TIPS FOR PLANNING A LEARNING JOURNEY

TO OUR PARTNER ORGANISATIONS

To help you get started on planning a Learning Journey to our partner organisations, we have dedicated this page to share some tips with you.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you plan your Learning Journey:

What are the objectives of this Learning Journey?
Start with the objective in mind. Ask yourself what you hope to achieve with your students at the end of the journey. For instance, is this Learning Journey aimed at:

1. Increasing the students’ knowledge of a specific topic,
2. Achieving objectives specified by the school’s curricula,
3. Providing a meaningful and effective introduction or closure to a lesson, and/or
4. Providing an experience that is personal, interesting and engaging?

What are the logistical arrangements to keep in mind?
Once you are clear about your objectives, search for a suitable Learning Journey programme on our website or those recommended by fellow colleagues. Once you have selected the particular programme, you would have to:

1. Book the visit and find out more about the venue, including location of pick-up points, toilets and rest points.
2. Ensure enough time, including breaks and traveling time, is allocated for the programme.
3. Ensure there are enough teachers to take care of the students on the visit.
4. Prepare consent forms for parents, to be signed and returned in advance.
5. Prepare risk assessment form, if needed e.g. A visit to Semakau Island.
6. Ensure requirements stipulated by the organisations e.g. submitting list of students and accompanying teachers for security clearance etc. are attended to.
7. Make transport arrangements.

What should be prepared before the visit to make the journey more meaningful?
Before the visit, you can make the visit more meaningful for the students by:

1. Finding out (and if it is not fixed, plan one) the itinerary for the Learning Journey programme and planning suitable pre-trip activities in class.
2. Preparing worksheets for the Learning Journey programme itself (Refer to our list of LJ resources of different organisations in Edumall).
3. Reminding the students to bring along essential items such as water, writing materials, optional items such as caps, umbrellas or cameras, and other items requested by the partner organisations.

What should the students know on the day of the Learning Journey itself?
It is the day of the Learning Journey! Before embarking on the journey:

1. Communicate the objectives and expectations of the visit.
2. Remind students about the safety rules that they should observe.
3. Highlight expectations on behaviour especially when visiting religious places.

What can be done after the visit to enhance the overall experience?
The visit is over! However, the learning of the students should not just end here. You could:

1. Arrange post-visit activities as a closure to the experience and to reinforce learning points.
2. Facilitate a discussion with the students to draw out the learning points of the visit.

And there you are! You should be ready to plan your own Learning Journey. We wish you all the best. Do enjoy the experience.