FSC recently launched and delivered #fieldworklive, a two-week programme of live fieldwork sessions. #Fieldworklive encompassed ten live interactive and immersive sessions broadcast for different age groups, focussing on a range of Geography and Science content which saw over 377,000 students register.
Normally at this time we would be welcoming thousands of students to our centres so that they can carry out their fieldwork as well as learning about and appreciating the environment. The coronavirus outbreak has meant that we are unable to do this but we still want to continue to support pupils, parents, teachers and schools as much as we can.
The sessions were delivered using YouTube Live and hosted through Encounter Edu and recordings of all the sessions are available to access here.
We can sometimes think online learning is impersonal, indoor and screen-based. In response to the Coronavirus outbreak FSC has strived to develop meaningful, enquiry-based, interactive, hands-on lessons which are delivered remotely through #fieldworklive. #fieldworklive doesn’t de-value outdoor learning, it broadens delivery channels and continues to encourage young people to be curious and passionate about the world around them. I am incredibly proud of all my FSC colleagues who I have had the pleasure of working with on #fieldworklive, it truly has been a collaborative, cross-team project. Yes, developing #fieldworklive in 4 weeks with just 12 Education colleagues (who normally deliver outdoors, face-to-face) has been a lot of work; but it is valuable work; that is supporting young people, parents and schools at this challenging time.
Janine Maddison, Education Development Officer at FSC
#Fieldworklive doesn’t just stop here. We’ve got follow up webinars for teachers to sign up to and we have also developed two free CPD sessions for new teachers. These professional development live lessons will help NQTs, RQTs, PGCE students and School Direct Placements develop their skills to deliver feedback. These will be broadcast on the 20th and 21st of May for geography and science teachers respectively. Find out more here.
It was fantastic to be a part of the #fieldworklive project. Hosting a live lesson for tens of thousands of students from all around the world was an exciting task, which took a great team effort from numerous FSC staff spread out right across the UK! It was very rewarding to be able to provide an immersive learning opportunity for students in lockdown, especially for those that have inevitably had their own fieldwork experiences cancelled or postponed.
Jack Lucas, Senior FSC Tutor
Twitter Teacher Comments:
A fantastic live session @FieldStudiesC! Very informative and useful for our Yr12 Ss. Looking forward to tomorrrow’s KS4 “Impact on Coastal Management” #geographyteachers this is well worth signing up to. #fieldworklive
@MrsReedGeo
@FieldStudiesC live fieldwork videos are really useful resources. The ‘weather and climate’ video brought back good memories of walking in North Wales too! Thank you! #fieldworklive
@Cornish_Geo
