The debate over field trips has been ongoing for several decades. Some educators are strong believers regarding the benefit of such ventures. Others are devout protesters of the practice believing that it takes away from the curriculum. There are always other considerations besides education regarding field trips and their viability that unfortunately are determining factors.
Pros
Field trips provide an enhanced form of education. The subject matter leading up to a field trip is discussed, dissected and re-hashed multiple times. The field trip itself is the most beneficial in remembering the information pertaining to the subject.
Taking children into the world for out of the classroom experiences teaches more than just the subject matter; it teaches social skills and an ability to analyze and form an opinion. The social skills required on a field trip are many including good manners, politeness and courtesy. Having access to these socially acceptable graces is only the beginning of the knowledge obtained during the course of an outing.
Research has shown that students retain more practical knowledge about a subject if they have had a chance to see it, touch it, work with it and explore it. Having this type of hands on experience affects a deeper understanding of the subject. Human memory works better with tangible knowledge.
While books can teach and computers can instruct, it doesn't compare to a real person who possesses an undeniable understanding of the information, whether it be prehistoric, music, art, modern, war or anything else that is limited by the walls of the classroom. For example; a person who has lived through a war and is now a guide for the war section of a museum can provide more in-depth material that a book written on abstracts.
Cons
The downside to field trips in these modern times revolves around liability issues and a lack of available faculty and volunteers to supervise. School directors and superintendents are very aware of the possibilities of lawsuits and claims that schools cannot afford. Regrettably these conditions are a major factor in deciding whether or not to expand a classroom's learning venue.
Severe cutbacks in educational budgets have resulted in the loss of staff to supervise field trips and parents are hard pressed to get time off of work to volunteer in a supervisory capacity.
Tags: field trip, field trips, social skills, subject matter