The aim of this research was to investigate the value of an educational excursion to the professional development of first year BEd students. When the education excursion was first conceptualized for implementation in 2007 as part of the first year education module entitled Introduction to the South African School Curriculum, its focus was largely on environmental education. The focus on environmental education was in response to the newly promulgated policy framework in South African teacher education, which required cross-curricular teaching within the national curriculum. Later, when the Faculty adopted a conceptual framework for teaching and learning, the emphasis of the excursion organically evolved to focus on the professional development of the student teachers - which includes preparing them to deal with diversity in the school population.