When you take your students on a field trip, it’s much more than a day at the park.  While you’re anxious to provide them with a fun experience, you’re also intent on cementing what they’re learning with a value-added experience. For teachers, pre and post field trip planning can make all the difference to the quality of the excursion.  Knowing what you want them to retain while they’re out there and having a plan for mobilizing that learning afterwards, are key aspects of successful field trips.

So, this post is for teachers – pre and post field trip planning tips.  How you frame your field trip before and after you go can add educational value and galvanize your students’ retention of the subject matter.

Seeding the experience.

Today’s classroom is supported by technology.  Wherever you’re taking your class, you know there’s going to be a detailed website to explore.  Assigning each of your students to a subject page on that website and making them “field trip authorities” is a fun way to offer them a chance to both learn and lead.

Talk to your kids about the place they’re visiting and how important it is for them to represent their school with dignity and decorum.  Instilling in them the reality that they’ll be ambassadors for their school and town is a great way to dispense with regulatory guidelines that may seem oppressive.  Casting them in the role of emissaries is another way to help them learn about leadership.

Introduce your class to terms they may hear during their field trip.  This boosts their vocabulary and trains them to see opportunity in personal development; opportunity that opens doors to even more knowledge.

Cementing the experience.

After you’ve returned from your field trip and you’re back in the classroom, it’s important to cement what’s been learned in the minds of your students.  Holding an intentional “open forum” on the day’s events about what was seen and learned creates a sharing environment in which your students gain value from hearing other perspectives.

Extend the experience of having represented their school by asking your students to write letters to leadership at the museum, event or attraction you attended.  Letters should thank these people by sharing thoughts on the unique value of the field trip’s subject.

Create a media release to local news outlets, describing your class’s experience and sharing with the media the value of the trip and its subject.  Everyone can get involved in this.  If the group has photographs, the best of these can be selected by the class and included with the media release.

Field trips that matter, with Junior Tours.

At Junior Tours, we create memorable educational opportunities for students.  Field trips that matter stick with students, enhancing education by bringing it to life.

Since 1967, Junior Tours has been working with teachers across the USA to help students reach higher with outstanding field trips and tours that support education with the thrill of discovery.  To find out more, request an itinerary and quote.