Field Trips: Explore the World Through New Perspectives

Incorporating Field Trips into the curriculum is one of the great advantages of international education. How do these extracurricular activities help students develop, and why are parents becoming increasingly interested in this factor when choosing a school for their children? Let’s find out with Sydney International School System in the article below!

Field Trip: A Journey to Maturity

At school age, students must experience the world around them because it allows them to overcome the limits of knowledge and move to new lands. For that reason, many educational programs have long encouraged students to participate in extracurricular activities such as picnics, sightseeing, or traveling abroad. Field Trips are also becoming more and more diverse, providing many experiential opportunities for students.

Field Trip is an international term that has been used for a long time, basically meaning that students explore different destinations to improve their knowledge and experience. Field Trips are modeled similarly to “wall-less” classrooms and must ensure factors such as:

• Experience: Students can practice, explore, and research instead of just learning theory so that they can assimilate knowledge more effectively and practically.
• Diversity: Students can be involved in many activities in different areas of study, from science, geography, history, and culture to fun and relaxation activities.
• Coherence: Field Trips need to be carefully planned, ensuring students understand the meaning of the trip as well as summarize useful information afterward.
• Connectivity: This extracurricular activity needs to create opportunities for students to connect with the natural world, areas covered in the curriculum, and the people around them.

Field Trip: Diverse Destinations to Experience

Throughout the academic year, schools organize Field Trips for students at the following places:

Factories and Manufacturing Plants: Students directly observe the production processes or learn about the history of large companies. In Ho Chi Minh City, the high-tech park in District 9 or the industrial park in Tan Binh District are often the common destinations for Field Trips.

Museums and Exhibitions: In Ho Chi Minh City, students can visit museums such as the War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, or Ao Dai Museum to learn about the country’s history. Exhibition venues in the fields of art and literature are also chosen by many international schools.

Schools: Students visit high schools or universities in the country. This extracurricular activity is especially meaningful for high school students, given that this is an important time for them to determine which university to attend. Here, students not only learn about various fields of study and the quality of the curriculum but also experience school life like real students.

Domestic and Foreign Tourist Destinations: What’s better than “2 in 1” combined trips, where children can both explore a famous tourist destination and learn lots of new things about that place? For example, in the academic year 2023 – 2024, SISS organizes a summer study abroad trip to the US or Canada for students who want to have a memorable summer in these two developed countries.

Amusement Parks: This is also one of the common destinations of many international schools, where students can freely have fun and relieve pressure after weeks of intense learning at school. To enhance the learning experience, Field Trips can incorporate some activities that encourage students to apply their creativity, leadership skills, and teamwork spirit.

Field Trips: Important and Useful Extracurricular Activities

Most international schools, like Sydney International School System, focus on Field Trips because of the following benefits:

Real-World Learning

For modern educational programs, the connection between theory and practice is always a top priority for educators. In “wall-less” classrooms, students will learn the connection between what is in books and the real world. Students will use their senses to hear, see, and feel. Besides, students can also start researching and practicing to learn about the operating process of an object or event. Practical experiences will help students absorb knowledge more clearly and effectively.

Enhance Social Emotions and Connectivity

Many studies show that learning through Field Trips helps students connect more easily, and they also know how to share and empathize more. This extracurricular activity gives students many different perspectives on an object or event. In addition, students also have the opportunity to connect with many different communities and environments. Thereby, their view of the world will increasingly expand rather than being confined to their familiar environment. At that time, students will be more aware of the diversity in culture and lifestyle of each individual.

Learn Better Through Diverse Experiences

If studying at school makes them feel pressured, Field Trips will be an activity that contributes to promoting students’ learning spirit. Students are exposed to knowledge in many different ways; this could be a viewing of a documentary film of the factories, a presentation given by experts in the field, an on-site practice project, or quiz games integrated into the program. In addition, some international schools also require students to do reports after the trip instead of just testing theory through regular tests. That encourages students to explore, expand, and present their findings in their own unique way.

Create Many Memorable Experiences with Friends

For students, school memories are attached to the joy of outings with friends. Therefore, Field Trips will be a great opportunity for students to create more memorable memories, connect with many friends who share common interests, and make friends in different communities.

Promote the Development of Important Skills

Through these extracurricular activities, in addition to connectivity, students are also given opportunities to demonstrate leadership abilities, problem-solving skills, a proactive spirit in learning, and an independent spirit, all of which are important life skills of the 21st century. In addition, students’ confidence also increases dramatically when they have many opportunities to interact with the surrounding environment, solve problems, and explore their strengths through Field Trips.

At Sydney International School System, Field Trips are one of the extracurricular activities that are always emphasized. Throughout the academic year, students from Prep to High School will have the opportunity to take part in Field Trips to learn new things about the world around them, while expanding their knowledge and skills.

Parents, please contact the hotline at (028) 777 666 88 or leave a message on Facebook for advice on the study program at Sydney International School System.