Step1: Teaching with Field Trips

Take the Partner-Plunge!

My previous post talked about the four steps to Teaching with Field Trips.  You can read the first post for some background on how I believe this creates authentic learning environments.  Briefly the four steps are:

1.  Brainstorm with a Partner-Plunge.

2.  Research with a Try-Teach-Tour Mindset.

3.  Evaluate Cost vs. Compensation.

4.  Teach Kids to Explore & Explain.

The first step is usually the hardest one to take.  Once you take the plunge it becomes easier to travel to the end of your destination.  What makes this so difficult?  Well, teachers have challenging, time consuming jobs often taking their work home with them in the evenings and on holidays.  Finding time to evaluate field trips can often become the path not followed.  Let's explore how we can take that plunge!

Where can you start to find a partner? Many schools have regularly scheduled Grade Level Meetings.  Sometimes administration will give you a topic to work on but there are often times that the teachers can work on a topic of their choice. This is a perfect time to ponder with your partners!  Start asking questions about the field trips.  Toss out cost (which is ALWAYS a big concern) and have a dream session.  Explore what's in your area that meets standards for your grade.  If you don't know then text, email, or call others during the meeting.  If you save this networking for later it will often not get done.  Be creative in who you contact.  Student's parents often know many different places that they have either taken their children during holidays.  Teachers who are parents may have ideas from their own child's school.  The key here is that it's not just one partner but many, such as grade level teams, other teachers, students parents, or friends, who can help you build a bucket list of travel ideas.

Another partner could be a local university that offers credits for teachers for exploring field trip locations.  We teachers are blessed with time off throughout the year that can be used for local excursions.  Additionally, teachers LOVE learning and many teachers choose to visit beaches, parks, and museums. This is definitely a motivator for a teacher to spend time on something they find worthy rather than projects their administrators find worthy.  Most independent study programs for credit often allow the educator to define the starting and ending date for your project.  Also, what teacher couldn't use a few extra credits?  In my area I use University of the Pacific but there are many other universities that you can choose.

So, once you have a brainstorm partners, created a bucket list, and possibly signed up for university credits, do you visit all these locations?  Again, don't think about cost outside what it will cost for you to personally travel.  These trips should be local and not use more than a partial day for travel and visit.  The reason that I keep repeating don't worry about the cost is that you could come up with lesson plan or project ideas.  So, there's more to be gained than simply taking your class to a cool location.  My recommendation would be that you critically review your list and choose 3-4 locations that you are most interested in visiting.

Here's an example:  At my school our principal dedicated one meeting day for all grade level teams to collaborate on field trip ideas.  Although we were all in the same room working in grade level teams.  Once in awhile you might hear one team call out to another across the room, "Hey, is your grade interested in..." or "Where was it that you heard about..."  Our initial list was quite large with ideas that ranged from beach clean-up to museums to obscure local museums that I didn't even know existed such as a Mining museum that will fit nicely with fourth grade earth science and social studies.  This exercise transported my mind into really questioning our current field trips (or lack of) and dedicate time through a university independent study course.   After following up on all my texts, emails, and reviewing my initial notes I had my 3-4 short list:

Trips I would explore:

1. Beach clean-up
2. Local Mining Museum
3. Local CA Mission
4. Museum

To recap, choose more than one partner to question your current field trip practice.  Keep your standards and age ability of students in mind.  Create a dream list of nearby local locations.  Consider taking a university independent study course to earn credits during your travels.  Review your brainstormed list and choose 3-4 places to visit.  Then visit!  We'll explore more on traveling in the next post in the series of "Teaching with Field Trips" with a Try-Teach-Tour Mindset.  Until then...

 Happy Partner-Pondering!