A Lord of the Flies Approach to Field Trips

As progressive education leans more heavily into experiential learning, UDL engagements and skill focused educational experiences, one has to wonder: why don't more schools incorporate multiple opportunities for wilderness education or residential field trips? And when they do, why is the experience overly curated and scheduled down to the minute?

*For the purpose of this article, I would like to put aside any budgeting constraints schools might have. That could be a post in and of itself. Instead Let's focus on the very real benefits learning outside of the classroom provides students of all ages.

When I refer to residential field trips, I mean school trips that last longer than a day and incorporate some aspect of experiential learning; escaping the constraints of the classroom and finding alternative spaces to engage in authentic learning. We have all seen the data about learning through play. Furthermore many of us subscribe to hands on learning methodologies. And yet, educators still face challenges when it comes to exploring nontraditional learning spaces and embracing unstructured learning. Residential school trips could be a great starting point.

"And yet educators still face challenges when it comes to exploring nontraditional learning spaces and embracing unstructured learning. Residential school trips could be a great starting point."

Unstructured learning can be safe and positive, but it does require a level of trust between chaperones and students. If and when this is achieved, there are endless benefits to a trips with limited teacher intervention. Here are a few points in defense of a hands-off approach.

Develop ATL skills

When left to their own devices, students reinforce their approaches to learning skills in many ways. For example, while packing they must bring necessary supplies and equipment for multiple days. On the trip, they utilize google maps and other technology to navigate their surroundings. They also negotiate ideas with peers and can even use social media to document their experiences. There are myriad ways ATL skills can be incorporated into a trip that reinforces the importance of such skills in the real world. One these trips it can be clear to students that ATL skills are not just tied to subject tasks or to an 'explicit' learning engagement in the classroom. Additionally, such trips offer space to be reflective (while not requiring a specific product to be handed in).

This is the very intention of ATL skills in the IB framework. I would argue residential trips allow for more authentic ATL skill development, than connecting such skills to assessments or an in class learning activity. On trips, there is more freedom to explore how these ATL skills serve the individual and in turn may very well result in students embracing these skills because they see their value, not because their teacher or curriculum requires it.

Develop social skills

Offer students space to discuss and even argue over where they want to eat or when they want to wake up. As a teacher is it difficult not to jump in, however if we do, we have interrupted the learners' ability to develop decision-making and compromising skills. When traveling in a group and allowing student agency in the decision making process, we offer students the opportunity to develop their social and leadership skills. If instead we just hand them an itinerary and move them from one activity to another, what life skills are we really cultivating? This may feel like chaos, but embrace some of that chaos. When figuring out the day ahead, target building consensus and teamwork rather than communicating the schedule for the day.

"This may feel like chaos, but embrace some of that chaos."

Beyond the schedule and activities, you can also try communal cooking on these trips. Students learn to delegate tasks, time their work, and appreciate the effort that goes into feeding themselves. Nothing encourage teamwork more than the promise of food at the end. You could go even further in asking students to budget the meals and participate in the grocery shopping.

Reinforce problem-solving and independence

When a trip or itinerary is just handed to students, we are gatekeeping the important opportunity for learners to make independent choices. Learners should certainly have some input when it comes to the scheduled activities, otherwise the learning may not be as student-centered as we intend it to be. Outside of the classroom, just as inside it, students must have the opportunity to try new things, make mistakes, and then course correct. This could mean putting up their own tent, finding and navigating the public transportation schedule, budgeting their money for food, sticking to the meetup time, or choosing which exhibit they would like to visit. Chaperones and teachers should embrace this level of freedom and independence, within reason.

Foster flexible thinking

Many students nowadays will look at a problem, decide they can't do it and give up. In the classroom of course the teacher's role is to encourage perseverance, but on a residential trip that is a bit more fast paced, this skill can develop more organically. Think about putting a kid in a canoe. Sure there is a quick lesson before everyone gets on the water, but once you're out there, there is a level of "figure it out." Of course they have a life jacket and trained professionals are around. And yup they may fall out of the boat a few times, but ultimately everyone has to get down the river. So how does that student change the way they think about this challenge? Change their paddling technique? How can they make it work? By the end of the excursion, not only will the student have had to think outside the box, but they will feel accomplished in their own perseverance.

Encourages students to trust their decision making

Maybe most importantly, chaperones and teachers are safety nets, not militant tour guides that rigidly keep to a planned schedule. If we are meant to get the most out of residential school trips, then there must be ample free time for socializing, reflecting, and team building. Seeing as many 'attractions' as possible may seem like the best approach, but I would argue that these trips are more about the intrinsic value of exploration. What do we learn about ourselves when we are out of our comfort zone or in a new place? Trusting yourself is an invaluable skills when you're a teenager (really at any point) and it is incredibly difficult to develop in the safety of a classroom.

Residential field trips are a gold mine for skill development and personal growth. No, students won't be any closer to passing a test at the end, but if that is your measuring stick for an educational experience, it may be worth reevaluating your understanding of progressive education. Freedom to play, make mistakes, self reflect, and yes even get into a little trouble, are important to growing into a life-long learner.

I leave you with this controversial thought: Our job as educators is to provide that invisible safety net for students who really need it, not to intervene at every moment.

Do you agree?

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