When the permission slip is handed over from their child, parents are sometimes likely to think back to their own educational excursions with rose-tinted glasses. They may recall the fun and freedom of venturing outside the classroom to new and exciting destinations, but as they sign off on their child’s adventure, do know they really know what they are in for?
The fact is, times have changed. Excursions are not completely as they were a generation ago. Parents might be fascinated to know that their progeny will enjoy their journeys in fresh new ways.
Students will be connected
There are so many opportunities for those students who can afford to embark on a school trip abroad (or even in the UK). Students can get up close and personal with safari wildlife in South Africa or drink in the history of the ruins of lost but not forgotten societies in Greece. But these forays into the wide world do not carry the same sense of isolation and pioneering spirit as they once did. While still exciting, the truth is that students will be thoroughly connected – to folks back home and to one another. Modern Internet and mobile phone technology allows parents and teachers to keep a close eye on students virtually, while giving them a chance to share their experiences.
Students will be challenged
No school trip today is a mere excuse for teachers to lay off lesson planning. If, in the past, journeys within the country or abroad had an air of carelessness to them, this is all but stamped out by expert providers of quality tours. The reality is that students will be challenged: they will indeed have fun, but they will also be expected to learn and take back this learning to the classroom.
Students will be distracted
There is believed to be a broad consensus that children today are multi-taskers who have sacrificed a long attention span for distraction. This changes the way a school trip is experienced. While this framework of thinking is not all bad, since students are, indeed, able to be occupied with multiple streams of informational input, it does mean that on a journey filled with new sights and sounds to dazzle the senses, it is harder for students to stay focused. This is why expert guides are so important to make sure students have a conducive learning environment.
Students will have options
In the past, perhaps even the most ambitious excursions did not cater wholly to students’ needs. This is not the case for the modern school trip. While in the past many groups visited museums such as the Louvre, famous sites such as the WWII battlefields, or renowned natural environments such as the Bay of Naples, the tours were not organised to specifically serve the needs of each class and curriculum. Nowadays, the truth is that a recognised educational tour provider will not only provide an experience tied deeply to English, Math, History and other subjects, but they can also adjust to suit individual class needs.