Taking students out of the classroom and allowing them to engage in experiential learning is one of the best educational practices a teacher can offer.
Studies have shown that children who have the opportunity to take educational trips see an improvement in grades and graduation rates.
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But they're incredibly stressful and time consuming for teachers to organize and facilitate. And that's where Chapperone comes in...
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Whether you're taking your students out of the classroom for a walk around the block, an afternoon at the local museum or an overnight trip further afield, Chapperone offers tools specifically designed for taking students out of the classroom.
See how other teachers have used and loved Chapperone to give you a sense of all the possibilities...
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CLASS PERIOD TRIP - LEARNING ABOUT ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS
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I teach a 9th grade physics class with 30 students. We’d been studying energy and I wanted to take them out into the local neighborhood to find examples of different energy transformations. I decided to use Chapperone as I wanted to allow the students the freedom to explore by themselves, but wanted a way to keep in touch and keep them safe. Plus seeing as it was just one class period, I knew I was going to have to be efficient with our time and I thought Chapperone could help with that.
I created a group for the class, asked them to download the app and join the trip (via a code I had shared) for homework, and that was it. It was so simple.
When we left the classroom I told all the students the time and location we’d be meeting at the end of the activity, but it was really reassuring knowing they could see the information in the trip details and could also message me if they had an issue.
I sent them broadcast messages with extra challenges throughout the class period - for example, I asked them to take a photo of an object that was transforming a type of potential energy into kinetic energy. The responses I got were really creative and fun. I could also remind them that they only had 10 more minutes to complete all tasks, and with 5 minutes to go until the end of the class period, I reminded them to come back to the meeting point.
It was a really fun class period with lots of real-life application of what we were learning in class. The students LOVED getting out of the classroom, and for me, I was able to focus on the students’ learning as opposed to worrying constantly about what they were doing and where they were.
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AFTERNOON TRIP TO A LOCAL MUSEUM - 10TH GRADE TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF MATH
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I work at a school in NYC and while we have so many amazing museums around us, I often feel reluctant to take my students on trips as they’re always so stressful and add so much additional work to my already full plate. But I was interested in using Chapperone to help me get the students out of the classroom while also relieving some of the pressure.
I decided to use the app and take my class to the Museum of Math. I wanted to use it with both the students and also the parents, so I created two separate ‘trips’ and then I sent an email via our school information system asking them to download the app (it’s free) and gave them the relevant student or parent joining code. It took a couple of reminder emails but soon everyone was signed up and at that point, everything was made so much more simple.
In the run-up to the trip, I used the broadcast messages to remind parents about permission forms. I got all the forms back much quicker than usual and I didn’t have to make a single last minute phone call to any parents! With the students I reminded them what to bring and when/where we were meeting. It made the whole process much easier.
On the trip itself, the app really was invaluable. Within 20 minutes of getting to the museum, a student realised they had left their bag on the bus! Usually, it would have taken ages for the student to find me and then for us to find the bag. Instead, they sent me a quick message, I got in touch with the bus driver and then was able to meet the student 10 minutes later with their bag. The student was able to continue their learning activity and it was so simple - at that point I couldn’t have been more grateful to be using Chapperone.
Another great moment came when we were stuck in traffic on the way back to school. I had been sending a few photos of the trip to parents on the app throughout the day anyway, but being able to share the later pick up time so quickly and conveniently with everyone was great. Parents were thrilled to be getting updates and seeing the value of the trip, which is something they would not usually get from their non-communicative children!
The trip itself was still tiring - they always are. But having a tool like Chapperone relieved so much of the stress and I definitely finished the day less tired than I would have done without the app!
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OVERNIGHT TRIP - 8TH GRADE TRIP TO DC
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I used Chapperone on my school’s annual trip to Washington DC with the 8th grade. We take 120 kids every year and it’s always EXHAUSTING. This year felt different as the app made the whole experience so much easier.
Students had access to the itinerary and all important trip information which meant that every morning, the students would come down for breakfast so much more prepared for the day. Usually, we have kids running back to their rooms as they didn’t realize they were not coming back to the hotel until the evening, or forgetting to bring appropriate clothing for the day. But this time, they were just so much more prepared - it was amazing. One morning, we all got on the bus and were ready to leave EARLY!
We also usually print out and laminate emergency information cards for every student. We share the emergency phone number they need to call, the address of the hotel, the emergency meetup location and then we have to leave a space blank for the students to write in the chaperone’s hotel room numbers. This takes such a long time to do and the students immediately lose them. This time, we just put all this information on the emergency information page of the app and every single student could see it. It was so simple.
The automatic group chat for the chaperones was really useful too. We usually have to all share phone numbers and then use a Whatsapp group, which some people don’t have and need to download. But with Chapperone, we automatically had a group chat set up for us!
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Chapperone was designed by teachers to try and relieve some of the stress and risk, and is a tool created to make student travel safer and easier.
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What we offer:
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- Use our logistical tools to ensure everyone (students, chaperones, admin and parents) have the information they need.
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- Communicate easily and seamlessly with students, chaperones and parents - all without sharing phone numbers.
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- And be sure that everyone has access to any emergency information that might be required.
