Are Field Trips Worth It?
Some people question the necessity of field trips and whether the headaches are worth the benefits. However, sometimes a trip outside the school environment can reinforce important concepts or ideas better than time in the classroom can. For a field trip to be a success, though, you have to take the time to thoroughly prepare your students for the experience.
On the Bright SideThere are many reasons to take students on field trips:
They provide the students with a different method of learning.
They often broaden the students' horizons and expose them to new and different topics.
They reinforce concepts learned in the classroom.
They provide shared reference points that can be used in later lessons.
They help you see your students in a different light while allowing them to see a different side of you too.
On field trips, students learn by doing something instead of just sitting passively. If you take students to a hands-on museum, they will have a lot of fun and they will learn at the same time. Further, exposing students to new information helps expand their point of view. This added exposure could be especially rewarding for students from a lower socioeconomic background, who may not have these experiences otherwise.
If you cover difficult or challenging material in class, seeing it presented in a new way can really help reinforce the information. For example, learning about sound waves is a lot different than going to a museum and actually experiencing them in different mediums. Further, you can provide yourself with reference points for the rest of the school year. You can refer to different things the students saw or experienced and use them as you teach.
Probably the most overlooked positive aspect of going on field trips is the opportunity to see your students in a different light. Often very quiet students will open up in these kinds of situations. Further, your students will also see you in a new way because you are not standing in front of the classroom. They will observe how you interact with them in a less formal manner and also how you handle situations that might arise. Do not underestimate the importance of being a good role model at all times, even if the bus driver does take a wrong turn.
Make sure that students realize exactly what you expect from them in terms of behavior. Consequences for major misbehaviors should be severe. Many teachers bar students who misbehave from ever participating in any future field trips.
There are also negative aspects associated with taking students on field trips. The following list presents a few of them:
It will require more planning time.
You have to deal with some red tape.
You have to collect money and get chaperones.
You have to keep your students organized.
Students have more freedom, which may lead to discipline issues.
Your destination might not turn out to be what you expected.
It takes a lot of time to effectively plan a field trip. You must coordinate arrangements and transportation. You have to fill out paperwork and get permission. You have to collect permission slips and money. You have to get chaperones and create your student groups. All of these tasks can lead to a monumental headache for you. If you do not follow through on each of these issues, then you will probably have a bad time on your field trip.
Further, students have more freedom on field trips. Often, you will be separated with your own small group and will not know what is going on in the other groups. Therefore, you will not be able to control your students as you would in the classroom. It is very important that you set up strict rules beforehand and inform the students of heavy consequences for misbehavior. Remember that the way your students behave reflects on you and your school. It is not unheard of for destinations to forbid certain schools from ever visiting again because of major misbehaviors.
Finally, your field trip might not turn out the way you expected. For example, you might get to your destination to find that the descriptions do not live up to reality. What you thought would be fun and interesting for your students might turn out to be boring. You might also find that your class takes a lot less time to complete their activities. Therefore, you have to wait some time before the buses are scheduled to pick you up. It is always wise to plan for such occurrences before you leave.
Keep track of your students at all times. Do frequent head counts and require that your chaperones do the same. Also, select a central meeting place that is easily identifiable and tell your students that if they do get separated from the group, they are to return to that location and wait there.
