On our latest class outing we did away with the traditional excursion worksheets, where meaningless facts, dates and answers are painstakingly copied out from museum display signs for fear of students not ‘learning’ anything during the experience. Instead we went for a much more meaningful and enjoyable option.
In their concertina-style reflection booklets students were asked to draw what they wanted to remember from the various places we visited. They also had sections for jotting down facts and feelings if they felt the need (a touch of De Bono and his coloured hats).
The other pages were ‘Questions to Ask the Experts’ and an A-Z brainstorming list of words associated with the topics covered on the excursion (a nice reflective activity for those fast eaters looking to fill in some extra time during our lunch break).
Thank you TMAG Education Team for suggesting this type of creative approach. Instead of nagging my students to complete their worksheets, they were free to simply be inspired and engaged by their experience.
Throughout the day I would look around and see someone doing a quiet sketch of something that had taken their eye, or another referring back to a question they had thought of to ask the tour guides, and others writing down certain facts that had interested them. Our booklets suited many types of learners and my students were in charge of their own museum adventure.
Mrs Clare and Miss M 