school trip vs field trip

[keannu]

What is the difference between "school trip" and "field trip"?
In Korea, high schoolers or middle schoolers usually go on a 3-4 day trip as a school trip to a famous tourist attraction like mountains, islands, etc. and nowadays even abroad. And for "field trip", it's just a one day trip to a museum or any historical site. Do you have the same experience?

 

[5jj]

In my time in British schools, most excursions or visits of any duration, including the field trip, were school (or class/form) trips.

A field trip was what the geographers did when they went off to the mountains for some practical geography. This was sometimes referred to as the school field trip.

 

[SlickVic9000]

(Not a Teacher)

In the US, we tend to call any excursion beyond the school grounds a "field trip".

 

[5jj]

In the US, we tend to call any excursion beyond the school grounds a "field trip".

Yet another difference between BrE and AmE that I didn't know about.

 

[BobK]

In my time in British schools, most excursions or visits of any duration, including the field trip, were school (or class/form) trips.

A field trip was what the geographers did when they went off to the mountains for some practical geography. This was sometimes referred to as the school field trip.

The first time I heard the term 'field trip' was in the early '60s when my brother took up geology. I think 5jj's 'what geographers did' was meant to stand for 'what - for example - geographers did'. But I think some readers might misunderstand his reply to apply just to geographers. It applies to any field of study - often scientific - that can involve people going out to work 'in the field'. A linguist can do a field trip, living with an aboriginal tribe and studying their language in real life.

But, in my (Br Eng speaking) world, school-children go on 'school trips'. In late teens they may graduate to 'field trips' - but only when they're going somewhere to make first-hand observations (rather than just having a bit of a change).

b

 

[emsr2d2]

When I was at school, like 5jj, "field trips" were undertaken by the geography class and sometimes the biology class and usually involved some kind of outdoor lesson, actually inspecting something in a field!
A school trip was any trip pupils went on, organised by the school. My school trips included going camping for a week and two skiing trips of a week's duration each.

 

[Barb_D]

Just to be sure I understand, a day trip to the local museum is also a school trip, right? It doesn't have to be a week-long trip?
American school children would be pretty excited if they could expect three different week-long trips. My daughters have taken a few multi-day educational (3 or 4 days) "class trips": One went to Quebec, one to Boston, and trip to New York is planned, but nothing that was supposed to be purely fun, like skiing.

 

[emsr2d2]

Again, I can only go by what things were called when I was at school, but I would expect a "school trip" to be at least one full long day and probably a reasonable distance away from the school, and possibly at least one night away. Having said that, I guess I would have referred to a morning's visit to a local museum as a "school trip" too.
My week-long trips were all part of my middle (junior, age 8-12) school education. At secondary (high, age 12-16) school, although there were "foreign exchange trips" available, which lasted around two weeks, I don't think there were any "holidays" (skiing, camping etc).

 

[BobK]

Just to be sure I understand, a day trip to the local museum is also a school trip, right? It doesn't have to be a week-long trip?
American school children would be pretty excited if they could expect three different week-long trips. My daughters have taken a few multi-day educational (3 or 4 days) "class trips": One went to Quebec, one to Boston, and trip to New York is planned, but nothing that was supposed to be purely fun, like skiing.

Lest you think that we Limeys have a cushy life, I should make it clear that Ems' skiing trip was no doubt during the school holidays, maybe overlapping with term-time for a day or two. And you only went if you could afford it. Why, in my day we tied planks o' driftwood to our feet and slid down t'slag heap; and we thought we was princes! ;-)

b

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, sadly my ski trips took place during the half-term break in mid-February and the camping trip, if I remember rightly, was during the (cold, wet) Easter holiday. The camping trip was fairly cheap and around 60 children from my year group of 180 attended. The ski trips were admittedly probably out of many parents' reach financially. I was very lucky to be one of the 12 children to go to Italy for a week, in two consecutive years.

They were both, however, referred to as "school trips" - the "school skiing trip" and the "school camping trip".

 

[SoothingDave]

The American "field trip" is a supposedly education adventure, where they take the kids to the zoo for the day, or something similar. My daughter did have one last year that involved a night's stay in a cabin, but that is not the norm. Normally it is an event that takes place during the normal school day. Of course, we are within an hour of a big city.

 

[Route21]

We didn't make the school ski trips etc but, as a member of the "Combined Cadet Force" (CCF), went on annual camps.
On one, we stayed in WW I/II "nissen huts" on a Territorial Army rifle range for our "basic training".
On another, we stayed on board the British cruiser, HMS Belfast.
A great experience for teenagers! Less dangerous than ski-ing.

R21

Oh! I almost forgot. I also got, care of the RAF, a flight in a 2-seater "Chipmunk" trainer, where I did a loop-the-loop, barrel roll, simulated landing with engine failure (main problem - birds on the runway don't hear you coming) etc. We wore parachutes and were taught how to exit the plane in an emergency, but I don't remember any training on landing on a parachute!

 

[emsr2d2]

We didn't make the school ski trips etc but, as a member of the "Combined Cadet Force" (CCF), went on annual camps.
On one, we stayed in WW I/II "nissen huts" on a Territorial Army rifle range for our "basic training".
On another, we stayed on board the British cruiser, HMS Belfast.
A great experience for teenagers! Less dangerous than ski-ing.

R21

I acted in a live murder mystery plot on board HMS Belfast once. There was a free bar so I got very drunk, slipped over on the deck and split my forehead open. In my case, HMS Belfast turned out to be much more dangerous than skiing!

 

[Route21]

I acted in a live murder mystery plot on board HMS Belfast once. There was a free bar so I got very drunk, slipped over on the deck and split my forehead open. In my case, HMS Belfast turned out to be much more dangerous than skiing!

As teenagers, we had our "starboard-watch" cards stamped "UA" (Under Age) so we didn't get a "grog" ration.
I didn't get off totally unscathed, however, as, in the heat of a rowing boat race, the leading hand didn't properly secure the "whaler" to a barnacle-encrusted steel ladder and I ended up with hands cut to shreds hanging over the river! At least I didn't break any bones (as per ski-ing).

 

[emsr2d2]

As teenagers, we had our "starboard-watch" cards stamped "UA" (Under Age) so we didn't get a "grog" ration.

I should perhaps point out that I was 29 years old when I was in the HMS Belfast murder mystery. Not that I'm denying underage drinking, but that wasn't the case on that occasion.

 

[Route21]

As you said you were acting in a "murder mystery" I had automatically assumed that you were an adult at the time! :-D