfortunatly, with our class, they aren't really that posible; mainly becuase of the amount of students and travel.
the one field trip that we did take, the students were very excited and had a great time getting to meet the people and see how things were done at the track
I agree! I think by mixing up lectures, speakers, and field trips you are creating a good base of contacts for the students. Also it's a break from lecturing.
Hi Amy,
In my classes field trips are not an option. They are an essential part of the course offerings. Students will participate in the field trips. I have the students fill out field trip forms while they are at the sites and then we discuss them when we get back to campus. Professional points are earned for the work they do. Missed field trips will put their grades and passing of the course in serious straits.
Gary
I have many students straight out of high school. While most have a sense of responsibility to the course and a developped level of maturity, many are still lacking in those areas; What do you do when students don't show up for the field trips? Thanks
Hi Kristin,
Students need to be prepared for the real world and this is a way of getting them accustomed to what they will face once they complete their training.
Gary
I treat my students they way I feel they will be treated in the real world.
I agree, we have used field trips to dealerships and what the students see helps them understand the impotance of being a professional.
Hi Melanie,
The criteria I use for selecting a site for a field trip is how that site fits within my course goals. Also, the site is selected to fit where we are at in the course. For example I have taken my students into a very large hospital for a "walk about" at the beginning of the course. They are overwhelmed with all that they are seeing and really wonder how anyone is taken care of in such a setting. At the end of the course I take them back to the same setting and have them take another look at what they are seeing. It is amazing after taking the course how much they see in terms of coordination and different work tasks after having covered the course content. I prepare a 5x7 card with a series of questions or required observations for the students to complete while we are at the site. We then discuss their responses when we get back to campus. These cards really help with retention of what they have seen and what they bring back to campus that they want to talk about.
Gary
What criteria should be considered when deciding on a field trip site? What type of activites are used to support the field trip experience? Are essays requested?
Hi Lloyd,
What do you think you students gain the most from taking field trips?
What are your biggest challenges in finding a field trip site and then conducting the field trip?
Gary
I agree!! My students have learned a great deal on field trips.
Hi George,
What are some of the ways that you have found that enables you to support the comments made in the module?
Gary
Hi Jerry,
Field trips help to bring application to theory. The students see where they can go and what is ahead of them upon graduation.
Gary
I agree. Field trips are very useful in the learning process because students can gain a much better idea of how the actual workplace environment relates to their program-of-study.
