Field Trips And Lifelong Success In Academics: A Correlation That Shouldn't be Overlooked | software for school administrators

Field Trips can lead to lifelong success for students!

With tighter budgets and heavier workloads placed onto both the school systems and their students, field trips may seem to have faded in the education industry. While some may think that time in a classroom learning environment is more important than field trip experiences, information shows that field trips are an important aspect in education.
 

An article from the NEA showcases the importance of field trips and why every student can benefit from having an experience from outside of the classroom. They give statistics that showcase how “…educational trips had a positive, lasting impact on their [students] education and career because the trips made them more engaged, intellectually curious and interested in and out of school.”

 
Personally having gone on multiple short field trips and a few lengthy field trips, I can absolutely attest to the impact they have had on my education experience. Especially during elementary and middle school when field trips kept both my classmates and I interested in what we were learning. It gave us the curiosity needed to have a continual desire to further our knowledge on the given subject.
 

A study conducted by the University of Arkansas lays out some of the benefits of school field trips and why these benefits are so crucial to the growth of a student’s intellect. They found that “…field trips to cultural institutions have significant benefits for students beyond educational aspects.” That students could recall information from their trips weeks after when quizzed on several aspects of the trip; showing that both their memory retention and knowledge had grown because of their trip.

 
While many individuals think that field trips cause more of a learning distraction, at the App-Garden we believe that field trips are the gateway to a truly fulfilled learning experience. We give educators the tools they need to efficiently plan trips for their students because we know how truly important it is to reach a student’s full learning potential.
 

Field trips seem to be declining as we see the “devaluing [of] cultural and historical sites, instead taking students to amusement parks, sporting events, and movie theaters instead.”

The Student Travel Planning Guide

also mentions “…as school districts wrestle with budget deficits and heftier academic requirements placed on their students, some have started to eliminate field trips.” With this being said, focus needs to be brought back to importance of outside experience and what it can do for the students in the long run. Because what’s better than learning from real world experience!

 
Now planning a trip can seem daunting at times so we have come up with some solutions to make your trip planning experience easier!
 
  1. When looking for a destination or event look around your school district. This will save time, money, and is more likely to gain approval.
  2. Always make sure that you are mindful of the educational value of the trip as compared to expenses such as drive time, time to be spent at the field trip, and other field trip expenses. For example, driving three hours for a 30-minute demonstration might not be the best option!
  3. When planning a field trip, make sure that your lunch staff is notified on how many children are going on the trip so that they know to make less food. This saves both time and money and frustration on the part of your cafeteria staff.
  4. You may also need to let your nursing staff know which students are going on the trip if you have students with allergies or other medical needs.
  5. Prepare all paperwork, including parent permission slips so that your district policies are followed correctly.
 

Request a demonstration of the TravelTracker-Trips so that you can make all of this very easy for your district and save both money and time!  Many of the items mentioned above are automated for you with the Travel Tracker field trip management software. We would love to take a moment of your time to show you just what our application can do for your district!