THE FIELD TRIP: LIVING GEOGRAPHY

A necessary skill of the geographer is the ability to observe and correlate in the landscape what the classroom is and is not able to teach. Fieldwork and the field trip, as carried on by the individual or a group, become the means of learning geographical concepts by direct observation of the landscape. The field trip may be of varying length, a walking tour, or a driving trip of 10 to 2,500 miles, and of varying intent and scope. It may be single-purpose, such as to study the CBD, industry, or residences; or multipurpose, to study combinations of landscape patterns, or to study the landscape in toto. Through the field trip a student can partially experience the scope and spirit of geography through observations of the physical, economic, and cultural elements of the landscape. The uplifted Boston Mountains are observed to be of different structure than the folded Ouachitas. The agricultural pattern of the Red River valley is in contrast to the citrus groves of the Rio Grande valley in south Texas. The remnants of destruction in Corpus Christi left by Hurricane Celia indicate the influence of the Gulf of Mexico on the weather of the coastal plain of Texas. In south Texas, the Latin American influence is evident in the language and architecture, while in eastern Oklahoma the toponomy and many displays of native artifacts attest to the influence of the American Indians.