Apr 20, 2021 Activities & Education Over the course of a year, we have seen the classroom become a virtual environment for students everywhere. Through this transition, students have had to give up their beloved field trips, an opportunity to step away from everyday classwork and experience something new, something magical. Our team of educators at Crystal Bridges has created a free Virtual School Field Trip to bring the magic of art, history, science, and math back to the classroom. Here are the five reasons you should book your Virtual School Field Trip with Crystal Bridges today: 1. We come to you and your class for a virtual tour via Zoom. Virtual tours connect educators and students to art, history, science, math, social justice curriculum, and more! Let our highly trained Museum Educators join your class remotely and guide your students through an engaging and educational conversation around four to five works of art in our collection. Our selection of free virtual tours is developed to engage students of all grade levels and abilities from the comfort of the classroom. Learn more about how to schedule a Free Virtual School Field Trip here! 2. You get to explore curriculum and standards-based lessons through the lens of art. We offer a full menu of virtual tour options encompassing a wide array of subject areas. From American History to STEM virtual tours, your students are sure to walk away enlightened by their newly gained experiences. Check out all the tours we have to offer here. Virtual tours are designed to meet curriculum standards and use the dialogical model, a process of student-centered exploration that is designed to deepen critical thinking and discussion skills. That process allows each virtual tour to be conducted at the appropriate level for the class while still promoting student growth. 3. Museum visits improve cognitive thinking and increase empathy and tolerance, and we have the study to prove it. In 2013, Crystal Bridges and the University of Arkansas Dept. of Education conducted a study of K-12 students and teachers which revealed that students retained a great amount of information from their school field trips from Crystal Bridges. The results also showed an increase in critical thinking, recall, tolerance, empathy, and cultural interest. Just because we may not be in the same physical space does not mean we can’t provide an engaging experience with works of art. We have the technology! 4. Virtual school tours are facilitated by paid, trained, dedicated educators but are led by your students. We have a staff of educators from across disciplines who love to guide students through an array of virtual art tours. We facilitate learning that lets the students do the thinking and develop thoughtful interpretations for the works of art featured on our tours. On every Virtual School Field Trip, educators help students work on their speaking and listening skills as well as critical thinking and backing up observations with visual evidence. Your students will surprise you as you watch them analyze works of art. 5. It’s FREE! Since opening on 11/11/11, Crystal Bridges set forth to be a valuable educational resource for the region. While in-person field trips might not be a viable option as of yet, Virtual School Field Trips still offer a rewarding and educational experience for all students. After filling out the Virtual School Tour Form, our team will begin steps to bring our museum to your classroom via a Zoom call. This free experience allows an interactive experience for students at no charge and with the intent to bring a little magic to the classroom. So what are you waiting for? Register for a Free Virtual School Tour. You and your students will be glad you did! Register for school tours here. Send questions and inquiries about our Virtual School Field Trip Tours to School.Programs@CrystalBridges.org. Special Thanks to Nina Buonaiuto’s Visual Art I class at Thaden School for joining us on a Virtual Tour.
