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Teaching Tips | Week 3: Three Steps for Preparing Students for Field Trips & Guest Speakers
Spring 2009

Does this sound familiar? You've planned a stimulating field trip or an exciting guest speaker that is a perfect match for your course, but your students seem blasé. The connection between your plans and the course content may seem obvious to you, but often students are unsure about the purpose of field trips or guest speakers.

You can help clarify your purpose, in addition to whetting students' enthusiasm, by setting up three easy tasks:

1. Prepare your students for the activity with a "BEFORE" task.
2. Articulate your expectations for engagement with a "DURING" task.
3. Provide an opportunity to review and reflect with an "AFTER" task.

The steps can be quick and easy in-class activities or detailed homework assignments--you decide, based on your class plan.

1. Prepare your students for the activity with a BEFORE task:

• Students write questions they will ask speakers, presenters or guides.
• Students write a paragraph to reflect on what they already know about the site, speaker or subject.
• Students speculate about what they might see and hear during the visit or trip and how it might apply to their work.

2. Articulate your expectations for student engagement with a DURING task:

• Students look and listen for specific objects, concepts, or examples that are relevant to your course content.
• Students prepare to share their insights about the site or guest with their classmates.
• Students answer a particular question about the site or guest that you supply ahead of time.
• Students ask at least two questions of the presenter, guest, or guide.

3. Provide an opportunity to review, recap, and reflect with an AFTER task:

• Students compare their previous expectations with what they discovered from the site or guest.
• Students share something they found particularly interesting or surprising with their peers.
• Students reflect on how the experience will benefit their work in the future.

You can use the BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER tasks with any new activity. Try it with DVDs or demonstrations.

Resources

Thoughts on Teaching: Preparing for Guest Speakers

AAU Approval form for Guest Speakers
(complete at least a week in advance)

Past AAU Weekly Teaching Tip on Field Trips

Past AAU Weekly Teaching Tip on Guest Speakers