Leading Local Field Work: Year 8 Rivers Study - March 2007

As part of the PGCE Geography course, we were asked to plan, manage and evaluate an outdoor learning opportunity using the school's local area.

The field trip which I lead, was with a group of Year 8's who were studying river processes at the time. Knowing that there is a river about 10 minutes walk away from the school, I felt that doing some rivers field work would provide a beneficial learning opprunity and give the class a greater understanding of some of the processes we were learning about in class.

Prior to taking the class out, I visited the site to do a pre visit check, and conducted a risk assessment which incorporated travelling to/ from the site and carrying out the fieldwork.

Whately Quarry - 30th March 2007

On Friday 30th March myself, the Head of Geography from King Arthurs Community School and a LSA took 30 Year 11 students for a field visit to Whatley Quarry just outside Frome in Somerset. (Frome is where I live :)

This is one of the largest limestone quarries in Britain and is at present supplying the materials for the new Olympic developments in London.

The main objective of the day was to give the students some memorable details to help in their geography GCSE revision and was seen by all students as an opportunity to gain some valuable learning in an extraordinary environment. It is possible that a question on Quarrying may pop on this years exam paper.

The day started with an hour in a classroom within the quarry completing exercises concerned with resource management, sustainability, the quarrying industry and the uses of limestone in everyday life. Did you know for instance that limestone is used in toothpaste? The main part of the day involved the students touring the quarry complex and getting to grips with the huge scale of the operation – completing tasks as they went round the site.

It was a very successful day and all students said they gained a great deal from the experience, despite the fact that there was no blasting that day!

I have the comprehensive risk assessment for this field trip in the hard copy of my field work file.

FSC Nettlecombe - Field Teaching Opportunities, Requirements & Advice: Friday 26th January - Sunday 28th January 2007

The course content related to effective field teaching and field teaching methods. The course also focused on the requirements and advice needed to successfully implement field work, such as completing risk assessments, planning, managing & evaluation.

The weekend started by looking at the types of trips that we had already been on. On the Saturday we walked along a hill in Dartmoor to see what studies could be conducted, such as erosion profiles of footpaths and microclimates. We the visited a ‘hunny pot’ village, for a tourism study.

On the Saturday night we studied stastical analysis and data interpretation, to ensure we were all aware of how the data we could collect with students could be used effectively.

On the Sunday we visited a near by river basin to complete a river study (which involved trying out lots of methods of gathering data that we could use with students). In the afternoon we visited a new town and a rural village to look at the different opportunities for fieldwork available when study settlements.

The weekend was a fantastic opportunity to learn about effective field work opportunities, carrying out risk assessments and developing my knowledge of data gathering and data interpretation/representation.

I found learning about the risk assessment process extremely beneficial as we were able to complete site specific RA's for the different fieldwork opportunities we looked at, such as footpath erosion.

All the paper notes I gathered from this course are in a seperate file - (Please see hard copy of my fieldwork file).

Researching Fieldwork Opportunities @ Bristol - Monday 29th January 2007

On Monday 29th January, 2007 myself & my PGCE cohort went to visit the @Bristol education centre in Bristol to research fieldwork opportunities for the students we teach.

At the centre there is an area called the wild walk which is a simulation of a rainforest environment which would provide great fieldwork opprtunities for KS3. The centre was developed specifically for science education, but there are many aspects which would particulary suit aspects of the geography curriculum and the QCA schemes of work, such as the unit on tropical rainforests.

This visit gave me the knowledge of how interactive exercises can be very useful within teaching inside and outside of the classroom. The smelling game was particularly useful as is an exercise I can use within the classroom to get students using all their senses. @Bristol would be an ideal place to take students; however I feel it could be used wisely as a link between Geography and Science, maybe a trip organised between two departments.

Ralph Allen School Field Trips to Durdle Door, Dorset & Lamb Brook, Wooley - October 2006

I was fortunate to get the opportunity of assisting with two Year 12 field trips with Ralph Allen School in October 2006.


Durdle Door Coast Trip:

The first field trip was to study coastal processes and features at Durdle Door in Dorset. This site was then compared with another site at Studland a few miles away to compare the features. Durdle Door is a world famous geological wonder, with its massive rock arch, set right on the Jurassic Coast between Swanage and Weymouth, just along the coast path from Lulworth Cove. It is a great place to carry out geographical coursework.

Data collected by the students included:

• A beach profile using ranging poles & a clinometer
  
• Wave frequency


• Wave length


• Wave height


• Wind speed


• Wind direction


• Beach composition using a transect line & callipers


• Movement of beach material, by studying long shore drift

Lamb Brook River Trip:

The second field trip was to the Lamb Brook river basin, at Wooley near to the city of Bath. The site is only a few miles away from the school. The features and processes of the river change along it's course, so it was an ideal site to collect coursework data at various points along the basin. This enabled the students to compare upper, middle & lower course data, and relate their findings to their knowledge of rivers which was being studied at school.

Data collected by the students included:Wetted Perimeter

• Velocity


• Bedload


• River Profile using ranging poles & a clinometer


• Biodiversity Sample


• Chemical & Ph testing

Please click on the following links to download the risk assessments for each trip:

• Durdle Door Risk Assessment
• Lamb Brook Risk Assessment

Below are some reflections of both the field trips, written by the Bath University PGCE Students:

1. SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE
· It was good to see sites, examples of topics, level of work sheets and the amount of data collected
· The students seemed well prepared and they knew what they had to do. They had notes with them
· Although the methodology for data collection could be looked at (coasts), it will be relevant for students to know about survey measures for future coursework. The process was more important than the results
· Very helpful to improve our fieldwork skills e.g. we refreshed coastal subject knowledge (students helped us)

2. AS STUDENTS

· The students became more familiar with the equipment but this was difficult at first
· Some students seemed to be losing interest towards the end
· Had to keep reiterating to students why they were doing the fieldwork. Also the importance of the experience in regards to their coursework, and as case studies for their examinations
· Some students often needed lots of guidance and instructions & could have done with additional time to prepare and reflect on the experience
· Noisy girls squealing over insects!

3. RISKS/SAFETY/MANAGEMENT

The risk, safety and management issues that we identified for the Durdle Door and Studland fieldwork included:
· Cliff at Durdle Door
· Students in the sea at Durdle Door
· Steep, slippery steps down to Durdle door.
· Possibility of bombs in sand dunes (this was unexpected)
· Flashers-nudist beach

The risk assessment for this fieldtrip covered the issues that we have identified and suggested ways to mitigate these potential problems; on debriefing the fieldwork we made a number of observations.

1. At the cliff, Durdle Door, students were instructed not to get too close to the cliff edge – we liked the 2 metre limit. However, as the students were gathered around they were closer than 2 metres.

2. The students went into the sea at Durdle Door to do the pebble task. It was felt that this was quite a steep reach and some of the students were unaware of how to use the throw line. It was thought that maybe a demonstration of how to use the throw line would reduce the risk of anything serious happening.

The risk/safety and management issues that we identified for the Lam valley fieldwork included:
· Farm slurry (slippery surfaces in the farm yard)
· The possibility of catching Weil’s disease from the river water
· Barbed wire, brambles and electric fences
· Bull in the field and cattle in the farm yard
· Stuck in mud in the river (loss of Wellingtons)
· Height of river water
· Ongoing risk assessment due to unanticipated disturbance of a wasps nest resulting in students being stung
· Country roads (driving and walking)
· Appropriate footwear and waterproof clothing

The risk assessment for the fieldwork addressed all of these issues and suggested ways to mitigate these potential problems.
In debriefing the fieldwork we made a number of observations

1. all students should have washed their hands prior to eating their lunch (mainly the girls did as they used the farm’s toilet) to reduce occurrence of Weil’s disease. However alcohol gel was provided

2. A couple of students were wearing jeans and once they had got wet (which a number of them did) this meant that they were wet for the remainder of the day.

3. We observed the on going risk assessment through the handling of the incident in which the students were stung by wasps. From this we now understand that not all risks can be anticipated and that there is a need to be ready for whatever the fieldtrip may throw at us.

4. ROLE OF THE GROUP LEADER
We noted and were impressed by a number of important roles that the group leader played.
· Prior and ongoing safety management (safety briefings were repeated and given in short chunks ensuring that students were listening)
· Permission for access to land and ensuring access on the day (e.g. by checking fences beforehand)
· Timings – keeping to time, keeping the pace of the work going, used prior experience
· Collecting data from students as they completed data collection at each site to protect it
· Boosting morale (e.g. tea and cakes)
· Keeping students focused on tasks, providing an overview (e.g. whole group q&a/ discussion)
· Very well prepared and organised

5. FURTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FIELDWORK

Coasts

• More preparation prior to fieldtrip to make the most of the time


• More time needed at each location


• Good variety of tasks to refer to in follow up work.


• Sand dunes (Studland)


• Data could include vegetation data


• Time – balance between travel and fieldwork (too much travelling?)
  
  Rivers


• Could ask for more detail e.g.


• Describe sample site


• field sketch to allow for comparison back in class
  

Exploring Local Fieldwork Opportunities - The University of Bath

During the PGCE Geography course at the University of Bath, we were set the task of dividing into smaller groups and going out onto the University Campus to look for and devise field work opportunities.

This idea is based on the principle that there this often many opportunities for teachers to use their local area, such as the school grounds to provide appropriate fieldwork opportunities to support the curriculum.

Often teachers may be faced with a busy school timetable, which will not allow for any field trips further afield, so therefore, if they can make use of their local surroundings and area, they can still provide students with an outdoor learning environment.

The group I worked with decided to carry out a geographical enquiry into the recycling facilities on the University campus.

We went to speak to the site manager about the policies of the university regarding recycling waste, and what opportunities there would be for a group of school students if they were to attend the university to carry out our hypothetical enquiry.

Afterwards we carried out a brief hypothetical risk assessment to consider the implications of a school visit to carry out our enquiry as if the field work was to be really carried out. We also planned the event in theory, such as: What activities the students would undertake during their enquiry, setting boundaries, planning the itinerary for the day etc.

When we returned to the classroom, we also devised a worksheet to highlight the opportunities available to carry out the enquiry.

The worksheet (image shown on the left), which is aimed at KS3 students, follows the adventures of 'Ali' the Aluminium can man on his adventures to the recycling plant then to his new life as another aluminium product.

The students can carry out this follow up enquiry work when they return to school. They would be able to use the field work, to gain first hand experience into resource use and consolidate their learning with further enquiry work at school.

The whole experience was extremely beneficial, as it highlighted that with a little imagination, you can provide stimulating and beneficial field work opportunities, which are grounded with the Geography curriculum, without neccessarily even leaving the school grounds.

I intend to use this experience to develop more local field work opportunities in the future.

(Download a copy of the worksheet in a word format by clicking on the worksheet image.)

Sensory Perceptions Fieldwork - Using Your Local Area

Sensory Fieldwork around Bath University

During University sessions we had opportunities to conduct fieldwork around the campus. One of these involved looking at how we could develop student’s senses, by investigating their local environment.




We were given a planned route to follow, to see what students would see, feel, hear and touch in their environments.

We started at the university and then moved north towards the golf course, where we looked into what other opportunities for field work there was. We decided that a micro climate study would be ideal, as we went from sheltered to non-sheltered ground, from a built up area to a non-built up area.

This fieldwork was extremely useful in making me think about the different ways students can experience their environment. Not only do students visually see their environment in a different way when conducting fieldwork, but they can use their full range of senses to gain a fuller picture of the area.



This fieldwork also helped me realise why it is important to consider what makes a good site. You need to be aware of what is on your site and what opportunities there are for different types of fieldwork.