When I started working as a social worker for the Ministry of Children and Families, part of my social work training included a field trip to an aboriginal center on the lower mainland. I thought this was one of the most interesting experiences I had during my orientation training. This field trip gave me an opportunity to see what aboriginal individuals who had a disability thought about the support they received from social workers within our organization. This was valuable learning, as there was an authenticity and real-world experience to this part of my training.
In the PowToon video I have included below, I think Robert Budlong does a good job of showing how field trips are a valuable instructional strategy. In my current training position at Community Living BC, I only have one opportunity to take our staff on a field trip. I would like more opportunities to use this strategy, but as Rob highlights in his presentation, doing field trips can be challenging due to administration details, time restrictions, and funding constraints. Time and funding constraints are always an important consideration in the training that is provided for staff in a government organization.
I currently facilitate two days of Orientation Training that includes a field trip for new staff to help them feel more connected with our Head Office in Vancouver. During this field trip we visit various departments, familiarizing new staff with our organizational structure and introducing them to some of our VP’s, Directors, HR staff, accounting staff, IT staff, and finance staff. I can see how incorporating the suggestions from Rob’s PowToon video could make this field trip a more valuable and interesting learning experience for our staff. Currently, the tour around Head Office is sort of an add-on to the last day of our training, however, I think that being more deliberate around this field trip i.e. taking time to link the field trip to the afternoon’s learning, explaining more about the purpose of the field trip, and stressing the advantages of understanding the organization’s structure, would add to staff’s enjoyment of this field trip and enhance the learning they get from this experience.
Budlong, R. (June2, 2017). Field Trips. Retrieved June 18, 2017 from:
https://www.powtoon.com/m/fn0BKsXpej1/1/m
In the PowToon video I have included below, I think Robert Budlong does a good job of showing how field trips are a valuable instructional strategy. In my current training position at Community Living BC, I only have one opportunity to take our staff on a field trip. I would like more opportunities to use this strategy, but as Rob highlights in his presentation, doing field trips can be challenging due to administration details, time restrictions, and funding constraints. Time and funding constraints are always an important consideration in the training that is provided for staff in a government organization.
I currently facilitate two days of Orientation Training that includes a field trip for new staff to help them feel more connected with our Head Office in Vancouver. During this field trip we visit various departments, familiarizing new staff with our organizational structure and introducing them to some of our VP’s, Directors, HR staff, accounting staff, IT staff, and finance staff. I can see how incorporating the suggestions from Rob’s PowToon video could make this field trip a more valuable and interesting learning experience for our staff. Currently, the tour around Head Office is sort of an add-on to the last day of our training, however, I think that being more deliberate around this field trip i.e. taking time to link the field trip to the afternoon’s learning, explaining more about the purpose of the field trip, and stressing the advantages of understanding the organization’s structure, would add to staff’s enjoyment of this field trip and enhance the learning they get from this experience.
Budlong, R. (June2, 2017). Field Trips. Retrieved June 18, 2017 from:
https://www.powtoon.com/m/fn0BKsXpej1/1/m
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