Course overview

What do you remember about your time at school… field trips ? This hands-on course provides you with the skills and knowledge to ensure that your pupils experience high quality, memorable geography that will support their lifelong learning. Ben, Nell and Jackie explore the power and importance of fieldwork across all areas of geographical study, sharing a range of techniques that support pupils to make multi-sensory observations about the world around them, including how to collect, analyse and present their data. Whether studying urban or rural locations they teach you how to make the most of the 'living geography' and stimulating contexts that abound in your unique grounds, local area and the diverse and dynamic wider world. Join this course to boost your confidence and enable you to plan and implement progressive geography fieldwork to inform, inspire and be remembered by pupils. 

 

Supporting research/references

Ofsted (2021) Research review series: geography ‘Fieldwork is a mainstay of geography education. The connections between processes and location are revealed and pupils remember more of what they have been taught.’ Julia Tanner (2021) Fieldwork involves ‘doing geography’, and through this active learning, makes otherwise abstract geographical concepts concrete.

Key learning aims

• To better understand the power of experiential opportunities and the impact they have on pupils learning.
• To feel more confident in using the school grounds and local area as settings for high-quality ‘hands-on’ geography.

Expected impact on teachers

• Improved knowledge and understanding of a range of practical fieldwork techniques to support the teaching of geography outside the classroom.
• Increased confidence to develop ambitious, well sequenced plans that use ‘real world’ learning to capture pupils’ interest and imagination.

Expected impact on pupils

Pupils will be able to draw on a range of memorable personal experiences to underpin their ability to make comparisons and connections with the wider world.

Course programme

• Session 1 – Fieldwork Foundations
• Session 2 – Fieldwork in practice: enquiry, maps and sensory exploration.
• Session 3 – Fieldwork for every occasion: integration, techniques, progression.  

This course will run as a full day online, 9.30 – 15.30, with breaks for lunch and refreshments, as well as a range of interactive outdoor activities.