Field trips have always been a cornerstone in the classroom. What field trips would you like to take with your current classes or future classes. Include grade and subject for the field trip and why it has an educational basis versus an entertainment basis. How would you manage a group of students? Are parents going to chaperon, or other teachers? What about cost? Discipline problems that occur on the trip? Is this going to cut into other teachers time? How do they feel about it?
Field trips have a variety of benefits for special education and LD students at the primary and secondary level. I will be teaching language arts and history at the secondary level in special education. Field trips serve both to teach social skills and relate classroom information to real life setting. One of the most important trips a special education teacher can take her students on, is to the library. It is important to show students that the library has more than just books, and it can be a very valuable tool in everyday life. I would be sure to have any instructional aids and parent chaperons present to help manage the class. I would be sure to weed out any students that pose a risk of problems beforehand, and either keep them in my group, or prevent them from attending the trip. The last may sound cruel, but field trips are a privilege and not a right.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about taking a group of students to the Shakespeare festival one year, but I have not looked enough into it to know what all is involved. This would obviously serve as an educational experience in connection with our Shakespeare units in both ninth grade and twelfth grade. I am not sure of the requirements regarding chaperones for high school, but I know I would not want to be the only adult in charge of a group of students, regardless of the size. I know for other teachers who participate in this field trip charge a standard fee to attend, and students may bring additional spending money if they choose. I also would prefer to only allow students with an A or B average to attend the trip (as a privilege) as well as students with clean discipline records and a minimum attendance profile, but I have been told that teachers cannot refuse the right to attend a field trip based on those reasons. I have not confirmed this with my principal, but several other teachers have stated that this issue stands. Therefore, I have been reluctant to plan the trip for my students until I have more solid information.
ReplyDeleteField trips should be educational based especially since they have to be pre-approved with your principal as well as the school system. You are given guidelines in your teacher handbook that must be followed. Field trips vary according to schools and grades. Prices will also vary depending on bus drivers, gas, and price of admission.I have taken many of the same field trips as I have completed many interims in the lower grades. The zoo in Gulf Shores is my favorite. This shows students the animals habitats as well as weel the type of animals that they are able to have here in our humid state. There are usually a big group of kindergarten teachers that go at one time and we would allow as many parents to attend as well. The number of chaperones varies depending on the location. Some venues only allow a set number of parents per class.
ReplyDeleteField trips are great for making a fun learning environment even better. As I am not a teacher, I think that I could even benefit by taking my kids that I coach to an actual soccer match. Of course I would have to rely on some parents to accompany us but that would not be that big of a problem. I would probably pick parents who knew the least about the game so I could educate them and get them to understand the issues that soccer faces here in America. Even though this would be a great deal of extra time and extra effort on my part, I feel that it would be a great reward and treat as well as a great opportunity for them to further their learning process towards the game!
ReplyDeleteL.Miller, the Shakespeare Festival was one of my favorite field trips. Do not hold back from trying to get your students there. We had parents chaperone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did a year of observation in 5th grade, we took a field trip to the Fairhope Bay and collected water samples to bring back to the Fairhope K-1 lab. We put water under microscopes to find various things. The kids were allowed to get into the water, we had a picnic, parents chaperoned and it cost each student $2.00 to get on the bus for about 3 minutes. Only one student was not allowed to join us because of behavior problems on the bus and he was banned from riding the bus for the rest of the year by the principals orders.
S. Pierce,
ReplyDeleteI agree that field trips are especially important for children with special needs. These field trips are important for these children because they need that kind of interaction, and they thrive on it. I also like how you frequent the library this is a great idea because children, at an early age, regardless of their grade level need to have an enjoyment for books.
L. Miller,
ReplyDeleteI have heard the the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is a fun and educational field trip. I also agree with you that field trips should be a privilege. Perhaps if there is a severe discipline case then they should have to do an report on the topic (one of Shakespeare's plays?) that the rest of the class is enjoying.
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ReplyDeleteC. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI understand that you are not a teacher but I like your idea of taking your team on a field trip to see a game. I think this is a good instructional tool. Your team would be able to see some of the formations that they use and the effectiveness that they have, and maybe you could then implement then
When I do get to have my own science class I would like to take them to the Environmental Study Center Nature Trail. I am not sure what assignment I would have the students complete but it would certainly pertain to animals and plants, since we will be on a nature trail. I know a teacher that took her students and they had to be passing all of their classes with a C, and she only had a limited amount of students she was able to take so if students wanted to go they needed to have their permission slips turned in by a certain date. I believe the teacher took 30 students, there was another teacher that went with her class, and some parents went as well. Regarding parents I would like one parent for a group of about 5 students. I want to say there is a student to chaperone ratio Mobile County requires, I am not sure though. I would certainly verify this information as I started planning the trip. I would ask the cafeteria to bag lunches and I would let them know ahead of time how many will be needed. Regarding discipline problems, while teachers sign the field trip form I would require a comment regarding their behavior in class. They may not be happy about this but it shows that actions have consequences in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the comment about the behavior in class. I also think it would be a good idea to include that in the syllabus as well. Also I would probably give more clarification about what I consider discipline problems. This is also a good way so that students are held accountable for their actions and they learn responsibility.
Your comment about field trips having "an educational basis versus an entertainment basis" is one that is meaningful to me. Before I became a teacher, I had the serious misperception that teachers have a great deal of time during the day. I now realize that this view was completely false. I struggle each day to find the time to do everything I hope to accomplish and find myself continually questioning whether or not something I've planned is a good use of time. The same litmus test must apply to field trips. While I would hope that the students would find the field trip interesting and worthwhile (as I do with every lesson), the main purpose has to be educational.
ReplyDeleteJ. Perry,
ReplyDeleteI agree, teachers have a lot to plan every hour every day. This is especially important when considering field trips. Days must be planned extremely well so that there is little down time for student disruptions. This is also important for field trips so that students don't become disruptive outside of the classroom.