When done well, I believe that the field study has tremendous potential when it comes to student motivation, learning, and response.
Yet, what does "done well" mean?
For two years, I've been trying to grow a field study experience so that the experience involves greater investment, learning, and experience. That growth process has been met with many hurdles including accessing funding, finding chaperones, time for planning, digital tool use, and system support.
The field study pushes the boundaries for schools, and challenges many processes including safety, budgets, planning time, standards, and traditional lessons.
Soon I will attend a field study that we've developed with a few somewhat new dimensions (not as new as I'd like). I'll bring my digital tools and share the use with students. I'll interact with experts at the field trip site to see what their thoughts are about field studies, schools, and learning.
In the meantime, I think that museums, nature preserves, zoos, theater and other sites for field studies have an obligation to make their places student-friendly. They can move in that direction in the following ways:
- Package experiences so that schools can easily access a one-day or multi-day learning experience for one price. Make time to work with educators to personalize these learning experiences for their students.
- Work with transportation companies to include bussing in the price.
- Access money through foundations and other sources to make the field trips affordable.
- Make time and staff so teachers can make the plans after traditional school hours.
- Don't make teachers wait for phone response--most of us can't access a phone for more than a few minutes during a school day.
- Invite teachers to explore your site for a professional day. Package these experiences.
- Make your site digitally friendly and share that information upfront so teachers and students can easily access WIFI while visiting your site.
- Bond with other local educational organizations to create consistent systems for easy access.
There's tremendous learning potential with the intersection of educational organizations and schools with regard to field studies, yet at this time there are many hurdles that make this intersection complex and difficult to reach. I can imagine a Travelocity-type site arising from this post to support teacher/student "travel" and learning expeditions. Perhaps that site already exists.
I'm wondering how educators and educational institutions foster this intersection? What works? How is your system working to grow this wonderful learning possibility?
