LESSON 11

MAKING THE MOST

OF COMMUNITY
RESOURCES AND
FIELD TRIPS

PLANNING A FIELD TRIP INCLUDES

THREE STEPS:
preliminary

planning by the teacher

and preplanning with others going on
the trip
taking the field trip itself and
post-field trip follow up activities

FOR PRELIMINARY PLANNING BY THE

TEACHER, BROWN (1969) PROPOSES THE
FOLLOWING

Make preliminary contacts, a tour on final

arrangements with the place to be visited.
Make final arrangements with the school
principal about the details of the trip: time,
schedule, transportation arrangements, finances,
and permission slips from the parents.

Make a tentative route plan, subject to later

alteration based on class planning and objectives.
Try to wok out mutually satisfactory
arrangements with other teachers if the trip will
conflict with their classes.
Prepare preliminary lists of questions or other
materials which will be helpful in planning with
the students.

PREPLANNING WITH STUDENTS JOINING THE TRIP

Discuss the objectives of the trip and write them

down. The main objectives should be included in
the permit slip given to parents and should be
consulted later when the trip is evaluated.
Prepare a list of questions to send ahead to the
guide of the study trip.
Define safely and behavior standards for the
journey there and for the field trip site itself.

Discuss and decide on ways to document the trip.

Everyone is expected to take notes.
List specific objects to be seen on their way to the
site, on the site of the field trip and on their way
home from the field trip.
Discuss appropriate dress. Comfortable shoes for
walking are important.

Before the trip, use a variety of learning

materials in order to give each student a
background for the trip. For example, by viewing
a film, a slide set, or a still picture unit dealing
with housing standards and conditions, a class
maybe better prepared to learn through a visit to
an actual slum area.

PREPLANNING WITH OTHERS JOINING THE

TRIP

Other people accompanying the group need to be

oriented on the objectives, route, behavior
standards required of everyone so they can help
enforce these standards.
These may be parents who will assist teachers,
other teachers and/or school administrator staff.

TAKING THE FIELD TRIP

Discuss route map of places to be observed.
Upon arriving at the destination, teacher should
check the group and introduce the guide.
Special effort should be made to ensure that:
- the trip keeps on the time schedule
- the students have the opportunity to obtain
answers to questions
- the group participates courteously in the
entire
trip
- the guide sticks closely to the list of
questions

EVALUATING FIELD TRIP

These are questions we can ask after the field
trip to evaluate the field trip we just had:
Could the same benefits be achieved by other
materials? Was it worth the time, effort, and
perhaps extra money?
Were there any unexpected problems which could
be foreseen another time? Were these due to
guides, students, poor planning, or unexpected
trip conditions?
Were new interests developed?
Should the trip be recommended to other classes
studying similar topics?

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS DERIVED FROM A

FIELD TRIP

The acquisition of lasting concepts and change in

attitudes are rooted on concrete and rich
experiences. Fieldtrips are opportunities for
reach and memorable experiences which are
fundamental to learning that lasts.
Field trips bring us to the world beyond the
classroom. The real-world connection is more
work but the benefits of broadening teaching
beyond textbooks far outweigh the little bit of
time it takes from a teachers schedule.

Field trips have a wide range of application. It is

not meant only for children, it is for adults also.
It is not only meant for the social science
subjects, it is for all other subjects as well.
It can bring about a lot of realizations which may
lead to changes in attitudes and insights. The
field trip can nurture curiosity; build a zest for
new experience, and a sense of wonder. (Dale
1969)

DISADVANTAGES OF FIELD TRIPS

It is costly.
It involves logistics
It is extravagant with time
Contain an elements of uncertainty.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES
These can be persons and places in the
community. For persons, let us not go too far.
Let us begin with the parents of our students.
Many of them can be are source speakers in their
fields of expertise.
A dentist may be invited to talk to the children
on how to care for their teeth.

A journalist may serve as resource speaker on the

parts of a newspaper and how to write an
editorial.
A senior citizen and a war veteran in the
community may be invited to class for an
interview on a topic of which he is expert, say for
example, his memories of World War II.
A barangay captain may be asked on what the
barangay intends to do to curb the rampant
alcoholism among the youth in their community.

THE FIELD TRIP: A BRIDGE OF THE

SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY

Field trips abolish the walls that divide the

classroom and the outside world. Field trips also
connect people. All people involved in the field
trip students, teachers, parents, school head
come together for joint planning. Resource person
in the community are brought to the school as
key informants in an interview by children or as
lecturers. Why not open your school to field trips?
We lose nothing when we open our school doors to
parents, officials, and other members of the
community. Instead, we gain this support and
cooperation. They are rich learning resources.

Thank You!