Today we had our first field trip of the year! It took a while to set up, and even more time to check to see if we would actually get to go. NASA sponsored "A Day at the Park". We had everything planned out to notify parents and students, however, this was before the government shut down. We were then notified that we were not able to go since NASA is a federally funded program. We sent the notifications home a day before we left, which caused some parents to become annoyed and frustrated because they were not told sooner.
We were not sure what really to expect when we went to the field tip, except that it would deal with space. We did believe that there would be some sort of interactive component to the experience. We arrived late because the event started at 9am, but our school does not begin until 8:30am and students are not considered tardy until 8:50am. It was a toss-up as to whether some students would be able to go due to their consistent tardiness. Everyone was present today and did get to participate in the field trip.
When we arrived, the welcoming speech was already in progress, but students were excited and enthusiastic about being there. We were placed in the back of a large auditorium on the floor, which made it difficult for some students to see. The speaker, a pilot astronaut, was there to speak about keeping student dreams alive and answering all of the "random" questions that students may wonder about when they think about astronauts in space. The speaker was animated and had many pictures and video from their space mission involving how they ate, slept, traveled, showered, activities, etc.
After the speaker, there were two demonstrations involving students. One demonstration involved saving biomes and habitats, like the North Pole and rainforests, and was included technology and recorded experts. This tied in really nicely with our science unit that my 5th graders are working on. We have spent a lot of time identifying biomes and how to save our planet. Next, the demonstration involved flying gadgets as the evolution of animals and transportation (off the ground) occurred. There were models for each type that were remote controlled. Students were then allowed to volunteer to test the models out in front of the entire presentation group.
Towards the end of the field trip, students became bored. There was not an interactive component for all students to partake in at one time, only one, or at most 4 students, in a group of over 1,000. Also, two students become scared of the loud noises and began crying/anxious and asked to leave the room. It's interesting to see how small things like participation and even noises affect student engagement and enjoyment. I believe the experience could have been better if the demonstrations were broken up into stations or groups so students would have more of a chance to participate. Instead, many of the demonstrations or examples did not reach the back of the room (where we were) so students could not see up close, which caused frustration and disinterest.
Fieldtrips are a great experience for students to listen, explore, and learn new information in a different setting and from people who are experts in that particular area. This has shown me that students could benefit from visitors coming to our school to give presentations or activities when those adults are in that field of study. Giving students as many perspectives on a topic or situation can encourage them to have an open mind and continue learning and striving to reach their goals. For a while, even I wished I could experience some events as astronauts do.
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