Remember School Visits – Tips and Advice

Do you remember school visits?  With most of the schools only accommodating children of key workers or other pupils with exemptions under the current COVID-19 regulations, Everything Dinosaur’s team members have stopped all school visits and outreach work.  However, we continue to receive emails asking us about various aspects of our work in schools.

Here is a general article that explains how a teaching team can get the most out of a school visitor who is there to deliver activities in support of a term topic:

Tips and Advice About Getting the Most from a School Visit

Tips and advice about school visits.

Tips and advice about school visits.  Everything Dinosaur helps out.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Advice and Tips – Frequently Asked Questions

Whether a museum, college, school or youth club here are a list of tips and helpful suggestions compiled by the Homo sapiens at Everything Dinosaur who are tasked with undertaking dinosaur themed workshops and other teaching activities.  After all, having worked with tens of thousands of people, our dinosaur experts/teachers know a thing or two about providing support for other educationalists.

  • When working in a school or college it is often best to base the teaching work in a single classroom.  It is often easier to bring the pupils to the presenter than having to move the presenter and all their equipment/resources from classroom to classroom.
  • A few days prior to every school visit the designated teacher/expert should email over a proposed, bespoke lesson plan, a suggested itinerary and further information to help the school to maximise the teaching time.  If they don’t, drop the visitor an email and chase them up.
  • The individually tailored lesson plans should indicate which sections of the national curriculum the session is related to.  Ask them to confirm how what they intend to deliver fits into the national curriculum learning objectives and intended outcomes.
  • If a parking space could be allocated close to where the teaching work is to be carried out that would be greatly appreciated and help with the unloading and loading of the vehicle.
  • Encourage the teaching team to ask questions, and feel free to pick brains with regards to follow up and extension activities.  The visitor should be able to suggest plenty of extensions and ways in which to reinforce learning.
  • A camera, Ipad, Smartphone to take pictures/video is recommended (if the school privacy and photographic policies allow).  Take lots and lots of pictures and don’t worry about making notes, use the pictures/video to test the understanding of the children.
  • When working with older students such as Key Stage 3 and beyond a useful and free resource worth exploring is the huge Everything Dinosaur web log.  It is packed with information on the latest fossil finds, explanations of scientific terms, updates on genetic research, news stories and features regarding palaeontology and other Earth sciences visit: Everything Dinosaur Web Log and review the General Teaching, EYFS and Key Stage Categories.

Classrooms May Be Empty But Everything Dinosaur Still Helping Out

Empty Classrooms But Everything Dinosaur Still Providing Free Advice and Assistance

A well appointed laboratory in a school.

Classrooms might be deserted at the moment, but Everything Dinosaur is still providing free advice and assistance to teachers.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

School visits may not be possible at the moment due to COVID-19, but Everything Dinosaur team members are still providing free advice and assistance. Everything Dinosaur helping to support teachers and teaching assistants.

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