/ 11 March 2011

Learning outside the classroom

Do you remember a field trip you went on at school? Very likely. Do you also remember what you did in class the next day? Most unlikely. Why is this? Research into learning in museums and science centres suggests that such visits are strongly retained in long-term memory. They make a difference in children’s lives. However memorable class visits are, we can make them even better learning experiences with a little extra effort.

“They went inside a large hall which had pieces of weird apparatus, some exhibits and posters on the walls. Tlotlo saw a large model of what he thought must be the moon. The pupils sat on the floor. Kate began asking questions about the solar system. Most of the learners called out planet names, as well as other words like “moons”, “meteors” and “galaxies”. Kate stressed that the visit today was about having fun and learning at the same time and that they should try to think as well as play with the exhibits.”

This is a description of a typical class visit from a learner’s point of view, in this case to the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory’s visitor centre west of Pretoria. A visit there involves fun, hands-on activities, as well as classroom-style teaching by educators. “What I’ve learned is that most people learn … through fun, so whatever they do should be fun so that they can learn,” said a learner who visited the science centre.

It sums up what learning should be like on a school field trip: the children must enjoy themselves. However, learning and having fun are completely compatible, so the educator’s role should be to enable both to happen. Class visits to museums, zoos and science centres are popular in South Africa, since more of these places are widely available.

For the educator, the visit is a hectic and stressful exercise. Despite this, many educators choose to take their learners on visits — they believe a field trip opens their eyes to experiences not available in the classroom.

Recent research in South Africa and overseas suggests that, for many learners, the visit is just a day off — a fun day out. Learners are able to switch off their minds while the educators worry about behaviour and logistics instead of teaching.

There is concern by education authorities and parents that the time spent out of school and the expense incurred need to be compensated for by a worthwhile learning experience.

The key to making this happen is the educator. Teachers need to view the field trip as an extension of classroom learning, albeit in a more relaxed, informal environment.

Martin Braund and Michael Reiss in their book Learning Science Outside the Classroom suggest the following guidelines for educators:
Purpose — Think of why you want to go on this visit and how it fits in with what you are teaching.
Venue — You need to become familiar with the place being visited. Visit it yourself, research it on the internet or speak to someone who has been there before.
Prepare — Do some preparation with learners before they go so that they know what to expect.
Be active — During the visit make sure you are active so that learners can see the importance of what they are doing at the site.
Guide them — Give the learners both structure and free time during the visit, so that they get to work as well as play. Tell them what you expect and try to encourage them to discuss what they see.
Afterwards — Make sure there is some follow-up activity back in the classroom so that the visit stays in the learners’ minds for longer. Get them to tell others about what they did — this is crucial. It seems that learning from field trips is more effective when reconsidered over subsequent months.

So, go ahead and arrange that field trip, but make it both fun and educational.

Dr Tony Lelliott is a science researcher at the Wits School of Education