The Role and Value of Fieldwork

The Role and Value of Fieldwork
This article draws on research undertaken with geography teachers from six
state secondary schools in a northern English city1 in 2005. The research
demonstrated the variety of different roles that fieldwork can fulfil. Since
different fieldwork strategies prioritise different learning outcomes it is perhaps
unsurprising that there are so many educational justifications for doing
fieldwork. Job et al (1999) have grouped these into five broad educational
purposes, and although there is some overlap between the categories this
provides a useful means of organising a substantial body of research.
The role of fieldwork
1. Conceptual development
Fieldwork supports the geography curriculum by promoting geographical
knowledge and understanding (Job et al 1999). In helping to bridge the divide
between the classroom and the real world (Fuller 2006), it helps to reinforce
students’ understanding of geographical terminology and processes (Job et al
1999):
[A]t the beginning of Year 10 the first topic we do is coasts. We go on a
residential to the Holderness coast … they can always remember an
awful lot more about coasts than say settlement or something that we
also do in Year 10. We always seem to come back to asking how
longshore drift happens and most of them seem to remember it.
(Walton School, head of department)
Fieldwork provides a means of contextualising students’ learning and
contributing to students’ cognitive development, enabling them to understand
the relationships between groups of geographical factors (Job et al 1999).
1 Quotes from some of the teachers who were interviewed for this research are included in
this article. Pseudonyms have been used to protect the confidentiality of those involved with
the research.
2. Skills
Fieldwork gives students the opportunity to experience “real” research (Hall et
al 2002, 214):
Well, it’s the laboratory isn’t it? You can’t prove things without actually
doing some concrete data collection and analysis. It brings everything to
life. (Clifford School, geography teacher)
In doing so, it promotes the development of a wide range of different skills,
many of which are transferable. These can include enquiry skills such as
observational skills, data collection, data analysis, map work and investigative
skills. Students may have the opportunity to practise and apply technical
skills, including ICT skills (Job et al 1999). Teachers have also praised
geography fieldwork for its contribution to the teaching of other key skills,
including communication and numerical skills (Nowicki 1999). By appealing to
different learning styles fieldwork can also enable students to become better
all round learners.
3. Aesthetics
Fieldwork provides an opportunity for students to develop their sensitivity to
and appreciation of a wide range of different environments (Job et al 1999).
Fieldwork can therefore help to develop a respect for the environment and
facilitate experiential learning (Hall et al 2002). Enabling students to visit
environments that they might not otherwise visit provides an important means
of facilitating social inclusion (Cook 2006). Some fieldwork strategies also
place a strong emphasis on affective learning, such as those which are
designed to develop a sense of wonder about an environment (Job 1996).
The concept of ‘awe and wonder’ is about “feelings, impressions and
experiences, about ‘being’ in a landscape and feeling a part of it” (Ross 2001,
86). Such approaches may encourage students to explore their emotional
responses to environments and help them to develop a sense of place (Job et
al 1999).
4. Values
Affective learning also entails an appreciation of values. Fieldwork enables
students to develop their understanding of different perspectives on social,
political or ecological issues, enabling them to clarify and justify their own
values whilst learning to acknowledge and respect other people’s values (Job
et al 1999). Fieldwork may also allow students to see the wider social and
ecological effects of environmental changes (Job et al 1999), thereby
contributing to education for sustainable development (Caton 2006).
5. Social and personal development
Fieldwork has the potential to contribute widely to students’ personal and
social development. For example, students can learn the importance of
taking personal responsibility for their learning (Hall et al 2002) whilst the
challenges provided by fieldwork can help to build students’ confidence and
resilience (Job et al 1999). Fieldwork can also help to break down barriers
between students and their peers and between students and staff (Hall et al
2002). The opportunity to develop soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork
and communication skills, further contributes to students’ personal and social
development.
The value of fieldwork
Fieldwork is frequently valued for its ability to fulfil such a wide range of roles,
many of which link to the wider curriculum. Crucially, it’s fieldwork’s ability to
combine different educational objectives that makes it a potentially effective
method of learning (Hall et al 2002). However, there are other reasons why
fieldwork is valued. For example, fieldwork may be valued for its ability to
raise the profile of geography within a school. For others, fieldwork is simply
integral to the discipline’s ethos, culture and pedagogy (Holmes and Walker
2006). Sauer’s assertion that “the principal training of the geographer should
come, wherever possible, by doing field work” (1956, 296) is a reflection of the
importance traditionally attached to fieldwork within the discipline.
However, evidence from this research suggested that, for some geography
teachers, the value of fieldwork had become overshadowed in recent years by
the constraints facing those organising fieldwork. It is therefore important that
all those involved in the fieldwork planning process recognise the variety of
different roles that fieldwork can fulfil as well as its potential to inspire and
motivate a future generation of geographers:
I think it’s a completely integral part of geography. I don’t see how you
can teach geography without doing it. (Clifford School, geography
teacher)