Geography Field Work
Field work forms an integral part of the 'geography' taught at Eltham College because it provides opportunities to learn through direct, concrete experiences, enhancing the understanding that comes from observing 'real world' manifestations of abstract geographical concepts and processes. It not only increases the geographical interest through interacting with the environment, but it also encourages students to be responsible for their own learning because fieldwork requires that they plan and carry out learning in an independent manner. Fieldwork improves students' observation skills and provides a better understanding of the processes that contribute to the development of environmental features. Furthermore, it also allows them to develop investigative, communicative and analytical skills as well as providing an important teamwork element, with social benefits derived from working cooperatively with others in a setting outside the classroom. It also encourages the use of technology to investigate problems and issues and to increase the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of both the natural and built environments.
The methods used in field work comprise both a more traditional, teacher-centred approach to fieldwork, based on explanation, note-taking and directed observation (e.g. coastal processes operating at Lulworth Cove and Old Harry Rocks and the solution weathering of limestone) as well as individual and group field research. While still incorporating the elements of observation, description and explanation it adopts a problem-solving focus with students identifying a geographical issue or problem as a result of their observations or studies. The students then go on to formulate a hypothesis, design a research methodology, collect and record data, process and analyse the information and draw conclusions that result in the acceptance or rejection of the original hypothesis. The type of fieldwork undertaken ultimately depends on the purpose of the activity and many will contain elements of both approaches. While lower school classes, GCSE, AS and A2 sets are increasingly seen out around the local area when the subject matter allows, a number of day trips and residential visits are a feature of the academic year.
Year 9: Geography Field Day to Dorset
Once again the Year 9 Field Day to Dorset was blessed with glorious weather. The early start and long journey was soon forgotten when all three forms, under the tutelage of Mr Cotterill, Mr Beattie and Miss Lewis, together with Upper Sixth Geographers Sam Yazdani and Lewis Paterson marvelled at the World Heritage Site that is Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole. Theories of its evolution were debated and field sketches drawn which gave all the boys a better understanding of this coastal wonder of the natural world. After a picnic lunch the National Trust coastline of Old Harry Rocks was also visited. Spectacular chalk cliffs, natural arches and stacks were similarly the focus of discussion. The geography field trip, like other days at the seaside, was rounded off nicely by skimming a few stones on the beach at Swanage and enjoying a fish 'n' chip supper.
Year 10: Four Day residential Field Trip to Northern England
After a decade and a half of enjoying the coastal delights of Dorset, the GCSE class of 2008 headed up north to explode some of the myths of northern England and expose them to the natural and man made beauty of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The M1 remained a three lane motorway all the way to Leeds and wasn't transformed into an uphill cobbled track just outside of Luton and very soon the group arrived in Skipton where its Central Business District was delimited and its Sphere of Influence clearly defined. A short journey to
Haworth lay ahead and the group was soon bedded down in the most comfortable and elegant of Youth Hostels.
The next day was all about limestone and we headed to the world famous Malham Cove, Malham Tarn and Goredale Scar; potholes, sinks, resurgences, waterfalls, limestone pavement, clints, grikes and solution weathering were the order of the day and if being on the limestone wasn't enough we were soon able to explore and enjoy the sub-terranean features found in Ingleborough caves. Rocks and landscapes gave way to tourism on day two and the charming Yorkshire Dales National Park contrasted vividly with Britain's number one seaside destination Blackpool! Whilst it had seen better days, the Pleasure Beach was still a major crowd pleaser. Manchester, like Blackpool, was keen to reinvent itself and that it did with the aid of the IRA bomb in 1996 and the Central Manchester Development Corporation. New uses for old buildings, homes and people back in the inner city, reclaimed waterways and enviable retail shopping stores were there for all to see. A short but sweet taste of the geography of northern England, with not a whippet or flat cap in sight, was I hope a thoroughly good experience.
Lower & Upper Sixth - Iceland: a biennial trip with Sixth Form Geologists
The aim of the trip was to investigate the tectonic and glacial landforms and processes at work. Located on the spreading ridge between the Eurasian and North American plates, Iceland is a geographer's paradise - the abundance of staggering landscapes bring physical topics such as glaciation and plate tectonics to life, whether in the form of perfectly sculpted arêtes, picturesque fjords such as Borgarfjordur, thirty year-old volcanoes such as Eldfel, effusive geysers such as Strokur, or dramatic gorges and waterfalls like Gulfoss.
The country is also fascinating from a human geography perspective. Pupils visit a hydro-electric power station; learn about Iceland's industrial and agricultural activities, settlement patterns and population characteristics in this unique country of only three hundred thousand people.
Lower Sixth: Epping Forest
In preparation for their AS level Applied Geographical Skills Unit, pupils investigate river processes along a small channel in Epping Forest under the guidance of tutors from the Field Studies Council and teachers from the department.
