TRAVEL FOR EDUCATION - WHAT I LEARNED ON MY BAND TRIP!

Many have argued over the years that band travel is nothing but a recreational adventure and has no place in the band curriculum. But in light of recommendations, studies and reports done over the course of many years, experts believe that student travel in and of itself can be an educational experience – it’s the ultimate in “hands-on” learning! And what better way to give kids “hand-on” learning than in cities like Washington D.C. (bus and walking tour of government and historical sites and the Smithsonian for ½ half a day) and New York City (bus tour, walking tour, Broadway show, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, etc.) Now granted what we did was somewhat rushed, but if we did nothing more than expose the students to new places where they may return to some day for a repeat visit, we accomplished our goal. Even Daddy V did his part by trying to give blog-readers some information about the "Big Apple" before we ever left Portland. Do you know why New York City has developed into such and important city over the last 300 years? I'll bet a lot of the band kids do now! (hint: schist)

In additon to general and historical knowledge, travel seems to increase a student's vocabulary. In their vocabulary manual “Building Academic Vocabulary” (ASCD – 2005) Marzano and Pickering point out that many students arrive in school with well-developed vocabularies because “they or their families may have traveled extensively, exposing them to a variety of individuals, experiences, and cultures. Such students commonly take part in conversations at home that involve abundant information that will be useful to them in school. In short they may have incidentally gained the academic background knowledge they need to succeed in school.” When Daddy V was a pup, his family traveled every summer and not just the same ol’ trip to the same ol’ motel on the same ol’ beach in Florida. My dad loved to travel and we traversed the country not once, not twice, but three times during my high school years - three weeks, in the summer, every other year, from New Jersey to California and back again. My dad was blessed with a good business that allowed him the time and resources for this kind of travel and in retrospect I’m sure that’s why my vocab scores on standardized tests were always off the charts. Most of Daddy V’s grades were “beach” grades – you know, right at “C” level – but when it came to reading, English, and history – ah yes, I was a legend.
Some day, when you have time, type “educational value of travel” into your browser and see how many hits you get. Granted many of the links are to travel companies, but their sites often have justification for educational travel including several that sight a congressional resolution regarding the value of student travel.

Agree or disagree!

Talk to me, I'm Daddy V