Important Moments in Learning

Marianne Nordahl
 
What do you remember from school? What caused you to want to participate and be a part of your class? Maybe it was a group project, a speaker, or a field trip that helped you have a positive outlook. It may even have been something you did on your own after learning about a specific topic. There is usually something or someone that sparks our passion or curiosity. It pushes us to take learning into our own hands and learn more.
Each student enters the classroom with different world experiences. Research shows that students who have been exposed to various things often perform better in school.  Successful readers tend to associate what they read to what they've experienced. To think widely, students need to have a variety of experiences.

Field trips and hands-on learning always make experiences more memorable. If you reflect upon what you learned in school, the trips you took, and what you took away from them, chances are that they may still be some of the clearest concepts.
Furthermore, field trips allow students the ability to engage with content in so many different ways. Ideas are presented through many different types of media and modalities. Many times we find that students who struggle with traditional learning come out feeling confident and upbeat after a field trip. Many students are able to understand the content better when they can learn holistically. Then, when they return to school, that field trip serves as a touchpoint for additional learning and curriculum points.

As a whole, some of our students’ worlds are small. The community in which each child lives in is an incredible resource for broadening the world around them. It is fascinating what we can find within our city, town, or even our region. We know that field trips allow students to access people and places that cannot be replicated by the internet or in the classroom. This incredible multisensory learning experience can bring lessons to life and, more importantly, create enthusiasm for a subject that is hard to duplicate through any other media. As teachers and parents it’s our duty to make that possible.  

Ken Robinson, in his engaging TED talk, says there are three principles that make human life thrive: “diversity, curiosity, and creativity.” Find things to enjoy outside the classroom and bring new life to learning!
 
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