GCSE Geographers discovered that there is more to the subject than the natural world, as they undertook field work… at Manchester City’s Etihad stadium.
The visit, a compulsory part of the course, saw students tour the stadium but also learn important lessons about the industrial and social history of the east Manchester neighbourhoods where the stadium stands. The areas of Beswick and Bradford were once home to heavy, polluting industry, with huge areas of terraced housing close by.
The students learned the story of how the area underwent substantial regeneration, with the building of the City of Manchester Stadium for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. In the years since this part of Manchester has transformed, with retail, leisure, and of course a huge concentration of outstanding sports facilities – offering much more than just football!
Field work is of course about more than watching a presentation. In bright Manchester sunshine the students set off around the local areas to see for themselves how they have been transformed, or are waiting to be improved. Alongside the new and old housing, the young geographers observed and judged the quality of local amenities from open space to health facilities, leisure services and schools.
Fieldwork is one of the National Curriculum strands in Geography. It is as vital in enabling students to understand both physical and human features and processes, but also the interaction between the two. Through fieldwork, the young people can see how the theory learned in the classroom is active in the world around them. Fieldwork is also extremely effective in helping them remember theories by coupling it with a real life experience. Students really enjoy fieldwork and this also aids their memories of the key components. Questions referring to their fieldwork makes up 20% of their final GCSE grade.
