The Importance of Field Trips for Learning

A high school teacher at Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Anthony Cosentino also serves as a volunteer firefighter in the Putnam Fire Department. A resident of Putnam, Connecticut, he has more than two decades of experience teaching social studies and sociology. Anthony Cosentino co-created the Woonsocket High School’s Global Citizenship Group, which allowed students to participate in annual field trips to Rwanda and make cultural exchanges.

School field trips are relevant social experiences where students share cultural aspects and explore new perspectives in an authentic setting. According to the National Science Teachers Association, field trips can enhance and deepen classroom learning. They work by helping students develop understandings that otherwise would not be available.

A successful field trip is well-designed by the teacher, who should prepare activities that support student learning and exploration. According to a 2012 research by Nadelson and Jordan, a field trip promotes positive feelings about the studied topic, which means learners may become emotionally connected to the issue. Other studies have also found that moments experienced during a field trip can be useful for a long time after the visit, suggesting that students may remember what they have learned for longer.