No tags yet.
Recently, I attended the 2018 Utah Science Teachers Association Conference in Provo, Utah. It was the largest number attendees on record- over 1,000 dedicated science educators! It was fantastic to see so many teachers coming together to improve their craft.
One common theme expressed to me throughout the course of the day, especially during my presentation "Become a Scientist Teacher Adventurer" was the continued decrease and withdrawal of funding and support for field trip opportunities. Teachers shared their frustration of increased restrictions, removal of funding, and lack of support by school boards and administrators. Over and over again, these science teaching experts shared incredible stories of yearly visits to Teton Science School or the rocks of southern Utah and how they had to end the program because of issues listed above. I found this highly disconcerting!
What student doesn't have incredibly vivid memories of school field trips? For me, it was the Weber School District's Swansons North Fork Environmental Center. I received my first white-washing in the snow, my first taste of cross-country skiing, and in later years, my first double dare to jump in the cold pond fully clothed and my first taste of summer theatre (notice how I spelled theater? It's because I wanted you to read it with a thespian ring).
"New research shows that class trips offer educational value--and that they are in danger of disappearing from American schools." --STUDY: Students Really Do Learn Stuff on Field Trips
My most favorite experiences as an educator have been outside my classroom walls, engaged in active learning, with my students. Trips to Timpanogos Caves National Monument, Hogle Zoo, Clark Planetarium, Capitol Reef National Monument, Goblin Valley State Park, Physics Day at Lagoon, and the Museum of Ancient History have all been highlights of my teaching career. It's these teaching moments where student and teacher roles are blurred and we become students of the Universe together. They are exhausting events for the teachers and sometimes we wonder why we bother, but when all is said and done, we usually climb into bed that evening with a smile on our face knowing magic happened that day and memories of those events would be cherished for years to come.
"...cultural field trips offer students, and in particular, disadvantaged students, an important opportunity to add measurable depth to their education." --STUDY: Students Really Do Learn Stuff on Field Trips
So, why are these types of experiences being excluded from our children's school experience? Why are administrators and school boards no longer supporting them? Why are funding sources and support disappearing? Why do athletic teams still have support for travel and transportation, but academic programs do not? What do you think? How do we help change this narrative?
I found a great research article about the advantages of field trips, especially for disadvantaged students, check it out here.