Last week our class went on a field trip to the local landfill and then a picnic at a close by park, Deas Island. I have to say, the field trip really surprised me. We had an employee of the landfill as a tour guide and the bus driver literally drove us around the different parts of the landfill. The most surprising part for me was how clean the landfill was, I did not expect it to be like that. There was a lot of wildlife as well – eagles and deer – something that really excited both the students and us teachers!
That being said, I now realize how field trips are not just a learning experience for the students, but sometimes for the teacher as well. When teaching about topics and ideas that are fairly new to you, that you do not know much about, a related field trip can be a good introduction for both the teacher and students.
In another sense, a field trip serves to answer a common question students have, “what does this have to with life?” or “when will I ever use this in my life?” Going on a field trip connects material from the class to places and experiences in the real world. Students get to see what they are learning about and how it takes place in the real world. I believe this is the most important part of going on a field trip. It provides purpose for learning so really a field trip can serve as an introduction to why we are learning a certain topic, a closure for the same reason or even right in the middle as a reminder.
As a teacher, you have the opportunity to interact with your students in a different atmosphere, an atmosphere almost completely different from the classroom. As a result, you get to make valuable observations about your students’ behavior and communication in the real world. For the students, this is a chance to essentially inquire deeper into a given idea/topic. For example, when there is a tour guide or even just the teacher, students are able to ask questions when something peeks their interest. When we were at the landfill, the tour guide left a lot of time for questions and the questions some of my students asked were amazing. Very critical and thought provoking. These questions again made me realize that field trips are very beneficial for students’ learning.
Although our picnic in the park got cut short because of the intense rainfall, I observed something really interesting. Light-hearted parts of field trips like the lunch at a park allow students to bond in a different setting as well. Something that I think is really crucial at this age level. Students get to realize that as they grow up, the classroom will not be the only place where they have to interact and communicate with others. There will be many more settings where they have to work and/or play with others. In the end, this field trip really opened my eyes to the benefits of taking learning outside of the classroom and I’m really excited for the field trips in this coming month!