Classroom Management Techniques on Student Trips
Managing Student Behavior on Educational School Trips
Nov 4, 2009
Thankfully there are many classroom management techniques which can be applied off campus to make educational school trips more achievable.
Firstly, teachers should observe school procedures for student trips. That might sound silly but many teachers fail to recognise that such procedures are there for a reason.
In New Zealand, the general process for conducting an educational school trip starts with the teacher making a proposal for management approval. That proposal usually includes a run down of the reasons for the trip, the students who will be involved, transportation details, costing and a list of identified potential hazards. There is invariably an adult to student ratio that must be fulfilled and students are usually required to return parental consent forms, even for the shortest off-campus trip.
The requirement for parental consent forms alone, immediately creates a discrete opportunity for teachers to manage student behavior by excluding some of their most difficult students. That’s because it is usually the difficult students who lack the organisation to return their forms or who will try, typically unconvincingly, to forge their parent’s signature.
Planning a School Trips Thoroughly Helps Teachers to Manage Student Behavior
Proposals for student trips are worth spending time on. Teachers can pre-empt a lot of situations, and devise strategies to manage student behavior, simply by sitting down and really thinking about the trip ahead.
Transportation is an important consideration. No matter how close a trip venue might be, it is unwise to walk students there if there is a chance of some slipping away undetected en route (It does happen!). Organising a bus to the venue allows students to spend more time there and reduces teacher stress at a minimal additional cost per student. It is worth investigating whether transportation cost can be claimed from a wider school funding pool.
Educational school trips should always include a purposeful task. Art students, for instance, might be required to make drawings of specific objects for adaptation into their own work later or to collect information for an artist study. The task should be explained to students ahead of the trip and should ideally carry some assessment value. (An alternative assignment should be provided for those students who missed out on the trip.)
Teachers Planning School Trips Should Make Provision for Parent Helpers
Suitable parent helpers are every teacher’s friend! Schools are usually cash-strapped when it comes to funding relief staff so will likely frown upon any teacher who takes other staff away from their duties unnecessarily. By enlisting good parent helpers teachers can justify the trip more easily to management.
Men are particularly handy on student trips as difficult students, particularly boys, are less likely to misbehave around them.
A surprising number of teachers neglect to explain to students the reason for the trip and the standard of behaviour expected. Such an omission enables difficult students the later comeback that they didn’t know what was required e.g. that they had “no idea art galleries were quiet places”! (That’s not to say that all art galleries are!)
Bribing students is perfectly acceptable in the context of educational school trips! The promise of a shared lunch at the teacher’s expense or an iceblock on the way back to school can sometimes swing it for those students who might otherwise be tempted to misbehave.
But the best way to ensure classes stay focused during student trips is to ensure the event is relevant and enjoyable. Students won’t perform well in class if the lesson is boring, neither will they behave well in public if a trip is dull or disorganised.
Teachers should ensure students have been schooled in the necessary background information for the event before they experience it. Students’ sense of pride and maturity will be enhanced when they realise they have been armed with the knowledge to understand a concept that might previously have been too challenging.
Always find an appropriate person at the venue for students to collectively thank before they leave. This practice not only builds students' knowledge of necessary social conduct but allows them to observe the working role of an adult outside of the school environment.
Lastly, teachers shouldn't forget to head-count. Immediately before, immediately after and during the trip – more if possible! A class trip is essential to check the identities of any students who might suddenly disappear.
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