School excursions can be a fountain of knowledge. Students are
expected to not only enjoy themselves, but also drink from this fountain
and absorb skills that can be assessed according to the standards of
the curricula.
But knowledge is not simply the entry of data into
the brain. It also includes the sensory absorption. This creates
pedagogical experiences and builds the student's ability to connect with
the world around them.
Sounds of South Africa
Some
destinations seem to strike certain senses more than others. On
educational trips to South Africa, students will no doubt listen to
words of wisdom, but in particular their ears will be piqued to absorb
the cultural and natural sounds humming around them. South Africa is
famous for safaris, and the sounds of a safari are unlike any others.
The roar of the lion, the bellow of the elephant, the howl of the hyena,
the song of the wind sweeping across the plains - students' ears will
drink in this sensory information and it will shape their understanding
of these unique ecosystems.
Smells of Cornwall
It is widely
recognised that information accompanied with hefty sensory impact is
often remembered more clearly. Students on educational trips are
expected to process and remember what they learn. It may be strange to
think of their noses playing a significant part in this pedagogical
process, but indeed, the firm implanting of the history and biology of
the Cornish coast into young minds is aided by use of their young noses.
The briny sea air, the sweet smell of loam on cliffs, the tingle of dew
drawn in with the musty smell of an ancient church - these smells will
help ideas and words learned to linger longer in the minds of students.
Taste of Rome
Rome
is as famous for its food as it is for its antiquity. On educational
trips, the two go hand in hand. Not only is the cuisine of Rome an
adventure in itself that pushes the cultural bounds of visiting
students; not only can students who are keen to learn culinary skills
take a unique opportunity to learn from the best; but with each melting
piece of cheese in the mouth, each scrumptious morsel of soft bread,
each sip of decadent sauce and each swallow of perfectly seasoned meat,
students will be associating the history of Rome with sensory delights
of the tongue that will be hard to forget.
The Sight of Greece
Perhaps
the sense most obviously linked with learning on educational trips is
sight. Students travel to famous places to lap up the visions of
grandeur in person rather than through the inferior medium of second
hand pictures. Indeed, the sights of Greece, from the resilient columns
of the Parthenon to the sombre pillars of Hadrian's Arch, both dripping
with history, will make the lessons learned come alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment