FIELD TRIP

INTRODUCTION:

Field trips provide an exciting variety to dull bookish routine. They tend a spice of life. A modern teacher feels that if we want to impart real education to the pupils, it must be experienced by then. “Book learning” is no longer considered the whole education. Education which can be imparted outside the school in the society and community is being given greater prominence that the education imparted inside it.

Field trip and excursions can be effective means of training in citizenship. Camp is like a small self-governing community. Students themselves are responsible for organizing it. They choose their own leaders and workers and work under their guidance in a disciplined manner they learn co-operation, responsibility, social discipline and importance of duty.
As the students have to think out the ways and means of securing the necessaries of life, they learn initiative and self-reliance.

There are certain students who are spoiled members of their families. Such students learn to adjust to other members of the field trip, because they are not bound to please them.

Field trip develops many occupations and interest and produces a balanced creative individual. Such an individual is a social asset.

Need of an Educational Field Trip:

The purpose of education process is to generate learning conditions for realizing objectives. The learning experiences are the means for bringing desirable change in behaviors.

Rein had introduced the technique, “short excursion is 19th century to make history and geography more interesting and realistic. These are also termed “Field Trips”. If a teacher has to teach Taj Mahal, Waterfall, Mountain, Sea etc. she can make use of this technique or organizing educational excursion.

Meaning and Definition of Field Trips:

The term ‘Field Trip’ has been defined by Henary Johnson comprehensively.
“The field trip as developed by Rain was prized for the reality which it imparted to geography, nature study, history and other social and physical subjects. It was also prized for the open air exercise which is brought for the initiative and freedom it made possible, the opportunity it is created for school training.

Characteristics of Educational Excursion or field trips:

(i) It provides the real experiences and perception of learning content
(ii) It is a psychological technique which involves more senses in learning situations
(iii) It makes history, geography and other subjects for interesting and realistic
(iv) It provides the real experiences which are easily comprehend and retained for a longer time.
(v) It reduces the scope of rate memory and memorize the social studies content.

Theoretical Basis of educational field trips:

(i) It is based on psychological principles i.e. observation and perception by involving more senses.
(ii) It is used and based on social principles and feeling of group work, co-operation. It is group centered instructional technique.
(iii) It provides the direct contact with real content of teaching school subjects.

The purposes of school Excursions (or) Field Trip:

(i) To acquaint the pupil with this Environment:

The main objective of education is the wholesome citizenship. It must be based on accurate knowledge of one’s environments. The pupil should be made aware of the ideals, traditions, history, customs, organization and institutions are reflected in many places of this social, physical, industrial, commercial, professional, emotional, recreational, educational and spiritual life.

(ii) To interpret, supplement and enrich curricular experiences:

Most of the curricular work of the school is formal and academic. It, therefore, lacks vitality. Discription of a waterworks plant in a book, the publication of a newspaper, the activities of a city council, description of a bank, a parliament session, a post office in action etc do not appeal to a pupil because they are remote from reality.

(iii) To capitalize educationally the Migratory instinet of the child:

Man is an animal and like other animals he is by nature a migrator. He wants to wander and explore. He has a lust for wandering. He wants to have new experiences, meet new companions and live in surroundings though that living may be temporary. The field trip properly initiated, organized, conducted, correlated and evaluated represents an excellent capitalization of this migratory urge.

(iv) To develop certain desirable qualities:

While making arrangements of traveling, boarding, lodging etc. during excursions, the students get practical training. Thus they develop the qualities of initiative, resourcefulness, self-confidence and leadership. They also get training in social dealing.

Planning and organization of the field trip

1. Formulating specific objectives for the field trip:

The specific objectives for the field trip was to make the students acquainted with the Vivekananda rock, Thiruvallur Statue, Gandhi Mandabam, Bay Watch.


2. Planning :

Planning and organizing the activities so that the objectives can be achieved effectively.

3. Permission:

Permission was taken from the school authority for organizing a field trip to kanyakumari, Tamilnadu, India.

4. A schedule was prepared for the field trip:

(a) Date:
The date was fixed on 14th June 2008, two weeks after the school reopens.

(b) Time:
It was decided that the students and teachers will start from the school at 5:30 amd so as to see the sunrise in Kanyakumari which is very famous over there. It was also decided that we should reach the school before 07:00 pm.

(c) Number of students:
It was decided that 40 students should be taken to the field trip to Kanyakumari including both girls and boys.

(d) Incharge of the field trip:
Four teachers were allotted to accompany the students myself,each of us were given ten students and we were asked to take care of those students. Two non-teaching staffs also accompanied us. Mrs. Seldany was the incharge.

(e) Specific prorgramme for the trip:
A specific programme for the trip was laid out in the staff meeting and everything was discussed in the meeting. Later on it was discussed in the Pta meeting.

(f) Financial assistance:
Each students as asked to pay a amount of Rs.250.

5. Incharge of the field trip
i.e. Mrs Seldany arranged the bus for the field-trip. She also contacted the Bay watch and booked tickets for the students and the other members.

6. A guideline and schedule paper was prepared by us for each and every students.

7. Incharge of the trip Mrs Seldany prepared a schedule for boarding and lodging at different places during the field trip.

8. A list of the required items was prepared by us for the journey.

9. The specific instructions were given for the starting place and time.

10. Incharge prepared code of conduct which every student has to follow during field trips.

A guide sheet was prepared and was checked. Every student was made well aware about the guide sheet. All the students filled the guide sheet proper instructions are given for completing the guide sheet by the students.

Name of the places of visit: (Kanyakumari)

(1) Vivekananda Rock
(2) Thruvalluvar Statue
(3) Gandhi Mandapam

Blue print of daytime Schedules for the field trip.

Time Place departure Place Visited
05:30 am School Campus Kanyakumari
10:00 am Sea Shore Vivekananda Rock
11:00 am Vivekananda Rock Thiruvalluvar statue
11:30 am Thiruvalluvar Statue Gandhi Mandapam
12:00 am Gandhi Mandapam Bay Watch
06:00 pm Bay Watch School

Kanyakumari:

The teacher gives a brief explanation about Kanyakumari.

Location :
Extreme Southern tip of Tamilnadu, India, Peninsular India

Temperature :
Max 35 deg. Centigrade, Min 21 deg. Centigrade

Rainfall :
1188.6 mm per annum

Best Time :
October to March

Attractions :
Kanyakumari Temple, Gandhi Mandapam, Vivekananda Rock
Thiruvalluvar Statue, Baywatch

Kanyakumari or the Cape Comorin was once known as the Alexandria of the east. A hub of art, culture, civilization and pilgrimage for years, it is famous for commerce and trade.

Sunrise:

Kanyakumari is famous for the its beautiful views of sunrise and sunset over the waters.

Vivekananda Rock:

The reputed Vivekananda Rock Memorial on the sea-girl rock is a “Visible symbol of invisible strength, invisible faith and burning devotion that Swami Vivekananda personified”. The place is a wonderful one. There is a separate chamber for meditation.

Thiruvalluvar Statue:

It is 133 feet high, statue of Thiruvalluvar in the mid-sea at Kanyakumari which was erected by the chief Minister of Tamilnadu Dr.Karunanidhi is unique and colossal in size and has no parallel anywhere in the world. This statue is definitely enhance the appeal of Kanyakumari and spread the message of the Universal poet all over the world through the lakhs of tourists who throng Kanyakumari. To proclaim the words of Father Beschi who said, “Thiruvalluvar shines as a star in the darkness of night a lovely flower in the desert, a light that drives the gloom of ignorance and beacon light to the whole world.

Gandhi Memorial:

The Gandhi smarak Mandir is a beautiful one in Kanyakumari. It is in the Oryan style. It contains the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, kept for public view. The oriyan temple was designed on 2nd October.

Bay Watch (Amusement Park):

Bay Watch is the best Amusement Park in the Kanyakumari Dist. Children like this place very much. They enjoy a lot here. This place is very famous for its water games. Here wax statues of various famous personalities of the world are kept. Not only children but even the adult enjoy a lot.

Students Discussion:

After 5.00 pm the students were given time to discuss about the things they had observed. They were also given some simple writing exercise. The printed handouts were given to the children in cardboard file, as they boarded the bus at the very outset of journey. So the students were well aware of what they were expected to find out and fill in the form. We also informed the group that the student with the most correct entries would win a special prize like magic. All the students were excited about filling in their forms correctly. As a result, instead of wasting away the journey time, they went about gathering the information that would fetch them the coveted prize. I can tell you that mostly all the students on that trip will remember their visit to Kanyakumari for a long time to come.

Following is given a model for hand out given to the children:

Questionnaire

Name _________________ Std ________ Division

Stuff to keep you busy:

1. Where is kanyakumari located?
______________________________________________

2. When is the best time to visit Kanyakumari?
______________________________________________

3. What is other name of Kanyakumari?
______________________________________________

4. What is the height of the Thiruvalluvar Statue?
______________________________________________

5. When was the Oriyan temple designed?
______________________________________________

With your colours draw and color a picture of whatever you saw or liked in Kanyakumari.

Students Report:

The students report was read by the leader on behalf of everybody i.e. all the students. It is as follows:
Good evening everybody. Its my pleasure to read the report on behalf of all the students. First I would like to thank the teachers and the authorities for arranging a wonderful field trip. We were amused to see the rising sun. Then we got many information about Vivekananda Rock, Thiruvalluvar Statue and Gandhi Memorial through our teacher. We got new details about those places then we came to Baywatch, where we enjoyed a lot.

The trip was not only enjoyable but also informative. We learnt many new thing. The handouts given by the teachers were really very useful and very creative. I thank my teacher once again for arranging such a wonderful tour.

Conclusion:

The field trip made the teaching interesting. It provided the real experiences through perception. It developed faith in natural scenes and human works as dams. It developed the insight and imagination by perceiving historical buildings. It developed cognitive, affective aspects of the students. It developed the ability of observation and imagination and feeling of appreciation. It developed the feeling of co-operation and group work. It helped in self-teaching.