And she learned too, by observing how her students interpreted what they saw and heard, and how they related their experiences to their own lives. In Touch with Reality Today, more and more teachers like Shutak are making field studies part of children's school experience, experts say. By venturing into the community and into nature, these teachers and their students are reaping the benefits of authentic learning. In the past, young people learned in real-world settings, on the family farm or in apprenticeships, Knapp says. Biology teachers, for example, too often rely on textbooks and specimens in formaldehyde without ever taking students to a lake or forest.
Day maintains an extensive online database of field trip sites in the Washington, D.C., area.
The sites are linked to the social studies curriculum for grades K-5. Staying within the classroom, a teacher must struggle to convey something like the role of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, Day says. Students can't conceive it. But by visiting the fort, students can see firsthand how it was constructed, how it overlooks the city and harbor of Baltimore, and why it was important to the British to capture it. Similarly, museums can make learning come to life for students.