At Arthur Morgan School, we believe in experiential education. School is so more than a just a building. Young people need to interact with real people doing real work. On our 18 Day Field Trips, students travel across the country learning about different topics. The trips have either a scientific or social studies focus. During these excursions, our students don’t just study these subjects, they live them.
Experiential Education
Every winter, staff and students work together to identify the theme of each trip. Students then spend five weeks studying their theme in the classroom. At the same time, students plan and organize logistics for a trip that will explore that theme in the “real world.” Students actively participate in decisions about where to go, lodging, activities and packing lists. Themes from past trips include:
Learning Life Skills
The field trips profoundly expand experiential education beyond the traditional school community. Students arrange work projects and community service that relate to the educational theme of their trip. These projects allow students to connect with people and places that are affected by what they have been studying. Through work, the students gain a deeper understanding of other people’s experience while forming new friendships that sometimes last long after the trip.
During field trips, students have many opportunities to develop their social and practical skills. They meet and work with new people, adapt to new environments, and take care of their belongings. Students gain life skills in travel logistics, managing a budget, and vehicle maintenance that they will rely on throughout their life.
The 18 Day Field Trips are the cornerstone of what offer as experiential education. School becomes an adventure and students’ curiosity is sparked for the rest of their life.
