Field Trips: Connecting with the Real World
From 12-day tours of Europe to an afternoon spent at the local paper plant, field trips show students the context and connections of their academic learning, often in depth and detail not possible in the classroom.
"Two weeks on a trip is worth 20 years in the classroom," says Lola Major, social studies teacher at Lethbridge Collegiate in Lethbridge, Alberta, and leader of several international trips. "It's amazing what we all get out of the trips," agrees Richard Hechter of The Collegiate at the University of Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His yearly Ride and Slide trip to the amusement park at the West Edmonton Mall allows students to study the laws of physics in action in a truly memorable fashion.
Field trips can also demonstrate that the real world isn't always as simple and straightforward as the information in a textbook.
Marlene Walther of Westgate Collegiate Institute in Thunder Bay, Ontario, explains: "I've seen students really grappling with the morality of the 'black market' in Russia, where the government is not always the 'good guy'. They need real-life experiences to be able to make judgments of what's not immediately evident."
Barry Lindahl of West Vancouver Secondary School in West Vancouver, British Columbia, says his students had similar Russian experiences. "Many parents were concerned that their kids would find the political system fascinating and worth emulating. But one look at a Kalishnikov-toting soldier and the evident poverty of the country and not only were the students very happy to return home, they were really easy to keep track of on the trip!"
Exemplary teachers know a successful field trip doesn't just happen. Several elements are vital, whether the trip is around the block or around the world.
Context: The trip must relate in some way to what the students are learning at school. Several curriculum objectives can be integrated into one trip; for example, a science trip to collect samples from a local stream can include math and language skills through measurements and reporting.
Planning: Two full years of planning are often necessary for a foreign trip, says Lindahl. "With meetings once or twice a week," adds Major. There's a lot to discuss, including itineraries, equipment, research materials, safety concerns and transportation. In addition, advance research projects prepare students for the intensive learning of the trip. The planning stage can act as a selection phase as well, as students who participate in the planning and maintain good grades earn a place on the trip.
Funding: Even though tour companies can help with much of the planning, few student groups can travel without extensive fund raising. A school trip fund raising project brings great incentive to the development of business planning, organization and teamwork skills, comments Claire Frankel-Salama, a French and Spanish teacher at Bishops College in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Follow-up: No field trip is really complete without at least one get-together afterwards, says Major. Whether it's that trip to the local stream or the latest tour of Europe, a school newspaper article or essay from each of the participants helps them assimilate what they've learned.
Though field trips are not — despite a common misconception— paid holidays for teachers, almost any teacher would tell you they are well worth the planning, the daunting responsibility and the worry. "So why do I do it? Why do any teachers do these things?" asks Walther. "Some of my most memorable times with students have been on field trips. I know they will gain a learning experience far beyond what can ever be offered in the classroom. To be able to share those world experiences with young people is so rewarding to me and I am always so pleased to give them those opportunities."