Relevent Field Trips
I find that one item seems to be missing here. I find that including relevent field trips in a class adds a professional perspective for the students. Often times I arrange field trips to events put on by the local AIGA and AAF chapters. It gives the students a "real world" opportunity to interact with other design professionals. My students are often more invigorated by these events and it opens them up to looking at their projects from a more professional perspective.
I agree completely, anytime that I can get my students immersed into their chosen field for a field trip it is successful. It helps with retention and it revitalizes those students who are feeling run down by the daily classroom routine.
I think field trips are a great way to give they students a little break as well as bring the real world into the lesson. I have done this a few times and have been very happy with the outcome!
Kaylee,
I agree. Field trips enable the students to "apply" learned information, into real world settings.
Tremayne Simpson
While creating your lesson plan adding a field trip in that plan can be very exciting. The instructor just has to keep in mind the field trip must meeting one or more learning objective the be successfully.
It has been my experience that taking students to event that is relevant to the course shows them how they might make money in their careers. It also gets them "out of the office" which is along the lines of using a variety of instructional methods.
Absolutely! Field trips are an awesome way to engage the students. Also helps them to reenergize! =)
I completely agree as well. Unfortunately, there are so many risk factors and liabilities outside of the field trip itself that pertain to transportation and so on that prevent me from being able to use a field trip as a viable means of teaching.
Field trips are very useful in that first hand contact with a prospective employer reinforces the information given to the students in the classroom. Our students are bombarded from day one by the instructors on being professional, showing up to work on time everyday, attitude, customer service, etc. When they hear it directly from their future boss a light comes on and the attitude changes.
Jerome,
I agree. At our school, we encourage our instructors to create job shadowing opportunities for our students. They are like field trips, however students get an opportunity to see the professionals in their desired industry "at work" and they generally get a chance to complete a small activity during the trip.
Tremayne Simpson
nothing works better than hands on. take them to a facility that operates as it would in the class material.
I found field trips a great resource of knowledge to the students. It is a fun and different way of delivering information without exhausting the students. Also, field trips add the most relevant and up dated information from the sites we go and the experts we meet.
