Best Practices in Environmental Education Fields Trips: The Importance of Curricular Integration, Preparation, and Follow-up

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Persistent link to this item

Statistics
View Statistics

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Title

Best Practices in Environmental Education Fields Trips: The Importance of Curricular Integration, Preparation, and Follow-up

Published Date

2015-05

Publisher

Type

Scholarly Text or Essay

Abstract

There is a large body of research extending across multiple disciplines that indicate how to implement a field trip so it reaches optimal educational potential. Past research shows that more comprehensive preparation and follow-up leads to a better learning experience. This study describes the preparation and follow-up Minnesota teachers conduct with their students before and after an extended field trip to a residential environmental learning center (RELC), how these teachers connect such trips to formal curriculum, and the kind of support and resources RELCs provide teachers to facilitate preparation and follow-up for field trips to their facilities was determined. Results show that there are inconsistencies between the RELCs in terms of the resources they provide to teachers before and after field trips. Teachers welcome preparation and follow-up materials but face similar barriers to integrating field trips into their formal curriculum as those that have been stated in research for over 30 years. In addition, the types of preparation and follow up teachers conduct with their students fall on a wide spectrum, similar to past research findings. This was an initial step towards a greater understanding of how extended field trips to RELCs in Minnesota can be integrated into the formal classroom and what research efforts are needed to support these understandings.

Description

A field project submitted to the faculty of University of Minnesota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Education, 2015. Committee names: Ken Gilbertson (Chair). This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.

Related to

Replaces

License

Series/Report Number

Funding information

University of Minnesota, Duluth. College of Education and Human Service Professions. Master of Environmental Education Program.

Isbn identifier

Doi identifier

Previously Published Citation

Suggested citation

Floberg, Kathleen. (2015). Best Practices in Environmental Education Fields Trips: The Importance of Curricular Integration, Preparation, and Follow-up. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/185749.

Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.