The Field Study

How do we take our students beyond what they know from their own experience to what is possible? Exploring the city provides a glimpse of other lives, other ways of doing things. Field studies are essential for a complete education.

A natural accompanying activity for any analysis of the city is the field study. With a basic understanding of planning terms like node, district, landmark, edge and path, students are able to identify strategic areas on a map of the field trip destination prior to the activity. Experiencing them on site provides motivation for continued investigation.

"How might the educational potential of the city be enhanced for children today?" asks Michael Southworth, College of Environmental Design, University of California at Berkeley. "One important way to learn from the city is to travel about within it. Mastery of the subway or bus system is an education in itself. Children must learn how the transit system is organized, plan their routes and plan their finances. They must learn how to read signs and maps and are exposed to the enormous physical and social variety of the city." If this is not possible due to school district restraints, it can be encouraged as an optional family activity.

How can communities help? In Portland, Maine, the city put together A Kids Guide to Getting Around Greater Portland, building on the theme of "Save Our Earth." The packet included free passes, an easy to use "how to manual" and buttons. The colorful map helps kids choose the appropriate kind of transportation for the place they are going. Emphasis is placed on kid-powered wheels and feet using those paths without cars which are especially good for bikes, skateboards, wheelchairs, or roller skates. Portland has made it possible for young people to get almost anywhere in town without having to ask their parents to drive.

Both Box City and Walk Around the Block curriculum are organized so that a basic knowledge base is established by using the home; the school and the blocks around the school neighborhood as a starting point for practicing skills like pace and scale, property survey, mapping, and building type recognition. However, the ultimate goal is for the students to have a broader experience, the city, through a field study, whether with the class or through some other mechanism.

With budget cuts and legal constraints, many educators find themselves with limited access to field studies.

The alternatives which teachers are currently using:

• Private transportation provided by parents. Some classes are able to take as many as eight field trips per year.
• A selection of field trip sites with directive questions for each site. Families or care givers undertake on weekends or after school.
• Enrichment programs or clubs (usually after school) which focus on community exploration.