Educational excursions are purposeful events shaped around the National Curriculum. The lure of a great city, such as Paris, is that it can cater to so many subjects in an exciting manner. But no matter the pedagogical reason for a visit, students will benefit indirectly from this city, and these benefits are no less valuable than the education they can measure by the curriculum.
Appreciate social diversity
Students on school trips to Paris will no doubt walk under the Grand Arche de la Defense, over to the Eiffel Tower and through the Louvre. Their minds will be inspired and lessons will be learnt for use in history, maths, science, design and many other subjects. But on these strolls in and around the city they will also pick up on the sheer social diversity that has flooded through the modern metropolis. The city has long been the site of cultural change but now it has taken on a very modern face, with diverse cultures from around the world making their home here. This will help students appreciate what different communities can do to live together in the centre of French culture.
Value historic change
The study of history, geography or science is inevitably the study of change. But students on school trips to Paris will do well to document this change outside of museum halls, conference rooms or landmark sites. The streets, cafes, restaurants and cultural hubbub of daily life are rife with the stories of historic change in France. As students pick up a sense of the older French heritage, which pins down from whence this city has come, and then compare it to the new developments, people, buildings and customs, they will learn about how change has come to one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Europe.
Grapple with linguistic difference
Perhaps the most obvious (yet still indirect) highlight of going on school trips to Paris is the challenge of the French language. Of course, modern language students will face this challenge directly. But the indirect nature of tackling the French language comes from the nature of immersion. From imbibing and absorbing the ambience on trains, in parks, in hotels or on the Champs Elysees, students will feel the language in the milieu while they are focused on the art, history or task in front of them. This background engagement is a unique way to pick up the language.
Perceive alternative urban lifestyles
Many students who take school trips to Paris will come from large cities themselves, and it is easy to form assumptions about city life in general from one's own experience. A trip to the city of lights, with its proud culture and firm history, will reveal to students, in the architecture, lifestyle and icons of the city, that the French capital has a lifestyle all its own. Added to this are the urban niche cultures that dot the city, all contributing to help students learn more about the diversity of city life.
Appreciate social diversity
Students on school trips to Paris will no doubt walk under the Grand Arche de la Defense, over to the Eiffel Tower and through the Louvre. Their minds will be inspired and lessons will be learnt for use in history, maths, science, design and many other subjects. But on these strolls in and around the city they will also pick up on the sheer social diversity that has flooded through the modern metropolis. The city has long been the site of cultural change but now it has taken on a very modern face, with diverse cultures from around the world making their home here. This will help students appreciate what different communities can do to live together in the centre of French culture.
Value historic change
The study of history, geography or science is inevitably the study of change. But students on school trips to Paris will do well to document this change outside of museum halls, conference rooms or landmark sites. The streets, cafes, restaurants and cultural hubbub of daily life are rife with the stories of historic change in France. As students pick up a sense of the older French heritage, which pins down from whence this city has come, and then compare it to the new developments, people, buildings and customs, they will learn about how change has come to one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Europe.
Grapple with linguistic difference
Perhaps the most obvious (yet still indirect) highlight of going on school trips to Paris is the challenge of the French language. Of course, modern language students will face this challenge directly. But the indirect nature of tackling the French language comes from the nature of immersion. From imbibing and absorbing the ambience on trains, in parks, in hotels or on the Champs Elysees, students will feel the language in the milieu while they are focused on the art, history or task in front of them. This background engagement is a unique way to pick up the language.
Perceive alternative urban lifestyles
Many students who take school trips to Paris will come from large cities themselves, and it is easy to form assumptions about city life in general from one's own experience. A trip to the city of lights, with its proud culture and firm history, will reveal to students, in the architecture, lifestyle and icons of the city, that the French capital has a lifestyle all its own. Added to this are the urban niche cultures that dot the city, all contributing to help students learn more about the diversity of city life.