Biology Field Trip Evaluation

Using Waterwatch as a field trip framework is accessible to almost all schools (maybe not in arid areas) and could be modified and adapted for marine systems if needed. Having a real life system which is both local helps to drive relevance into the curriculum and can potentially enhance the learning experience. The hands on counting of insects removes the potential for a passive ##come along for the ride## option for students and working with an established group also means that student collected data can be really used. It is important that field trips have strong and tangible rationale and do not simply be done for field trip sake. Ideally a field trip location or activities will be diverse to match the student experiences. For example having a #new# experience may trigger more learning for students than simply visiting the ##zoo## again for the 100th time and vise versa. In VCE it is important that science is not limited to the school so developing field trip opportunities within the VCE framework essential to remind students of the diversity biology can be incorported into and also stimulate ideas about where biology is important and relevant in their lives.