Educational tours offer an opportunity for rich immersion through guided tours, hands-on learning, interactive tasks, workshops and community service. An educational tour will have enormous positive effects on students including some benefits that will stay with them throughout their lives. Here are some examples of the long-term benefits:
INSPIRE INDEPENDENT LEARNING
From taking a service learning trip to meeting scientists at museums, you never know what will spark a student’s interests. During an educational tour the students will always discover that the learning doesn’t stop outside of the classroom, in fact it will make them more intellectually curious outside of school.
EXPANDING VISIONS
On an educational tour, the students will be find themselves outside of their comfort zone. They will discover different lifestyles, cultures, and infrastructures outside of their local communities. Students develop a more global outlook on life with an enhanced sense of engagement and appreciation of different cultures.
BETTER ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
While on an educational tour, students get to experience various forms of learning. They’ll be able to look at questions and relate at least some of them to what they’ve seen and experienced for themselves on the trip, retaining information that could really allow them to take advantage of the marks available
INSPIRING CAREER CHOICES
Increased awareness of future study and career opportunities and broader community participation. When we ask teachers and educators about the rewards of leading a tour, many tell us about former students whose career choices were influenced by their trip. Many students who have participated in educational travel said that their career choices were shaped by their tour.
EXPLORING INDEPENDENCE
While these benefits hold true for many people, every student experiences something different during educational travel. Educational travel enables students to enhance their sense of self and personal identity, increases independence, maturity, confidence and self-awareness.
BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS
It’s not only the students that benefit from the educational travel. Teacher also benefit with increased knowledge and understanding of other cultures. Direct insight into, and professional engagement with, different education systems. Inclusion of authentic international experiences in curriculum programs and activities for students. Opportunities to develop rapport with colleagues and students outside the everyday school environment.
