WORKSHOP TITLE: Beyond the Bus Ride: Transforming Field Trips into Powerful Learning Experiences
FACILITATOR: Thonya Joseph Devonish
DURATION: 4 hours
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
This engaging, hands-on workshop is designed to help teachers maximize the educational value of field trips and guided tours. Too often, field trips are treated as one-off activities rather than meaningful learning experiences. This session shifts that perspective by demonstrating how to intentionally plan, facilitate, and follow up on tours to deepen student understanding.
Participants will first experience a guided tour of the museum as learners, allowing them to reflect on what makes a tour engaging and impactful. They will then explore strategies for designing purposeful, curriculum-aligned field trips, including pre-visit preparation, student engagement during the trip, and post-visit reflection activities.
Through collaborative tasks, teachers will develop a field trip plan that promotes inquiry, critical thinking, and real-world connections. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with practical tools to transform field trips into rich, student-centered learning experiences.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Evaluate the components of an effective guided tour or field trip based on their own experience as learners.
- Apply strategies to plan and facilitate meaningful field trips, including pre-trip, during-trip, and post-trip activities.
- Design a field trip plan that aligns with curriculum goals and promotes student engagement and inquiry.
TARGET PARTICIPANTS:
General Studies teachers primary and secondary (History, Social Studies, Geography etc,
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Participants are required to bring a laptop and schemes of work. The workshop facilitator will provide all other materials.