Randomized experiments that send some students to visit art musuems and live theater performances find that these field trips help children develop critical thinking skills and values like empathy.

In this episode of the podcast, Jay Greene talks with Marty West about why he studies field trips, why we shouldn’t focus only on boosting reading and math scores, and why kids learn more from plays than from movies (and what this might mean for online learning).

Greene is the co-author of “The Educational Value of Field Trips,” and “Learning From Live Theater.”

The EdNext Podcast is available on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher and here every Wednesday.

– Education Next