Edexcel A-Level Geography Course Options For teaching from September 2016 has been an FSC Field Centre since 1957. It is ideally placed to provide access to the distinctive fluvial, coastal and post glacial landscapes of Shropshire and Wales as well as the urban and rural settlements of Shropshire and the West Midlands. These places provide excellent opportunities for developing enquiry skills in investigating place, water and carbon, as well as other optional physical and human themes. Data collection for individual investigations on water, carbon and place themes can be completed at the geographically rich locations of Telford Town Park or Church Stretton. The Centre overlooks the River Severn and is located on a glacial moraine 8 kilometres to the west of. The Centre campus includes a delightfully upgraded Queen Anne country house and two purpose-built teaching and accommodation buildings. The estate consists of 12 hectares of grassland, woodland and a specialist habitat areas, ideal for studying cycling of water and carbon through ecosystems. The Centre has a full range of field work equipment, all classrooms have interactive whiteboards and ICT facilities to enable innovative GIS analysis of quantitative and qualitative fieldwork data. Our courses are designed to: Inspire and engage students to develop their geographical understanding and skills. Prepare students for their Geographical Individual Investigation. Exemplify the complete enquiry process. Provide engaging relevant opportunities for students to learn and apply geographical knowledge, specialised concepts and skills. Incorporate a wide range of qualitative and quantitative geographical and fieldwork skills including the use of GIS using ArcGIS software. Cover a range of topics from the specification, as part of fulfilling the minimum requirement of four days of fieldwork for A Level.
Edexcel A Level Geography Options Recommended Course Programmes Individual Investigations (Carbon, water, place themes) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Morning Afternoon and Evening Water Skills () OR Inequalities () Population Case Study (Ironbridge) OR Regeneration (Various) OR Inequalities (Various) OR Water Skills (Long Mynd) OR Carbon Skills (Nesscliffe) Carbon Skills () OR Site visit to explore focus and devise a methodology Regeneration () (Telford Town Park or Church Stretton) Data collection and refining for Individual Investigation Additional data collection/presentation Developing Fieldwork Skills (Can choose from a 1 day to a 5 day course) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Morning Afternoon and Evening Half day physical/human option Half day physical/human option Individual Investigation (Carbon, water, place themes) Location Content Role of the FSC Tutor Exploring focus and devising methodology Telford or Church Stretton. Primary data collection Telford or Church Stretton. Following their skills training days, students will have the opportunity to explore and research a new area with regards to water, carbon or place themes. Using skills from previous days they will generate a relevant geographical question to research and plan methodologies. They will finalise their title and focus of the investigation. In small groups, students will collect their own data for their individual investigation. The evening can be spent on presentation and analysis techniques. If needs be, students can return to the field site to collect more data on their final morning or research secondary data sources. Tutors will provide guidance in choosing suitable enquiry questions and methodologies. They will organise groups and logistics for data collection strategies. Tutors will assist in further data methodology refining and can provide technical assistance with geolocating data. They will organise logistics of any further data collection. Full Day Options Location Content Specification Links Water skills Long Mynd Students will have the opportunity to quantify inputs, stores, flows and outputs such as discharge, infiltration and interception as well as considering other variables such as geology, soil, vegetation, landuse, aspect and gradient. Analysis will include Topic 5 Enquiry Q1 5.1-5.3 Hydrological cycle, drainage
Carbon skills Nesscliffe Country Park Population case study. Ironbridge Population case study Ironbridge The need for regeneration. Evaluating the success of urban regeneration. (Regenerating Places) Birmingham Evaluating the success of rural regeneration. (Regenerating Places) Ludlow Urban social inequalities Rural social inequalities Minsterley & Pontesbury Glacial systems and landscapes Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia choosing appropriate presentation methods, including the use of GIS and justifying and carrying out an appropriate statistical test. Students will collect biomass data to compare broadleaved and coniferous woodlands for their ability to sequester carbon. Fieldwork will involve applied mathematics such as trigonometry, pi. Analysis will involve reading line graphs, extrapolation and justifying an appropriate statistical test. Students explore how past and present connections at all scales have shaped the demographic and cultural characteristics of Ironbridge. Informal, formal and statistical representations of this place will be analysed, to understand how continuity and change has affected people s lives and identities as the town has transitioned from an industrial area to a post-industrial World Heritage Site. Fieldwork techniques include rephotography, urban derive, participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Analysis includes coding. Students explore how past and present connections at all scales have shaped the economic and social characteristics of Ironbridge. Informal, formal and statistical representations of this place will be analysed, to understand how continuity and change has affected people s lives and identities as the town has transitioned from an industrial area to a post-industrial World Heritage Site. Fieldwork techniques include rephotography, urban derive, participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Analysis includes coding. Students will assess the need for regeneration in CBD. Using statistical evidence, placechecks, bipolar surveys, interviews and analysing representations of, students evaluate the perceived need for regeneration. Analysis will include coding and GIS. Students will evaluate the success of the Big City Plan, Birmingham s rebranding strategy. A range of measures including social and economic indicators, plus surveys of the city and it s stakeholders, will enable contrasting views and success criteria to be considered. Analysis will include coding, calculating interquartile ranges and GIS. Students will evaluate the success of the rebranding of Ludlow as a Food Town. A range of measures including social and economic indicators, plus surveys of the city and it s stakeholders, will enable contrasting views and success criteria to be considered. Analysis will include coding, calculating interquartile ranges and GIS. Students will compare living spaces in. Using GIS and the index of deprivation as a basis, students will collect qualitative and quantitative data using semi structured interviews, bipolar surveys and placechecks. Analysis will include coding and calculating interquartile ranges. Students will compare living spaces in neighbouring villages. Using GIS and the index of deprivation as a basis, students will collect qualitative and quantitative data using semi structured interviews, bipolar surveys and placechecks. Analysis will include coding and calculating interquartile ranges. Students will visit an inspiring post-glacial landscape carved by ice during the Devensian glacial period 18,000 BP. Students will observe landforms such as corries, moraines, U-shaped valleys and ribbon lakes and interpret the associated glacial and periglacial processes. Fieldwork will include taking field notes to basin and water budgets Topic 6 Enquiry Q1 & 3 6.2,3,7,8 Carbon cycle operation and links to climate change. Topic 4 Enquiry Q1 4B.3 In depth case study: Connections and demographic and cultural characteristics. Topic 4 Enquiry Q1 4A.3 In depth case study: Connections and economic and social characteristics. Topic 4 Enquiry Q2 4A.4-6 Why might regeneration be needed? 4A.8-12 How is regeneration managed? How successful is regeneration? 4A.8-12 How is regeneration managed? How successful is regeneration? How successfully are cultural and demographic issues managed? How successfully are cultural and demographic issues managed? Topic 2 Enquiry Q1 & 2 2A.2,3, 6-7, 11,12 Landscape formation and processes
Coastal systems and landscapes Rhyl and Talacre The management of a fragile coastal ecosystem. Talacre, N. Wales record glacial geomorphology, mapping landform orientation, field sketches and taking photographs. To follow up, landform orientation will be presented and analysed using GIS and an appropriate statistical test. Students will have the opportunity to visit the contrasting coastal settlements of Talacre and Rhyl in North Wales. The sites will provide the students with the opportunity to observe a range of different coastal defences, calculate cost benefit analyses and quantify the impacts of coastal flooding in low lying, erosive and vulnerable areas. Fieldwork will include comparing physical processes between settlements followed by investigating shoreline management and impact issues within the settlements themselves. Analysis will include choosing appropriate measures of central tendency and spread and using GIS. Students will visit the settlement of Talacre on the North Wales coastline where they will investigate the potential impacts of flooding upon low-lying areas protected by a natural sand dune (SSSI) defence. Students will sample along an interrupted belt transect to discover the process of Psammosere succession. Students will then investigate the threat from coastal flooding upon the SSSI and the settlement itself, discussing the need for/controversial issues surrounding hard engineering and coastal defences. Analysis will include choosing appropriate presentation methods and justifying and carrying out an appropriate statistical test. Topic 2 Enquiry Q1,2 & 3 2B1-2B9 Coastal systems and coastal flooding. Topic 2 Enquiry Q3 2B3 and 2B9 Stabilising coastlines and coastal flooding. Half Day Options Location Content Specification Links Carbon Skills Water Skills The need for regeneration. Lowland glaciation: Processes and landforms Urban social inequalities Students will quantify biomass data in a woodland to assess carbon sequestration. Fieldwork will involve applied mathematics such as trigonometry, pi. Students will have the opportunity to quantify inputs, stores, flows and outputs such as discharge, infiltration, interception and interception as well as considering other variables which contribute to outputs such as geology, soil, vegetation, landuse, aspect and gradient. Analysis is considered, including choosing appropriate presentation methods and justifying an appropriate statistical test. Students will assess the need for regeneration in CBD. Using statistical evidence, placechecks, bipolar surveys, interviews and analysing representations of, students evaluate the perceived need for regeneration. (Fieldwork only) During the Devensian glacial maximum 18,000BP, Shropshire was the meeting point of the Irish Sea ice sheet and a valley glacier. Students will explore evidence for the presence of and the subsequent melting of these ice sheets through GIS and till analysis. Students will compare living spaces in. Using GIS and the index of deprivation as a basis, students will collect qualitative and quantitative data using semi structured interviews, bipolar surveys and placechecks. (Fieldwork only) Topic 6 Enquiry Q1 & 3 6.2,3,7,8 Carbon cycle and climate change. Topic 5 Enquiry Q1 5.1-5.3 Hydrological cycle, drainage basin and water budgets Topic 4 Enquiry Q2 4A.4-6 Why might regeneration be needed? Topic 2 Enquiry Q1,2 & 3 2A.2,3,6,8,9 Landforms, processes and landscapes. How successfully are cultural and demographic issues managed?
What is included in the fee? Expert tuition, from fully trained staff, providing up to 10 hours of tuition a day Fully catered accommodation including cooked breakfast, packed lunch, afternoon cake and evening meal Access to Centre grounds, workrooms, ICT network and recreational spaces Use of specialist equipment and resources Support before and after the course Established health and safety procedures, including 24-hour emergency cover Tuition is delivered by talented teachers, with an expert knowledge of their subject and field work locations and a passion for the subject being taught. All staff undertake Safeguarding training and all key personnel including the education team are DBS checked. Our education team have regular first aid, risk assessment and water safety training and undertake regular, ongoing development work to keep them up to date with subject, specification and curriculum knowledge. Course options listed in this booklet can be combined to form a programme which will meet the requirements of your specification. However, if you would like to develop a unique fieldwork course for your group please contact us to discuss possible alternatives. External Recognition of Quality has been awarded the Quality Badge by The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. The badge is awarded to organisations that have demonstrated that they consistently deliver high quality teaching and learning experiences and manage risk effectively. This means that you will have to complete less paperwork when visiting our centre. Email us at: enquiries.pm@field-studies-council.org