A fresh approach to Geography required to investigate contemporary issues in the UK and globally

The new 9-1 GCSE provides a fresh approach to Geography and pupils are required to investigate contemporary issues both in the UK and globally. There is an increase in challenge but also in opportunity to study interesting topics. Previously Geography field days had been about collecting the best data to write up a formulaic project. The new course puts emphasis on developing fieldwork skills and supporting subject knowledge.

Having built GIS (Geographical Information System) skills with the current GCSE group over the past two years, the department put the pupils in responsibility of collecting data. Groups completed transects through Southampton and self-planned research tasks within the CBD. The new ArcGIS software allowed the pupil to spatially locate the data they collected on their phones and meant that all the pupils could add to the same database. Over 560 pieces of Environmental Quality Index data were collected alongside 70 Quality of Life questionnaires on Survey123. Other applications such as Snap2Map were used to show changes through the city effectively by the boys. The results were impressive and some of the maps created are displayed below.

The trip developed fieldwork skills, the boys understanding of inequality within the UK and an appreciation for how software can be used to collect data and answer research questions. It was an extremely successful day enjoyed by all.