Field Trips
I have found that field trips can inspire students and provide an excellent forum for active learning (if properly thought out and executed). For example, when teaching legal research and legal writing, a trip to the court of appeals helps to bring the subject matter alive. In addition, the experience gives students an opportunity to see the legal process in action and meet other major players in the legal field (judges and other attorneys).
Yes I agree. I believe field trips are a good way of giving the students a hands on of what they are learning. Plus they enjoy something else besides book work..
Barbara,
I am an online instructor and felt that not a lot of campus instructors and online instructors know about how to integrate field trips into their classroom. I have found them useful and helpful for the students to hear the information from another source while in the online classroom. I simply provide a video link and play it.
I also find it very helpful when I have guest speakers attend my online classes to provide their experiences and expertise. This give students a chance to ask questions and relate to the speaker.
Carolyn
Hi Trisha,
This is a great example of class dynamics and group learning. I am amazed just like you were that they all showed and benefited from the field trip. Talk about an awesome experience you had it.
Gary
I agree that field trips are a great learning tool. I once taught psychology at night (6pm - 10pm). During this class, I found a Psychiatric museum but it closed at 4pm. It was open on the weekend and I asked the class if they would want to switch the class to a Sat. so we could go but explained they would all have to agree in order to do that. I did not figure that all 25 students would want to come to class on a Sat but they did and all 25 showed up. We went to the museum and they really enjoyed it. They were taking notes, talking amoungest themselvers and I just stood there so happy that they were really enjoying the lesson.
I use field trips to help motivate my students. I have found that if the student sees the end product, the route to success is shortened.
Hi Sarah,
So do I. As you know field trips get students motivated and connected with their field because they get to see their future in the sites they visit.
Gary
i wish there was time to take my class on a field trip. I can tell them anything, but they don't really understand until they see it with their eyes.
Hi Ralph,
Great job in not only helping your students professionally but in enriching their lives personally. When I hear about students getting excited about Shakespeare I get excited as well. As we both know there is so much depth to his work and application to our current setting that students can really benefit from such exposure.
Gary
Hi Stevie,
Great example of making it real for your students. By getting into the community they are helping others plus enhancing their own experience base. It is a win win for everyone and I know motivating for the students as well. They can see how they will be serving the public once they graduate. It helps to give them a vision of their future.
Gary
Field trips are especially helpful- although it seems that the legality and liability issues are becoming quick intimidating
I always worked field trips into my Humanities courses. I have taken students to plays at the Guthrie, tours at both the Walker Art Center and the MIA. I took them to poetry readings and to lectures. Not every student showed up, but the ones who did always came away from the experience with a different perspective on the effect of the influence of what we were studying in the classroom. Being able to get my students turned on to Shakespeare has been my personal triumphs while at MSB.
They get very excited about the field they are choosing to go into when they see the behind the scenes action!
Field trips are great for residential classes. A very interesting trip I set up was one to a regional distribution center for groceries. It gave us all a better understanding of how a supermarket is stocked.
I agree that field trips let the students see the real world that they will be entering. I teach massage therapy classes and a major part of marketing for massage therapy is going out and doing chair massage at different events. Myself and the other massage instructor find different events coming up in the area and have students sign up (most of these are during the weekends so students aren't even in class during this time) to come out on their own time and market themselves.
I've taken my classes on many field trips out and about in the community and they thrive on it! I haven't had many events come up yet this quarter and I have students begging me to find more places to go and give chair massages. They absolutely love the experience.
Hi Barbara,
This is what I call connecting the dots. Field trips let the students see the real world which they are about to enter. They can see the connection between what they are studying and how they will use that knowledge and their skills to create a future for themselves.
Gary
