GLACIERS, CHEESEHEADS AND THE GREEN BAY PACKERS: MAKING MUSEUM FIELD TRIPS RELEVANT

School field trips are a mainstay of museum outreach and offer a valuable opportunity to excite preK-12 students about science and to help schools achieve science literacy. But as school budgets shrink, teacher demographics change, and competition for student attention increases, field trips need to evolve. Consequently, the Weis Earth Science Museum has repackaged its field trips and has embraced new methods of delivery.

To demonstrate that field trips enhance the classroom experience, we collaborated with a large local school district to align our trips closely with science standards, which also apply to other districts.

To attract the interest of an increasing number of younger teachers, we renamed our field trips “expeditions,” and focused on action words and photos in our marketing materials to educators. We also classified field trips by subject matter and grade level, so that teachers could make their selections quickly and confidently.

To engage students and to maximize their understanding of geology and its importance to society, we experimented with our approach to the field trip experience. Never a tour of static exhibits, we modified our trips according to our findings, and recommend the following: 1) Use storytelling (e.g., mammoth hunt) with students as characters; 2) Seek docents with varied backgrounds (e.g., theater) to gain new perspectives; 3) Tailor content to student lives (e.g., technology); 4) Integrate current events (e.g., earthquakes); 5) Involve students in real-world decisions about the impact of resource use (e.g., rock picnic); 6) Communicate with teachers to learn their needs (e.g., math); 7) Reference popular culture (e.g., TV, sports); 8) Incorporate physical activity to help younger students internalize science concepts; 9) Assist students in using the scientific method in problem solving; and 10) Use humor.

Employing these methods has allowed us to make geology interesting and relevant to students and teachers, stimulate curiosity about science, enhance the image of scientists, promote science careers, and create educated citizens who will use geologic knowledge for personal and societal purposes. Significantly, this approach to the museum field trip can be implemented in-house in institutions of any size, requiring a creative commitment but little financial investment.