On Tuesday 13 May the Geography Department took the Year 10 GCSE Geographers to Epping Forest to experience putting their learning into real world environments.  This, the first of two days study over the course of the GCSE, involves getting to grips with fieldwork techniques and identifying meaning from the data collected.  The students pulled on their wellies and went exploring to complete a full investigation into river channel characteristics and flood risk along Debden Brook, a tributary of the River Thames.

On arrival at the Field Studies Centre (FSC) Epping Forest, the morning session involved visiting the forest surrounding the centre and developing an understanding of the geology of the local area and how this influences the water cycle and the birth of the river at its source.  Students had the chance to use a soil auger to take a sample of the geology at different points in the drainage basin to assess the texture and permeability of the sediment and how this contributes to the behaviour of the river.

At Debden Brook, students worked in small groups and were given step by step guidance on field techniques to use at three contrasting sites along the river’s length.  Having received the briefing, students then worked together to put the theory into practice. They used measuring tapes to identify the width of the channel and a meter rule to measure the depth at various points along the river.  Velocity was calculated using a ruler, cork and stopwatch, which required co-ordination, teamwork and resilience for success.

Another essential fieldwork skill is field sketches of the river and the surrounding areas. By selecting key elements of the environment to add to their sketches, the students were able to evaluate flood risks to people and the environment.  For example, students observed and made notes on depth of the riverbanks, width of the channel, trees and shrubbery along the banks, how large the flood plains are and the proximity of residential homes to the river.

This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to apply their classroom learning of river processes and river flooding to a real life example. The FSC and teaching staff were very impressed by the teamwork and resilience of the groups, their resourcefulness in a route to success the reciprocity of the students in their approach to tackling the data gathering.  We will complete further analysis in follow up lessons in order that students can use their learning in their GCSE Summer Exams in Year 11.

One of our Year 10 students stated: “The process of completing data collection in Geography was new to me and I found it interesting to see how this works.” and that “We got to learn more about river environments and the differences between the upper, middle and lower course, which really helped our understanding."