SOUTH DAKOTA FIELD INVESTIGATIONS: THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME

Because secondary school students typically have a difficult time relating to phenomena or concepts with which they have little or no first hand experience, I have consistently attempted to involve students in observing and studying what is in their own backyard. Much of the earth sciences, however, remains beyond their experience, and teaching becomes a balance between helping students both to experience and to go beyond their immediate environment. To “go beyond”, however, is increasingly a challenge in an educational world that adheres to “test scores equal learning” mentality.

Elementary and secondary schools generally welcome the additional resources and influx of ideas that comes from collaboration with college and university teachers. The latter have much to offer, as well as to learn, through positive exposure to younger learners (and possible “customers”) and to the community and culture (“the real world”) of which they are a fundamental part. Our recent experience with planning and running a 5-day, field-based program for 62 eighth graders has convinced us of the fundamental value of such collaboration

Our emphasis throughout this trip was upon observation - of the land and landforms, of the flora and fauna, of the relationships between the land and its use - and interpretation. Each day a subgroup of students was responsible for preparing a daily log of writings and digital photos that were posted that evening on the trip website (available at http://www.mrs.umn.edu/SDtrip).

For most of the 8th graders, this was their first learning exposure to the land and landscape. One important result of this trip was that students had the opportunity to observe and to learn about earth science in the field. Less anticipated were the changes in student perspectives and attitudes about learning, both during and after the trip. Many of the greatest strides came in students who had previously felt alienated from the school and the formal learning environment. As a teacher who had worked closely with those students I will always remember and cherish the words of one of our special education students, “I get it out here. I don’t get it in the classroom, but here, I get it”. Our trip became a model of learning for a village of young learners, for us, and for the extended learning and teaching community.