The Being There Experiences
The focus of Day 3 centered around providing students with being there experience was the BEING THERE EXPERIENCE. Being there input occurs when real things are studied in their real world context. They are different from traditional field trips because they should happen before a unit of study, and students have very specific procedures to follow. When a student is immersed in a being there experience, meaningful learning takes place because all 19 senses are activated. As a result, electrical and chemical activity in the brain is maximized.
Participants observed model teachers preparing the class for their being there experiences. The Primary Class reviewed procedures to use digital cameras, to ride with chaperones, and to maximize their time at White Water and Sope Creek. Intermediate students reviewed procedures and prepared to board the bus in order to take the trip downtown to the Solar Decathlon House on Georgia Tech's campus.
Student Photographer pictures from the Solar Decathlon house can be found here. Student Photographer pictures from White Water and Sope Creek Parks can be found here.
Immersion Areas
When students returned from their being there experiences, they began to work on projects so that they could show what they learned on the trip along with how this information connects with the overarching theme of the week: cause and effect. To see images of students working on their immersion projects in the afternoon following the being there experience, click here.
Debriefing
After everyone returned and cooled off, students were busy working on their immersion areas and teachers were busy discussing the differences and similarities between a traditional field trip and a being there experience. Click on the image to make it larger and to read what teachers believe regarding the similarities and differences between being there and experiences and field trips.
