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Fieldwork has long been considered as an activity that takes place beyond the confinement of classroom and is an important element in the learning and teaching of Geography. Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to apply the concepts they have learnt in class to the real world, to test hypothesis, to learn new concepts / knowledge and to develop various kinds of skills. Through fieldwork, students are able to get first hand experience and information. In general, three types of objectives, namely, cognitive, psychomotor, and affective can be achieved by means of fieldwork.
1. Cognitive objectives:
Fieldwork can facilitate students’ cognitive development in the following ways:
ü The field site can provide students with a natural laboratory for first-hand information.
ü Through observation and investigation, the spatial characteristics, relationships and processes between physical and human phenomena can be seen. It gives students the chance to seek explanation by gathering more information from the field site or other sources. Such an enquiry approach of learning helps students to construct knowledge.
ü According to Piaget's findings, children are able to understand more if they can start from learning concrete things and develop towards abstract ideas. Based on such arguments, Bruner believes that human mind has evolved three modes of representation concerning different environments and events. They are enactive, iconic and symbolic mode of representation. The iconic mode consists of images based on our immediate experience. Through actual contact with reality, students will find geographical phenomena and concepts less vague.
ü Abstract theories, concepts or ideas can also be illustrated through real examples if students are allowed to observe, record or analyze.
ü Knowledge can be reinforced if students are given the chance to keep in touch with the reality. Through observation, reasoning, analysis and recording, students will be able to use every sense of the learning faculties: sight, hearing, smell or touch, to extend their visual experience.
2. Psychomotor objectives:
Fieldwork can help to develop the following skills:
ü It helps to develop keen observation and cultivate the ability to view things geographically.
ü Fieldwork facilitates the training on map reading skills which enables students to relate map information with the real world.
ü It provides chances for students to practise their data collection skills, e.g. interviewing, questionnaire design, observation and sketch drawing. Information technology (IT) and numeric skills can also be trained.
ü Group work is one of the characteristics of fieldwork. Through these activities, students can develop self-confidence and self-discipline. Social skills can also be developed through working collaboratively with others and taking heed of others’ needs.
3. Affective objectives:
In fieldwork, students’ affection should not be ignored.
ü Since students have to interpret the environment with their feeling and reasoning, fieldwork helps to develop their spatial sense.
ü Students’ curiosity and exploring skills are stimulated through fieldwork. It gives them a sense of adventure and a thrill of achievement.
ü Using fieldwork together with other teaching methods, such as role play, can help students develop a concern for the environment. It enables students to develop a sensory awareness of the reality.
Although fieldwork contributes a lot to the construction of geographical knowledge, the development of skills (geographical and generic) and the nurturing of positive values (as mentioned in Part A), the focus may vary with the approach of fieldwork. For example, enquiry-based fieldwork is relatively better than guided tour type of fieldwork in developing students’ geographical and generic skills.
Generally speaking, geographical fieldwork can be classified into three broad types:
n Guided tour type of fieldwork—Teachers take students to a field site and tell them characteristics of the features in the site. Teachers’ preparation before the field trip is of great significance as they should know as much about the site as possible.
n True experimental fieldwork—The purpose of conducting this type of fieldwork is to find answers for some geographical problems which have not been researched by other people previously (so no answer is available before the fieldwork).
n Pseudo-experimental fieldwork—It differs from the true experimental fieldwork in that measurements on some known outcomes are carried out, so it will provide training on data collection skills.
Different strategies / approaches then may be used to conduct these types of fieldwork. In “Beyond the Bikesheds”, Job, D., Day, C. and Smyth, T. tried to classify these strategies / approaches into five different categories—Field excursion, field research based on hypothesis testing, geographical enquiry, discovery fieldwork and sensory fieldwork.
1. Field excursion:
Students are taken to an area (field site) by teachers, often following a designed route. Teachers will use the features at the field site especially for illustrative or demonstrative purposes. They will usually give lots of instruction at the site (i.e. teachers being knowledge provider). Students’ role is rather passive. They listen and answer questions raised by the teachers. They will grasp some related concepts and knowledge about the site and develop skills in geographical recording and interpretation.
2. Field research based on hypothesis testing:
Two different types of field research based on hypothesis testing are identified. The conventional one is a deductive approach while a variant of it incorporates some inductive elements. Through fieldwork, the conventional type of field research based on hypothesis testing helps students apply what they have learnt (geographical theories and patterns) to the real world. Initially, students are led to consider some geographical theories and then formulate hypothesis for testing at the site. After data collection, the data is tested against the geographical theories or expected patterns and relationships. Based on these results, the hypothesis will either be accepted or rejected.
The variant of the conventional approach is comparatively more flexible. Based on some initial field experiences or observations, students are encouraged to develop their own hypothesis (i.e. generating hypothesis) for testing in the field environment.
3. Geographical enquiry:
Students are encouraged to identify or construct a geographical question, issue or problem for fieldwork investigation. These questions, issues or problems may be identified from students’ own field experiences in the past. They then gather appropriate data at the site and interpret the data so as to answer the question or find solutions for the problem or issue. In the end, the teachers should evaluate the whole investigation and encourage students to apply their findings to other situations. Such an enquiry approach is especially suitable to those students who are able to work semi-independently.
4. Discovery fieldwork:
This is an entirely open-ended approach. Students are encouraged to identify their interests freely in a landscape (i.e. not guided by teachers). Based on their interests, perceptions and preferences, they can develop and extend their investigative work, such as developing the focus and methodology of their own investigations. Whenever they have questions about the fieldwork, teachers will not give “direct answers” to them. Instead, further questions will be raised to stimulate students’ deeper thinking (i.e. teachers being facilitators). Students' self-confidence and self-motivation are strengthened as they are the ones to control the whole process of learning.
5. Sensory fieldwork:
It is a qualitative and experiential approach of fieldwork. It aims to develop students' feeling towards the natural world and assist them in understanding how life works so as to sharpen their perception and strengthen their cognitive skills. The design of the activities allows students to have direct contact with the natural environment so that their sensory awareness will be developed to the full. Through participation, students’ sensory awareness and conceptual understanding of the natural world will be enhanced. This strategy can therefore be used as an introductory activity before the actual conventional field investigation.
It should be noted that these strategies or approaches are not mutually exclusive. Teachers should take them into account before designing and conducting the fieldwork. Based on the requirements of the geography curricula, such as the Geography Curriculum Guide (Secondary 4-5) (CDC, 2003), teachers should design and organize their geography fieldwork using one or a combination of the above approaches in accordance with students’ needs, interests and abilities.
Enquiry learning is the key approach in the learning and teaching of various geography curricula in Hong Kong, namely “Geography (Secondary 1-3) (CDC, 1998)”, “Geography Curriculum Guide (Secondary 4-5) (CDC, 2003)” and the “Geography Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4-6) (CDC, 2007)”. In the whole process of learning and teaching, the geographical questions of “What”, “Where”, “How”, “Why” and “What if” form the basis to develop a geography framework for enquiry.
Adopting enquiry approach in geography lessons facilitates students to become active learners and problem-solvers. As an important part in geographical education, fieldwork in geography should also be conducted with elements of enquiry learning. It is not to say that guided tour type of fieldwork should not be conducted for geography students. In some cases, such type of fieldwork still has its values in geographical education. However, students should be given opportunities to experience enquiry-based geography fieldwork in their secondary school studies as such fieldwork approach helps equip our students to become geographically informed and inquiring people. Such an inquiring mind is essential to their lives, studies and work in the 21st Century.
In this CD-ROM, various examples of enquiry-based fieldwork (with a mixture of some fieldwork strategies mentioned in Part B) are included so as to facilitate enquiry learning in the field environment. According to the levels of studies (i.e. junior secondary or senior secondary) and abilities of students, teachers may like to introduce fieldwork activities with different enquiry levels (guided or open-ended) to their students. As such, the fieldwork activities in this CD-ROM are divided into two major levels—Level 1 and Level 2. Worksheets with guided enquiry-based activities are included in Level 1. These worksheets are useful for those students who need more guidance and help in their geography fieldwork enquiry. For those more capable and senior form students, various types of fieldwork investigations (with less guidelines and more open-ended) at Level 2 are more appropriate to them.
Examples of enquiry-based fieldwork and their supporting materials in this CD-ROM include:
Examples of Level 1—Guided Enquiry-based Fieldwork
1. Visit to the Hong Kong Park—Characteristics of tropical rainforestsF Notes to Teachers
F Student Worksheets
2. Visit to the Castle Peak Power Station
F Notes to Teachers
F Student Worksheets
Examples of Level 2—
Student-centred Enquiry-based Fieldwork
1. Notes to Teachers2. Student Worksheets
a) Fieldwork investigations at Tung Chung River and its surrounding areas
b) The study of vegetation at Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
c) The study of urban renewal in Wan Chai
d) The study of microclimate (Case study: The Peak and its surrounding areas)
e) Fieldwork based on hot news (1)—Transport problems and solutions in Mongkok
f) Fieldwork based on hot news (2)—Flooding problems in Sheung Wan
Photo Gallery
1. Vegetation at the Hong Kong Park
2. Castle Peak Power Station and its surrounding areas
3. Tung Chung River and its surrounding areas
4. Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
5. Urban Renewal in Wan Chai
6. Microclimate (Case study: The Peak and its surrounding areas)
7. Transport problems and solutions in Mongkok
8. Flooding problems in Sheung Wan
© Education and Manpower Bureau 2007