Learning is more effective because students experience and interact with what they are learning. Field trips provide students with a chance to consolidate their understanding by interacting with the material they are learning. Moreover, students are more likely to retain acquired knowledge via active participation. Human relationships are also built because of the activities. When students interact with one another in a different social environment, they are given the opportunity to foster a stronger sense of teamwork and attachment with other students. Field trips may also reinforce the connection between teachers and students as they are brought physically closer to one another. Examples of field trips include a trip to a museum, or a visit to a business firm. They may span a morning or afternoon, or stretch for a week or more.
Implementation
Below are some tips adapted from Hobgood and Richardson (n.d.) about how to better plan and run field trips:
Plan ahead: Identify the learning outcomes of the field trip and consider how the venture can be related to your course material.
Visit appropriate site: Choose the best location for the site and visit it at least once prior to the trip. Meet your potential guide if there is one.
Select appropriate date: Early-term field trips have the advantage of breaking down social barriers between teachers and students but an early trip may not be advisable if the necessary information has not been presented in class.
Think of logistics: Take care of the transportation and relevant arrangements well in advance.
Prepare your students: Familiarize students with the topics to which they will be exposed and ask them to search out relevant details before the trip. Distribute the assignment that students need to complete after the trip. Teachers may also invite past students who have experienced the field trip to talk about what they learnt.
Review details: Review the schedule of activity or itinerary with students in advance and explain what they need to bring, such as extra clothing, money and camera.
Evaluate the experience: Both the teacher and students should evaluate their own field trip experiences concerning various aspects such as adequacy of planning, student involvement, the amount of quality time spent at the site, the quality of information obtained and the feedback from students.
Extended reading
Anderson, D., Kisiel, J., & Storksdieck, M. (2006). Understanding teachers’ perspectives on field trips: Discovering common
ground in three countries. Curator: The Museum Journal, 49(3), 365–386.
Hobgood, B., & Richardson, L. (n.d.). Planning a successful (and educational) field trip. LEARN NC website from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education. Teachers can click on the link below for more information: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1824
Field trips in life sciences. Students at UCL spent five days in the field in North Somerset studying the relationship between marine animals and plants and the environment in which they live. This video explains what happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uwtZC9dfVE
Field trips in capstone projects. The Department of Geography and Geology at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point – encouraged all undergraduate geography majors to participate in two-week field trips during the winter interim semester as part of a capstone research course. CUHK teachers can click on the link below for more information: http://www.informaworld.com/index/781374724.pdf
Digital devices in field trips.
A geology field trip to the Colorado Plateau in southeast Utah for graduate students was organized in the University of Bergen, Norway. They used two approaches to enhance learning in the trip: the use of a portable PC with a digital camera, and an advanced flight simulator.
