Field trips: Communication and student voice
Provide clear, predictable, multi-channel communication to reduce anxiety, build trust, and ensure students feel known and heard.
Before the trip: Prime students for success
- Email a detailed itinerary at least two weeks in advance, including timings, walking distances, site photos, weather links, and expectations13
- Include a clear gear list, learning objectives, and conduct expectations.
- Open an anonymous Q&A board and answer promptly so all benefit.
- Solicit student input or allow students to make choices where feasible, such as choosing observation sites or data-collection methods
- Support student-created tools (e.g., Discord, shared documents) to coordinate logistics and peer support.
During the trip: Maintain clarity and connection
- Start each day with a multimodal agenda—printed and digital—with icons and contingency plans
- Provide and explain context-appropriate emergency contact methods—such as radios, phones, GPS trackers, or EPIRBs—and check that all students understand how to use them.
- Conduct a five-minute end-of-day debrief so every student can share a highlight and a challenge, verbally or non-verbally.
- Use the debrief to reflect on group collaboration, consolidating teamwork skills
Throughout the trip: Respond flexibly
- Track and respond to students’ evolving perceptions with brief daily check-ins or private conversations, addressing concerns in a culturally responsive way
Why it matters—Early, multimodal communication and responsive check-ins align with UDL’s Multiple Means of Representation and Engagement, lowering anxiety and strengthening belonging
Downloads and links
