Get Your Students Hired
I teach veterinary Technology and Field trips are a essential part of our program. As veterinary technicians the students are required to have hands on experience with large animals (cattle and horses) and lab animal medicine thus we go on many field trips. It is always my favorite part of the term when we go on a field trip and see how alive the students become applying what they learned in the classroom.
Martha,
Students have to travel to school somehow. One idea is to arrange for group carpooling. I would advise against taking students in my personal vehicle just for liability purposes. There are some transportation services that will provide a discount for schools for field trips (if the distance is great).
Barry Westling
I love field trips. They are great motivation. The only problem I run into is transportation and money issues one or two may have. Which discourages me for planning them. Any suggestions?
Tracy,
Well, field trips can be very motivating and inspiring. I have seen marginal students buckle down and improve their performance based on a single field trip. I hope yours is meaningful.
Barry Westling
I do believe field trips are great. It lets the students see first hand what they will be experiencing out there in the real world. I am going on my first field trip with my instructor who I assist with and I am looking forward to it. This is something that I never experienced when I was a student. This will also help me to determine if I want to go with my education or stay where I am.
Rebecca,
Yes, it's important, fun, and usually interesting I find students nearly always get very motivated following a good field trip. It's like they get infused with new energy and enthusiasm.
Barry Westling
Field trips are a great way to show students how the field really looks and they learn passively while having fun. The students get excited and bring that new energy to their studies. I agree that this is an important component to any curriculum.
Jerry,
I think this is true, although I would slightly modify the statement to read "reinforces" or enhances" credibitlity, as I believe most students acknowledge an instructors creditibity from the beginning. Also, having a different voice, perspective, or spin on a subject makes the class more interesting, breaks up the routine, and students may benefit from the material the guest speaker presents.
Barry Westling
I agree. It's especially helpful when the facilitator of the field trip reinforces material that has been gone over in class. It gives credibility to your material, and greater reference points during future lectures.
Jacquelyn ,
I've suggested that instrructors can contact recent graduates that are working to come back as guest speakers. This same idea can potentially be used for field trips, by contacting these graduates to make arrangements with the employer they're involved with.
Barry Westling
Field Trips are extremely essential unfortunately it is extremely difficult to find opportunities that will allow student access to large groups on the human side of the coin.
Carrie,
I think field trips so engage students that they ought to be mandated in every class (as applicable). Rarely has a field trip not stimulated interest and enthusiasm among my students.
Barry Westling