Education Manager Jo Harris delivered a 90-minute webinar to teachers of the AQA geography specifications on the 3rd July for one of AQA’s Curriculum Connect sessions. This was this first of two sessions to support A-level and GCSE geography teachers to plan and deliver high quality local fieldwork opportunities.
The first session; “Planning Successful Fieldwork – setting up your fieldwork enquiry” had the aim of developing skills and building teacher confidence to prepare to plan local fieldwork opportunities. Field Studies Council offers courses for students of all ages to complete fieldwork in awe inspiring environments with expert tuition and access to high quality equipment. But we recognise that some schools need to conduct their fieldwork in their local environment for various reasons.
During the session our Education Manager delivered support and ideas to help teachers identify suitable fieldwork locations with examples and practical activities to try with students. The use of concepts, models and theories as well as secondary data sources were looked at, to underpin and justify fieldwork choices and to facilitate students as part of the creative and critical process of planning fieldwork.
Field Studies Council have a long standing, successful relationship with AQA, and we are really pleased to work together on these support opportunities. The first webinar was a real success, and we are looking forward to the second session in on the 12th September which will move from planning fieldwork to the delivery of high-quality fieldwork outcomes. The focus being how to manage the data collection and what to do with the findings of the investigation to conclude the study.
Jon Boden-Wright, Subject Support Manager for Geography at AQA said:
“I approached Jo Harris of Field Studies Council to present this session, as her expertise are invaluable, and Field Studies Council is the perfect partner to ensure our teachers get the support they need.
At AQA, we place great importance on our relationships with experts in the subject community. Fieldwork is fundamental to the discipline, and we are acutely aware of the challenges that the geography teachers face in delivering high-quality fieldwork in a post-covid landscape.
The session was beneficial for a wide range of teachers; from those that are new to the profession and fieldwork planning, all the way up to experienced teachers looking to refresh their current fieldwork opportunities. I’m really looking forward to the second session in September.“
