1. Developing a Successful Field Trip
- Engagement
- Practical Considerations
- Scalability
Alternative "Field" Experiences

2. Why are fieldtrips cool?
Students become more alert and enthusiastic when their ordinary realm of learning is replaced by an outdoor setting
Different environment
Free to move around
Free to touch, observe, “hack at” etc

3. Fieldtrips
Hallmark of Geoscience Instruction
What makes field experience a successful learning strategy?
More than just hopping in the vans and taking off for the hills

4. “Scientific Storytelling”
Strata in an outcrop are like the latter pages in a group
The beds in a fossiliferous outcrop can be seen as episodes of high drama punctuated by background description and character development

5. The detective story
An outcrop at Swine Creek, a tributary of the Grand River, NE Ohio

6. “Novelty Space” = uncertain terrain
Students will not learn well if they are not comfortable in their surroundings. 
Students must have a clear idea of
Where they are in the world (geographical awareness)
What the geologic context is (geologic setting, necessary background information, skills, materials/equipment)
They’re personal security, comfort and safety
e.g. a schedule of meal and bathroom stops should be made available, expected time of return, etc.

7. Pre-field work preparation, planning, and training
Use plenty of maps, satellite imagery, aerial photographs etc. to help locate and place the site(s) in both absolute and relative space and context
Pre-field work – cover basics, e.g. grid references either prior to field trip, or on the bus (if possible)
Pre-field work orientation – get students to organize themselves, e.g. accommodations, tide table, weather forecasts, route planning, itinerary, etc.

8. Glacial configuration ~20ka

9. 3-D Digital Elevation Map of Ohio

10. Composite False Color Landsat 7 ETM+ Image of Ohio

11. Scalability
Think of process, rather than specific example
E.g. Grand Canyon
What were the processes that resulted in the present configuration of the Grand Canyon?
Can these processes be observed elsewhere?

12. Alternative Field trips
Classroom field trips
Virtual Fieldtrips
- Photo gallery
- Interactive maps or images

13. Some virtual sites
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/havo_land/introduction.html
http://welcome.to/geologycentral
http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/devaft.html