• creative fieldwork
  • creative fieldwork
  • creative fieldwork
  • creative fieldwork
  • creative fieldwork

Creative fieldwork 2

Looking for fresh and inspiring ideas for Geography fieldwork?

Creative Fieldwork 2 features practical examples of creative fieldwork techniques to inspire and challenge your students. There are 15 innovative ideas, both physical and human, grouped into three broad themes.

  • Urban design: Walkability, Pedestrian toolbox, Bikeability, Place Standard Tool, Evaluating urban design.
  • Green space and local ecosytems: Quality of green space, Urban albedo, Green space proximity, Ecosystem services and natural capital, Nature connectedness.
  • Public art and street art: Mapping and classifying art, Street art response, Quantitative measure of the benefit of art, Evaluating art qualitatively, Visual content analysis.

Fieldwork is fundamental to Geography at all levels. But unfortunately many ‘traditional’ fieldwork techniques can feel simple and monotonous. Traffic counts and pedestrian counts are relatively easy to do, but may lack meaning for students. As a result students can struggle with elements of the enquiry process that need a more creative approach, such as data collection and presentation.

By contrast, the creative approach engages students with questions that they think are important and worthwhile. This helps makes fieldwork memorable. Often plenty of opportunities exist in the local area where they live. Indeed valuable data collection is even possible on the daily journey to school or college.

While the first edition of Creative Fieldwork focused on A level Geography, this edition has a broader scope. The techniques and approaches suggested could easily be adapted and used by A level students planning their Non-Examined Assessments. But, with some thought, adjustment of the level and scaffolding, they could equally be used by primary pupils exploring their local area.

Creative fieldwork 2 was produced in partnership with the Geographical Association and University of Newcastle.