“Will the teachers from IS90 District 6 Washington Heights please report to the security booth. Will the teachers from IS90 District 6 Washington Heights please report to the security booth.”
I knew right away which student was causing the alarm. As I walked quickly down the stairs of the American Museum of Natural History I thought of the number of detentions that would be appropriate as my temper flared. Sure enough I was right. Zach* and his cronies were playing manhunt in The Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs. Apparently the giant T-Rex podium was “a great hiding place”.
The rest of the day was productive as I carefully guided the motley crew through their cross-functional assignments. Some of these included using a protractor to calculate the heights of the dinosaurs. Researching the evolutionary tree was to inspire a short story with a favorite human ancestor as the main character. They also had to match leaves (of their choosing) from the neighborhood park to genus using the museum’s Hall of Biodiversity as a taxonomic resource.
Although the format for presenting these projects was carefully outlined before the field trip, the results within the context of the framework were unique to each student. Inquiry based learning through critical thinking always yields the most intriguing outcomes. When children are immersed in an environment unknown to them such as AMNH they are at the brink of sensory overload, their minds forced into involuntary cognition. They analyze and process information for extended periods to an extent that is unmatched in the familiar daily surroundings of a classroom.
On language Noam Chomsky writes, “How can it be that every child succeeds in acquiring such a rich system so early in life, in an apparently unintentional manner, without the need of an explicit teaching?” The answer lies in the innate brilliance in each of us, able to deconstruct a complex problem, discern the data and logically navigate towards the best possible solution.
Upon googling the title for this blog post I realized the term Virtual Field Trip by definition is an oxymoron. We’re in the virtual world all the time (more often than not, in the social networking time-suck). There is nothing “field” about it. Just as Darwin sailed the HMS Beagle into unchartered waters so too must we challenge our youth with real life adventure. While experiencing entirely new physical environments, electronic devices are best used to digitally measure and record observations only (cell/cam phones synced to twitter, calculators, stop watches, tape measures, thermometers, counters, pencil and pad..that’s right pencil and pad). All wikipedia reads are to be done days before. Laptops are too cumbersome. Bring one and have the kids do quick on-task searches if need be.
For the perfect Virtual Field Trip:
Step 1) Shut down computers.
Step 2) Leave the premises.
Step 3) Go to a place the kids have never been before. (In my case it was anywhere below 125th street).
Step 4)Assign specific problems to be solved using tools of measurement and recording.
Step 5) Repeat
Five possible destinations:
a) New York Stock Exchange- Track pre-determined stock(s) throughout the day. Discover other companies in sector. Identify value. Predict trends.
b) Any Farm USA- Research seasonal climate patterns. Measure soil temperature. Predict seed germination of selective crops.
c) Baseball Game- Compare players stats (batting avg., RBIs, home runs) to predict outcome. May also conduct follow up experiments studying ball speed/trajectory/effect of gravity. Introduce idea of instantaneous rate of change for AP Calculus prep.
d) NASCAR Race- Record number of laps in allotted time. Determine speed based on size of track. Count number of pit stops to ascertain tire/gas mileage.
e) Local Zoo- Enquire about eating/sleep patterns (circadian rhythms) of animal of choice. Study and record behavior amongst groups. Predict roles of arbitrarily named individuals in pack. Identify alpha male.
In each case there is preliminary research brought to a particular situation, measurements are conducted and a prediction is made. These three tasks will hone critical thinking skills via independent inquiry based learning. Recorded data/metrics should be reported using Excel or Minitab. The greater number of comparisons via charts/plots the better. More conclusions can be drawn this way.
Tapping into individual yet systematic thought patterns for processing external information may not be what the kids are used to and they may want to play manhunt instead. Remember that it is an accumulation of years of dumbing down. Keep challenging them. Tragically most are unaware of their unique genius and become just another member of the herd. As modern educators we must continue to pave the road towards self-discovery through student centered inquiry based digital learning.
*names have been changed
