Course descriptions
The courses sampled in this study were run at five FSC field centres in
England, Wales and Eire. Schools were offered two types of course. The first
type was more curriculum-focused. Two courses were entitled Gifted &
Talented (one geography-based; one science-based), one Real Science and
another a SATs Booster. These four courses focused on ecology or
geography (which included much that science teachers and science educators
would recognise as earth science) in the field and made some or considerable
use of time in the field centres’ classrooms or laboratories to initiate or review
learning activities. Two of the science-based courses were at FSC
Nettlecombe, set on the edge of Exmoor. Students studied freshwater
habitats, identified small mammals and plants in local woodlands and visited
nearby Porlock Bay to examine coastal erosion. On the third course at FSC
Orielton on the Pembrokeshire coast, the focus was on seawater ecology. For
example, students learned how to investigate and build a profile of plant and
animal life on a rocky shore. There was a great emphasis on the students
working in groups, learning to observe, collect and record data and to ask
questions about the environments that they were in.
The second type was described as Eco-adventure, with an emphasis on
physical activities such as climbing, shelter-building and rafting-making,
intended to foster team building and problem-solving skills. Nine of the 13
courses we studied were of this type with little or no time was spent in the
classrooms / laboratories at the field centres. Instead, opportunities for
science experiences during these courses arose informally. Course tutors
guided students on walks and night hikes, drawing their attention to features
of the woodland, river valley and coastal environments through which they
were passing. These features included plant and animal life, weathering and
erosion effects and historical human impacts on the environment. The tutors
often presented the students with stories of the local areas to engage them.
Students also learnt about sustainable living (modelled extensively at all the
FSC centres).