Tanga Trip 2008 by G. Mburu, Business Studies teacher
An educational tour is a journey conceived with a purpose. The Tanga excursion is specifically organized for year 11 Business studies, Travel and Tourism and Geography students. The students gather necessary data which assists them to complete their IGCSE curriculum.
Outdoor learning is important not so much for the excitement it produces but for the role it plays in creating alternative learning opportunities and environmental awareness in human development. This insight prepares them to become more caring and responsible citizens in future. It is therefore vital that the administration, teachers and students work together to make such endeavors a great success.
The trip this year took a new dimension because we introduced learning sessions at the hotel lounge after every excursion. During this time, students presented a summary of what they had learned from each excursion during the day. This provided teachers with an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of every outing. The students’ presentations were praiseworthy. This laudable effort went a long way in reinforcing the importance of study tours in complimenting classroom learning; the very tenet that the trip is built upon.
During the day, the students were separated according to their disciplines/subjects. This allowed the teachers to be specific and concentrate on the areas that are vital to their subjects. It was amazing to observe the pleasure of students working together in an unfamiliar environment outside school and the discovery they make about real life as they collect data.
We visited various sites that have educational value. The New Pangani Power plant, a Tanesco project, was our first stop. Students were taken through the plant as they observed for themselves how HEP is generated.
On Friday the students visited the Athi River Mining, a lime processing plant. They learnt how limestone is converted to useful products for domestic and industrial use.
On Saturday we traveled a short distance out of town to the Amboni caves and the sulphur springs. The sites are amazing. The guide gave an account of the landforms found in this limestone region i.e. the process of formation, role of weathering and the importance of these activities in denudation. The tour to the interior of the caves was full of adventure. Beautiful natural features formed inside such as; stalactite and stalagmite which often have a direct resemblance to familiar objects. This is a real mystery of nature which is difficult to believe until one visits them.
The contribution of study tours in complementing classroom work cannot be overemphasised and students gain immensely from them. From its inception, the Tanga trip has been embedded in the lives of the students, who even at the time of graduating from the school hold deep nostalgia of the immeasurable education and insight they gained from the trip.
Long live the Tanga trip!
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