The issue of where the place should be to educate students is a hot-debated one. Education not merely means sitting in the classroom and teaching, but also should let students learn something beyond the book. A general controversy rises up when the two are presented together. It has been widely acknowledged that spending more time learning in class can achieve more knowledge. However, it doesn't mean that field trips are not worthwhile. In my opinion, learning in the classroom and trips in the field are equally important, there is no matter which one is more important.
On the one hand, studying in the classroom at school is the foundation of field trips. In the classroom, there is usually a systemic education structure and efficient study surroundings, which can provide students with a completely basic knowledge, which is quite vital in afterward study and practice and, in the longer term, essential to their whole life. If children haven't this basic knowledge in mind, field trips or other practice activities are meaningless. For example, if a student hasn’t enough background knowledge in history, when he enters the museums, what he will achieve is this thing is beautiful and this thing is not, I think this isn't the intent of field trips. What is more, classroom education always teaches children the thinking approach when facing something new. Only if children are equipped with the ability to think independently, can these field trips be really meaningful, otherwise, the field trips are just a 'trip'.
On the other hand, field trips can provide compensation for classroom teaching. It is impossible that everything can be taught in the classroom. Many knowledges and skills can only be accepted after students really have seen or done it. For example, when we teach them about animals, if we only teach them with what the animals’ appearance or habit by oral or picture in book, it's hard for them to understand. But if we let students make a field trip in zoo, the teaching become more vivid. In this way, not only could students learn knowledge more efficiently, but also could make them have the sense of protecting the environment. At the same time, field trips could reinforce the knowledge studied in the classroom and make students more willing to study. For instance, when students see something studied in class, they will remember this knowledge and feel quite delighted, which is positive feedback in study.
With reference to the argument above, there should be no absolute superiority of either one to the other. People possess the right to decide which one is more suitable and beneficial for them. As a consequence, it is reasonable to conclude that field trips are equally important than studying in the classroom.