Importance Of Fieldwork In Geography

Introduction

Fieldwork refers to the process of leaving the classroom and involves teaching and learning of geographical features. The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the value of fieldwork in geography and to analyse the challenges that learners may encounter in the process.

The value of fieldwork in geography

Fieldwork is often appreciated for its ability to accomplish a variety of roles which links to the curriculum. Fieldwork has the ability to associate diverse educational goals so as to be an effective technique of learning. However, there are many reasons as to why fieldwork is valued. For example, fieldwork is valued for its capacity to increase the profile of geography within a school. Fieldwork has a positive influence

They have plants pointed out to them, trees, flowers, birds, what’s going on around them, why things are happening at a particular time of the year. This adds to their general knowledge and their view of the world.

Fieldwork gives learners a chance for more personal outcomes such as; increasing their confidence, improve social skills and a lot of beliefs in personal worth. To their surprise, some learners find that learning could be fun, as one primary teacher once said “It’s just being somewhere where the children have headspace without the restrictions, we think it is being somewhere where they are unfamiliar, and it can be scary but exciting as well.

Teachers as well as learners benefit from well-planned fieldwork delivered by experts. In the engaging and learning with the outdoors studies, participating teachers get an opportunity to experience outdoor educators who often use different styles of teaching. Through planned fieldwork teachers note that they improve their own subject knowledge. They also pick up new skills as well as ideas that they could take back to their own

For example, transportation to the site and entry to the fieldwork site or building may be challenging for learners with mobility damage. Blind learners may need orientation to a new environment. Likewise, learners with healthy problems may have difficulties with a full-time schedule or fieldwork locations that involve travel or overnight stays.

Budget/cost

A field trip may require travel from one point to another. In this case, the school or parents will be required to pay for transport, food and the cost depending on the distance of the trip. This may be a challenge, for example; let’s say the learners are to take a trip from Limpopo to Mpumalanga, the cost will be very high and some parents cannot afford it, at the end of the day, some learners miss out on the experiences gained through fieldwork.

Safety

Fieldwork poses safety concerns different from those in the classroom; for instance, falling off a cliff has different consequences than falling off a chair. There may be dangerous places where no one has access, those places are usually denoted by signs such as “No entry”, “Do not touch” and so on, hence some learners will still do the opposite. There is also a risk of accidents and danger from wild animals or insects, therefore becomes our responsibility as a teachers to keep them