"The Eagle's Nest", Mt Lozere, Cévennes, France.
Fieldwork in the Geography Curriculum
The benefits of field work are widely acknowledged and are appreciated by our customers year after year. These include the opportunity to motivate students in a new environment, to provide them with new and memorable experiences and to let students see their teachers in a new (and hopefully favourable!) light.
A fieldtrip to the Eagle's Nest is not simply an 'extra™curricular' experience however. In recent years, changes to the Geography curriculum have increasingly placed an emphasis on the acquisition of skills, particularly in the field. The revised
Geography Orders state that "pupils should be taught to undertake field
work, selecting and using appropriate techniques and instruments to
measure and record accurately" at Key Stage 3. Several GCSE boards
(e.g. ULEAC) have gone as far as specifying a range of field work and
analysis techniques candidates are expected to become familiar
with.
The Geography Subject Core requires students of 'A' level to
undertake personal investigative work, based on the use of first™hand
data. All the new 'A' level syllabuses place emphasis on geographical
techniques and skills: individual projects typically account for 20% of the
total mark. In addition, candidates are often asked to explain the use of
field work techniques in written papers, or to provide detailed case
studies which are best gained first™hand. The Centre is therefore an ideal
base not just for pupil motivation, but for preparation for individual
studies and conventional exams.