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Do Field Studies Add To Learning?


I believe the idea of a field study for education has many learning implications and possibilities, however, the field study must in some way make direct correlations and connections to what the students are learning. This is a formidable task, especially since most students are only interested in having a "good time," when they go on a field study.

Field studies can be open gateways to increasing a students knowledge, and expanding his or her experiences. They have to be field studies that are not limiting and constricting. For example, going to a museum is a noteworthy event but visiting a museum in and of itself will not guarantee that students gain the kind of expansive experience that you as a teacher would like them to have.

"Teachers can support a deeper level of learning from a field trip by implementing preparatory lessons that result in further development or "construction" of knowledge in the content area of the field trip, as well as assist students in organizing new and existing content." (Noel, 2007)

"Teachers need to optimize the learning during a field trip by actively integrating the content of the field trip with the curriculum. In fact, if students see the field study as just a diversion, prize, or needed break they might enjoy it, but little real learning will have taken place. Theorist Piaget (1970) and Vygotsky (1978) suggested that students need to be interactive with their environments to begin to construct knowledge and that interacting with both people and the environment, play key roles in the way children learn," says Noel.

Suggestions to teachers for how to make the field study experience more interactive include creating activities that help students construct new information, using primary and secondary documents from the field study, after the field study and during the field study and any extra information that comes from the field trip site itself.

Students can also create something memorable from their field study once they return to the school building either by information they have gained and gathered or by researching more about the event or situation.

The more experiences and connections students make on field studies, the more they will grow and question the world around them.

Now go make that field study memorable!!

Field Study Video

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