In-House Field Trips of Concentrated Study
Peggy Scott, Social Sciences
pescott@ilstu.edu
University High School
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois 61790-7100
(309) 438-8350
SUBJECT
Interdisciplinary Studies--Social Sciences perspective
GRADES
11-12
ABSTRACT
Today with concerns about cost and liability, field trips are less popular. Yet as educators, we know that students enjoy and benefit from field study and hands-on experience. One way to beat the system is, rather than taking a busload of students to the site specialist, bring the site specialists to the students in an in-house field trip. It is also similar to going to a conference or workshop where someone else had done the work of assembling those people who have the best information to share. The idea is to present, in-house, one day of concentrated study on a particular topic. Many of these days can be interdisciplinary so students are able to apply what is learned in several areas. One day allows teachers to reach closure on the topic.
The first times I tried this idea I had a small group of Advanced Placement U.S. History students and the topic of the day might cover a decade or era such as Jacksonian democracy or the Cold War. We used the idea school-wide to recognize the Columbian Quincentennial, and, since then, have presented topics on the American frontier, multiculturalism, and most recently the History of Rock n Roll. Each presentation involved two or more disciplines, most frequently U.S. history and American literature, but also music, home economics, foreign language, and even math and science.
Each topic had its own format, so the days were not predictable to the students. The Columbian presentation stressed a multimedia format, the American frontier featured break-out sessions, multiculturalism used a choice of videos with discussion, and rock n roll emphasized performances. There were certain common factors within the planning and organization for each, and there was adaptation as we learned from each topic and format. I will summarize the strengths and pitfalls as well as what was learned for the next event.
AP CLASSES
The size of the group makes this the easiest to organize. The key I found was to take the students out of their usual environment and give hem specifics re: preparation. I used conference rooms on our parent campus, but a public library, community center, or Chamber of Commerce building would do as well. Because I wanted the group "locked in" for the day and the topic, I tried to plan for a variety of methods. For example, this is an opportunity to use a longer or even feature length film and still have time for discussion. Debate and discussion can reach closure.
As always, food was a major concern. I provided a continental breakfast to encourage promptness, and food was ordered in so discussion could continue informally over lunch. Considerations include is video equipment available, is food permissible, and is there a fee charged for the space?
By mid-afternoon everyone will start to sag including the instructor (if it is a one teacher class). Save something sparkling and/or light for the end of the day. A collection of artifacts (campaign buttons, 60's memorabilia) or political cartoon or song lyric analysis might be a good way to close out the day. Usually the students are tired, but filled with knowledge by the end of the day.
COLUMBUS
The largest of the in-house field trips, it included the greatest range of disciplines. Clearly social sciences was a core, but Spanish language ran a close second. English looked into diaries and writings about Columbus, math and science shared the new technologies of navigation through a through a local planetarium show. Foreign language, English, and history took responsibility for the multimedia presentation projected on a large screen.
Because of the large number of students, the group ran on a group A/group B schedule, experiencing the same things alternately, with two shifts for lunch. Even lunch fit the theme as we used foods of the American exchange--turkey sandwiches, corn chowder, and chocolate for dessert. One teacher volunteered to bring in samples of venison meatballs to lend authenticity. Virtually all activities were held in the auditorium.
The greatest drawback of the day was it concentrated too little on student activities. They sat and watched at the planetarium and the multimedia presentation and listened to speakers in a panel on "Columbus: the hero or villain." It was too static for teenagers. However, the evaluations showed we offered something (but not everything) for everyone. The largest numbers of students (200+) and our lack of experience had pushed us into that channel, but the next time we pushed back.
AMERICAN FRONTIER
What was life like on the American frontier? Students chose from a variety of break-out sessions after a keynote speaker. The break-out sessions were lead by specialists on frontier life as well as teachers of English, social sciences, and science. Lunch was provided as one of the break-outs.
Students were issued tickets for break-outs, but could trade to get a particular session. However, tickets had to be limited to the seating capacity of the room. This meant that students would be moving around the building and not always during a passing period. Students were reminded regularly to keep quiet in the halls, and it worked amazingly well.
The drawbacks were finding and scheduling enough speakers for the break-out sessions. We had out topics in mind and then began to search for specialists. We worked on this to the very last minute. Students did not have the details of the schedule for the day or their tickets as early as we had wished or planned. Not too surprisingly, some speakers went over better than others.
GENERAL INFORMATION
From the film/discussion format, we learned that even showing a film will not stir discussion from students who are unfamiliar with the discussion leader. Students need to be comfortable with peers and teachers to discuss emotional issues (racism, etc.) Or to provide the personal examples or responses which allowed them to relate to a film.
I had anticipated the history of rock n roll to be one of the most interesting to the students. However, they anticipated the "rock n roll" rather than "the history of"; they expected a day of concerts and were somewhat disappointed there wasn't more live music.
Planning and organization is essential to run a program of this nature. Most of the events involved 150-200 students and half a dozen teachers. The longer the lead time until the event the better it ran. Probably one each year in the spring works best. Look for collaborators who are organized and creative!
Keeping students corralled is clearly the other big problem. Having a large flexible space is almost a must. It keeps students from roaming the building, yet allows for different methods of presentation (speakers, film, etc.) We used name tags to take attendance and students had to check-out at the end of the day with a teacher or by leaving their name tag. Name tags were coded to indicate lunch hours or groups. Lunch was always provided and attempts were made to complement the theme of the day.
We have found it necessary to charge students for field trips for several years, so using a fee for an in-house field trip was acceptable. This provided honoraria for speakers and supplies for the day as well as lunch.
At the end of the day of the event teachers were so tired their evaluations were "never again," but by the next day when feedback came in from students and a good night's sleep had renewed their vigor, it all seemed more than worthwhile.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Computer and laser printer--to update programs, tickets, name tags
Resource list--possible speakers, contact persons with expertise in field, caterers
A-V equipment--most speakers required some sort of equipment: overhead projectors, VCR=s, slide projectors, microphones for large sessions