Fieldwork
Here at D-Prep, students engage in fieldwork in contrast to going on the traditional activity of “field trips”. Fieldwork is one of the most powerful tools we have in pursuit of deeper learning. So what is the difference between “fieldwork” and a “field trip?”
What is Fieldwork
The term fieldwork is derived from the term for the primary research that is usually reserved for graduate students in universities. We ask, “Why wait until after college for students to engage in this important and critical form of research and inquiry?” We believe that students are capable of building the skill set and cognitive capacity for this deeper research throughout their education. Further, young people will be more prepared to be lifelong learners and develop 21st-century skills of presentation, self-confidence, literacy and communication skills, critical thinking skills and the capacity to collaboratively learn from their own experience through engaging in fieldwork throughout their schooling.
In each of our units, it is a priority for us, as a school, to connect our students’ learning to a real world and authentic context. Children learn the most when they understand how the skills and content they are learning are important in the world outside the walls of the classroom or school. Learning has a purpose when they see this connection and that it matters to their own lives and the lives of others.