In light of the literature that deals with challenges of outdoor education, this paper presents exemplary practices in field trips to natural environments. We offer an analysis of 62 field trips of students in grades 4-8 (age 10-14), guided by professional guides or by teachers. In aiming at elucidating the qualities of exemplary fieldtrips, we…

The "field trip" is a key pedagogical tool within geographical education to encourage deep learning, though they are increasingly difficult to implement due to reduced budgets, safety concerns and increasing class sizes. We incorporated three field-learning activities into a large introductory module. A traditional staff-led trip was the…

Student engagement may be enhanced by providing educationally purposeful activities outside of the classroom. This study considers the influence of a multi-day industry tour on student engagement for undergraduates majoring in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Data were collected from students' reflections in journal entries focused on an…

In this study, a follow-up analysis of the data reported in Lin et al. ("Learn Media Technol." doi: 10.1080/17439884.2011.629660 , 2011), we investigated the relationship between student use of a virtual field trip (VFT) system and the probability of students reporting wanting to visit the national park site upon which the VFT was modeled,…

While most would agree wholeheartedly with the benefits of getting students out more, there are numerous challenges in doing so, ranging from shrinking budgets to a standardized test-driven scholastic environment. However, the Division of Interpretation in Yellowstone National Park has gone to great lengths to provide resources for the classroom…

The integration of classroom learning with field experience provides students of recreation with an understanding of the applicability of their college course work to the problems facing recreation professionals. (JD)

The Hoonton PARKnership is a cooperative learning program that pairs a public elementary school and a state park to involve students of all abilities in exciting, interactive outdoor learning adventures. In the program, students learn about their local environment--both in the classroom and through field trips to the park--and complete projects to…

Students from the University of Montevallo, Alabama's public liberal arts university, re-created the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862) approximately twenty miles north of Corinth, Mississippi. For ten weeks in a classroom environment, nineteen students studied strategy, operations, and tactics that affected events nearly 143 years prior. Then,…

Describes a class project of producing a geologic report of a park for a community. (PR)

In Bossier Parish, Louisiana, a part of the bayou country is used as a classroom and laboratory for the district's schools. Through collecting live specimens and asking questions of the tour guide instructor, students (grades K-12) learn about science and the environment and enjoy the nature center's recreation facilities. (CT)

The environmental education curriculum in this package emphasizes biological diversity. The curriculum contains 10 units--each dealing with a specific concept relating to biological diversity. Each unit contains hands-on activities designed to make children aware of the importance of maintaining a biologically diverse world. Some activities are…