Field Trip!

Every student loves those words. There is nothing like taking learning straight to the source and actually experiencing the environments that your are studying. I have been very lucky in my second clinical practice to be paired with a teacher who schedules a lot of field trips. In this day and age of budget cuts and liability issues, many schools have opted to limit or to do away with all together off site field trips. So far, I have attended three field trips between my Marine Science and AP Environmental Science, and expect to participate in at least three more.

The Marine Science class recently completed a second part of a two-part beach field trip to measure beach profiles. The first trip was conducted in the fall and a few weeks ago they went back to re-measure the beach again. This allowed them to perform hands-on data collection, which showed them the effects of winter storms and erosion on our local beaches.

The AP Environmental Science class has taken two field trips during my clinical practice. The first was to Mt. Calavera, where they conducted a biodiversity survey with my CT and a water quality study with me.

A second trip coincided with our study on energy. The students took a field trip to the Encina Power Plant in Carlsbad. I was so impressed with the quality of this field trip. Upon our arrival the students are given a presentation on the power plant where several of the plants expert engineers, safety coordinators, and environmental safety coordinators were on hand to answer questions. The students asked in depth questions about the inner workings of the plant that greatly enhanced their understanding of power generation. Then they got to tour the plant, viewing the incinerators, control centers, and turbines. They even got to go up on the roof for a spectacular view of the Carlsbad coastline. Encina doesn’t offer these trips very often, so it was wonderful that my students had the opportunity.

What’s next for my students? The Marine Science students will be returning to the beach to study life in the tide pools. This coincides with their study of the different organisms living in our oceans. They will also be heading over to one of the local fish hatcheries to observe aquafarming in action.

The AP Environmental Science class will be taking a trip to local waste water treatment plant to observe the processes involved with cleaning our water.

These field trips have been an invaluable enhancement to my students learning. It takes the learning out of the books and puts it in front of them in real and tangible ways. I am very grateful that I have had the opportunity to see the real positive effects that field trips have on learning.