FIELD TRIPS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: BENEFITS OF SELECTING THE NATURAL WAY OF LEARNING Esra Kazan University of Texas at Dallas November 2002

Benefits of Field Trips & Outdoor Activities Knowledge in Science Care for Environment Improvement in Personal Skills

Knowledge in Science Long-lasting knowledge Observe things first hand in real situations Participate in hands-on activities See, touch, hear, smell, and feel objects

Ecological sensitivity Protection of environment Water, air pollution, endangered species Gain consciousness and respect Care for Environment

Facing challenges which builds: self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance Leadership skills: teamwork & trust building Student-student & student-teacher interaction Improving Personal Skills

Making Field Trips More Fruitful Forming concepts from experience Using outdoor social groups Meeting experts on the job Examining natural and cultural objects Generating interesting questions Thinking aloud together

Final Thoughts ~ Challenges ~ ~ Suggestions ~ Children’s safety Keeping their attention on subjects Poorly designed schoolyards Set up safety rules Establish a reward system Improve & maintain schoolyards

Let’s turn our habitat into a real big classroom and a laboratory in which students are well motivated to learn and teachers are happy to teach.