In this discussion we will focus on how to support classroom learning through community experiences (field trips) and partnerships. We will discuss how community based learning can support and enhance lesson objectives and share the best ways to reach out to organizations that don't have formal education programs when necessary. We will talk about the types of organizations that partner with schools, effective ways participants have engaged with schools in the past and possibilities for the future. By the end of the discussion, participants will have identified at least 3 ways that they can engage with community based organizations and city institutions to enhance classroom instruction. They will walk away from the discussion with one one unit plan that incorporates a community based learning opportunity that they created and a collectively generated set of resources/best practices for integrating field trips and other community based learning opportunities into their curriculum to support learning.
Meg Davis is a museum educator at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and a former elementary school teacher. She is also the the Founder of Explorable Places, an online platform that helps teachers find and book field trips related to what they are teaching. She has a masters in Childhood Education from Hunter College and a BA in American Studies from Bates College, and is a recent graduate of the 4.0 Schools Tiny Fellowship.