Moving beyond one-time field trips to connect field experience learning with local communities and businesses

[Financial News] School field trips, which used to be limited to simple viewing or one-off events, are evolving into multi-session inquiry projects linked with local community organizations and businesses.
On the 3rd, the Ministry of Education announced the results of the judging for the '2026 Field Trip Best Practices Contest,' selecting a total of 20 winning entries, 10 each in the teacher and school categories. The judging for this contest was conducted on 133 entries recommended by provincial and metropolitan offices of education.
As a result of the evaluation, Daegu International High School received the Grand Prize in the school category. Daegu International High School sequentially connected first-year region-based curriculum-linked inquiry with second-year student-led thematic inquiry. In this process, the school collaborated with local companies, media outlets, universities, public institutions, and local governments to enable students to directly select research topics, collect data, and conduct interviews.
Teacher Kim Dong-hwan of Seoul Singuro Elementary School was selected for the Grand Prize in the teacher category. Teacher Kim integrated the subjects of Social Studies, Korean Language, and Mathematics in conjunction with the National Palace Museum of Korea's educational program and designed a systematic curriculum consisting of 4 sessions of pre-activity, 5 sessions of main field trip activities, and 4 sessions of post-activity.
The report also included cases that ensured equity in experiential opportunities and filled blind spots in participation. Galjeon Elementary School eliminated the financial burden on parents by receiving full funding for experiential activities through the Office of Education’s Village School Linkage Support Project, and provided virtual experiences using a metaverse platform for students who could not participate. Chamsaem Elementary School also prioritized budget allocation for vulnerable groups and operated alternative programs and assigned dedicated teachers for absent students.
Examples of public support provided at the provincial/city education office level to alleviate the burden of on-site supervision and safety were also shared. The Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education enhanced safety by providing free transportation buses and meals through training centers for each school level, and by deploying night patrol security guards and night nurses. The Chungcheongnamdo Office of Education is jointly supporting multiple schools through its School Support Centers by providing services such as operating vehicles for pre-trip site visits and selecting supervisors to reduce the administrative burden on teachers.
The Ministry of Education plans to produce a booklet containing the selected best practice plans and reference materials and distribute it to each city and provincial office of education. In addition, award-winning teachers who wish to participate will serve on the preliminary review team for the field trip support platform scheduled to be established in the second half of this year.
Jang Hong-jae, Deputy Director General of School Policy at the Ministry of Education, stated, "Field trips are a meaningful opportunity for students to directly experience the knowledge they learned in textbooks outside of school, and I express my deep gratitude to the teachers who dedicate themselves to this." He added, "We will revise relevant laws to alleviate the burden and responsibility of teachers and actively cooperate with provincial and metropolitan offices of education to ensure that an office-centered support system is firmly established in the field."

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter