Category Archives: Trip

Trip

Discover Magical, Mystical Morocco on a School Trip

The school trip has become an increasingly valued part of the national curriculum and with the world opening its doors to travel the opportunity to take groups of students on educational trips is endless. Taking students out of their familiar classroom environment broadens minds, introduces new experiences and encourages motivation and renewed enthusiasm. While theory and learning through textbooks has its place, there is nothing quite like putting a subject or a concept into context and considering it from a three dimensional perspective.

On a school trip, students are taken out of their comfort zone and gently encouraged to push their boundaries and question their preconceptions. There is no better way to learn than by experience. Alongside the educational advantages of a school trip, students are also given the chance to develop socially and personally, interacting with new cultures and conversing differently within their peer group.

There are wonderful travel companies that organise excellent school trip packages to some very exciting destinations across the world. All subjects are covered, all ages catered for, and all requirements taken into account before the trip is finalised.

What to See in the Diverse Country of Morocco

Morocco is magical and there is no other word for it. A place of exotic sights, smells, tastes and sounds, this country is captivating in every sense. Morocco is a developing country and one that embraces its past with great honour while tackling the future with marvellous vigour. In Morocco, students will have ample opportunity to compare the society, economy and community with that more familiar to them.

From the ancient Medina of Marrakesh to the tourist beaches of Essouria, from the incredible mountains of the High Atlas to the nomadic Berber culture of the lowlands, Morocco is a country of contrasts.

Beginning in Marrakesh students will be able to get a real feel for the Islamic culture that presides here. Divided into two parts, the city has a new, more European district called Gueliz and the ancient Medina, which is the historical part of the city. The two areas are pulling in different directions and while the Medina is made up of a labyrinth of tiny alleyways, exotic looking jewellery shops, snake charmers and spice stalls, the new district is distinctly more modern with flashy malls, high rise banks and branded shops.

The souk in the medina is the largest in the world and is a fascinating place to spend an afternoon. The Museum of Marrakesh has some wonderful artefacts while the Koutoubia Mosque is also worth a visit. Known as The Red City, when you walk around the city walls of Marrakesh you soon understand why.

From Marrakesh visit the Agafay Desert and consider how the nomadic people of this land have had to embrace a more settled life in order to survive. Behind lie the Atlas Mountains and the enormous Lake Takerkoust, which is seven kilometres long. Students will have a chance to consider the importance of irrigation and hydro electricity when they learn about the reason for the lake’s existence.

Morocco has so much to offer eager students on a school trip. From the stunning landscapes to the underlying political and economic issues, and from the rich history to the deep-seated religious influences, students will have plenty to explore, much to question and lots to take back to the classroom.

Trip

How a School Trip Brings History Into the Present

History, they say, is written by the victors. This is why it is vital for teachers to guide students in how to read between the lines. Students should learn to appreciate the nuances and varied opinions of the past and form their own opinions of what happened.

This exercise in critical thought is greatly helped when history is brought into the present. When students come into close contact with the original sources, historical remains and contextual origins of events from the past, they are better able to analyse them and form intelligent, balanced opinions. This is the value of a history school trip.

Feel the sacrifice on WWI battlefields

While the battles of World War One are not yet lost in the far distant past, there is nonetheless a gulf in time and experience separating modern students from the toil in the trenches. A school trip is an ideal way for students to come face to face with the provenance and artefacts of these battles. While it is by no means akin to being in the trenches of wartime, it does open students’ imaginations in a way that will allow them to better consider not only the sacrifice made on the battlefields, but also the historical causes and justifications for the war and decisions made.

Visualise the glory of Rome

The Roman Empire has a permanent stamp on modern culture. It pervades films, images and modern imagery to this day. What is perhaps more complex is piercing the veil of myth and oversimplification to assess the merits of the original historical sources. A school trip to the Eternal City is a magnificent way for students to begin to question and measure the words of the ancient historians who have woven out narrative of the empire and its downfall. Not only that, a visit will allow students to stand in the Coliseum and see first hand artefacts from soldiers, artisans, labourers and slaves, and thus develop an image of Rome based on primary sources not just historians words, which often mixed imagination and fact with aplomb.

Sense the loss in Krakow

Some past lessons are hard to learn but impossible to forget. The trauma undergone by the Jewish population in Poland during the advent of Nazi occupation is hard to comprehend, especially for a student on a school trip. Yet a visit to Krakow and the remains of surrounding concentration camps is vital to bring this dark past into the present for students, which in turn is essential in helping them understand the extent of loss and the tragedy of Nazi ideology. This will make their analysis of the causes and consequences of World War Two no longer a dry issue of academia, but a potent study of the human condition.