For developing students’ fieldwork skills
Ng Tung River
Developing and Using Virtual Fieldwork Materials
Self-Introduction
• DSE / AL / CE Geography Teacher
• Conducted >30 fieldworks
• Facilitator of e-learning (SS)
Po Leung Kuk Lo Kit Sing (1983) College
• Field Works / Trips
• Overseas Geography field trips
• Gaming in Learning
Experiential educator
CONTENTS
PLANNING ADVANTAGES WORKSHEETS DISCUSSION
01 02 03 04
For today’s sharing
of the fieldwork and applying VFW of the VFW
PLANNING OF VIRTUAL FIELDWORK
01
FROM THE EYES OF TEACHERS
Rationale
Rationale for Virtual Fieldwork
After CCA Restrictions
• Insufficient resources / days to conduct real fieldwork.
• Shortening of usable teaching time.
• Curriculum needs: FBQ / Fieldwork skills
• Fieldwork skills are learnt in the field, in the wild and in everyday life…
Teachers led field-work / visits
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External Services
vs
Before CCA Restrictions
Field Centre Programs
Fieldwork Based Assessment (2022)
There is still a genuine need for learning fieldwork skills on the basis of
• effective learning & cognitive development
• generic skills learning
• handling public assessment
Managing River Environment Opportunities & Risks
Disappearing Green Canopy
Why there is a need to use Virtual Fieldwork / Fieldtrip
SHOCKINGLY
Majority of students NEVER visit a REAL natural river in real life.
Some believe water comes from
TAPs.
What should students learn about local rivers / drainage basin?
1. Many tributaries
2. Mostly short / transacted rivers 3. Flow through urban areas
4. Large seasonal variation in discharge 5. Sharp change in altitude
River and our environments
Conclusion
Where?
• There are so many rivers in Hong Kong.
• Many urban / concealed / dammed channels.
• Question:
• What is the enquiry topic / issue for fieldwork research in fluvial environment?
• Pre-trip preliminary data analysis
• Safety
• Available tools / equipment
• Accessibility
• Feasibility
• Data quality
The hardship… From the perspective of geographical concepts
• Source of river?
• Mainstream of river?
1
2
3
4
Testify the changes of discharge / velocity / erosion / deposition / transportation rate etc
Fluvial processes
Validate whether Hong Kong has various erosional / depositional landforms along river courses.
Fluvial landform / morphology
Interview residents / users on the perception of a good / useable river.
Rivers and Living Environment
Decide whether the existing flood management is appropriate / needs for extra flood management.
Flood Management
What issues / topics are suitable?
How to take field records?
• Ng Tung River is chosen
• Its large catchment, long river (13km)
• Relatively natural
• Relatively accessible by public transport
• Then, the following are considered:
When?
How?
What?
Sampling method
• Appox. equal distance
• Systematic point sampling
• Each point is about 1.2 km in distance
• Capture represented fluvial characteristics & changes
along river sections
• Upper course
• Which stream should we record?
• How can we reach the river?
• Is it safe / legal to walk in the river?
• How to deal with pests / weeds?
Taken on 29 January 2021
When I was planning the fieldwork…..
• Lower course
• How to position the accurate point / ensure data validity?
• How to log more useable data from the channel?
• How to take best photo to represent the point?
Taken on 29 January 2021
When I was planning the fieldwork…..
How to prepare for the
virtual fieldwork materials?
• Using bicycle to travel to field sites in a day.
• Accurate fluvial characteristics of the day.
• Some sites are inaccessible by vehicles.
• Reduce biases.
• Safety concerns
• Dogs
• Slopes
• Pests / Mosquitoes
• Exposed location
• Rocky / slippery channel
• Trespassing private land
• Lack of mobile signal
• Exhaustion
Is it safe to conduct a
field collection here?
Is it safe to conduct a
field collection here?
When?
Pre-trip of using 360ocamera
Autumn Photo &
Data Taking
SEP OCT NOV DEC APR MAY JUN
Summer Photo &
Data Taking Sharing now
Research on suitable rivers for fieldwork
1stdraft of worksheet
Finalized worksheet
FUTURE
APPLICAION &
ADVANTAGES
OF USING VIRTUAL FIELDWORK
02
APPs / Software used in this Teaching Sampler
• Map Reading
• Pre-trip Planning
• 3D Authentic
• Virtual Pre-trip
• 360opanoramic photos
• Virtual fieldwork (data collection)
GeoInfo Map Google Earth
(Presentation) EduVenture VR
Reasons for using 2 different APP / Software
Google Earth (Presentation)
• Can show terrain / map
• Clear understanding of environment
• Easy to navigate
• Less details / blurred view
• Service may be suspended
• Best for
• Understanding the field sites
• Pre-Trip
EduVenture VR
• Authentic view
• Can show videos / audios
• Guess the velocity, noise level etc
• Can set questions / tasks
• More details (add data set)
• Need to install APP / download much data
• Need specific tools
• e.g. VR Google / VR Headset
• Best for
• Observing and recording
Using Virtual fieldwork….
Advantages
• All weather
• Easy to monitor discipline
• Safer
• Lower costs
• Time-saving
• Easier to cater SENs / diversity
• Reliable (data wont change)
Disadvantages
• Objective
• Little training on using authentic field tools / equipment
• Man-induced errors
• Lower validity of data collected
• Mostly second-hand data
• Less flexible research design
• fixe route / tasks
• restricted to data collected
From the Fieldwork Perspective
Adolescent loves to play and curious about new environment.
• During authentic fieldwork, it provides space for cultivating creativity, problem-solving and effective communications with other classmates.
• Cannot control & give instant feedback.
1 Less social / peer learning
3 Hard to conceptualize abstract concepts
2 Lower degree of
students engagement
4 Fewer physical development
From the Students' Development Perspective
Disadvantages of virtual fieldwork
From the Fieldwork Skills Perspective 01
02
Summarizing
Authentic fieldwork
Virtual fieldwork
Observation
Sketching
Interview / surveys
Counting
Observation
Measurement
Sketching
Comparison
WORKSHEETS
of the Ng Tung River Virtual Fieldwork
03
Stage 1: Planning
Virtual pre-trip on a river landscape
• Explore characteristics of field sites
• Identify safety risks
• Estimate costs & labour needed
• Initiate start a fieldwork topic
Stage 2: Data Collection
Virtual fieldwork on selected field sites & pre-set sampling
• Use observation, field sketching skills
• Collect secondary data
• Categorise meaningful data
02 01
?
Worksheets for Conducting Virtual Fieldwork
Rationale of Using the Student Worksheet
Planning Data
Presentation Conclusion
• Site selection
• Safety
• Threats
• Select possible enquiry topic
95
%75
%40
%30
%• Secondary data
• Sampling method
• Observation
• Field sketches
• Reliable & Validity
• Field sketches
• Scoring rubrics / summarized tables
• Compare others recorded data
• Validate hypothesis
• Going through various stages of field work that help
students to develop sound logical, critical and independent thinking of fieldwork design.
Data
Collection Evaluation
• Reflect on
alternative enquiry setting
30
%1
2
3
• Collect field data of Ng Tung River to learn categorization / summarization / coding skills.
• Justification of data collected and further improvements in future field enquiry.
OPTIONAL
• To do a self-designed geographical
issue inquiry on river (e.g. self-determined methodology / collection of data etc)
GE
EDUVR
Virtual Fieldwork Worksheet Design
• To compare the findings with repeated test at the sites in VFW.
• Assess the potential risks / difficulties to conduct fieldwork in the selected sites.
• Developing / refining own field enquiry question based on the virtual pre-trip at the site.
PRE-TRIP
Virtual Fieldwork
Extended Tasks
Worksheet Demo (Appendix 2 : Data Collection & Data
Logging)
Logical thinking .. Scoring
• How can we score for risk of flooding according to
the landscape of river photos?
Worksheet Demo (Appendix 2 : Fieldwork
Based Questions)
Worksheet Pedagogical Design
05 02
Progressive learning
Scaffolding
Scenario-based learning
Scientific design thinking Problem based
learning
Differential learning (for
different abilities)
Students Learning Outcomes of Fieldwork Skills
• Familiar with the river environment of Hong Kong
• Apply geographical concepts in attempt to design a
geographical issue enquiry
• Fill in summarize table by repeatedly observe and count variables of the
field sites. • Summarize and
validate the data provided with hypothetical
geographical theories.
Comprehensive understanding and application of fieldwork skills in various
geographical issues
Learning Outcomes
03
01 02
Reflective Thinking for Fieldwork Design
(SAMPLE) January
1.3 % / 33.2mm
April
6.3% / 153 mm
July 16 % / 386 mm
October
4.9% / 120.3mm
1) Planning: Consider safety or data accuracy?
2) Collection: One-for-all or multiple collection?
3) Presentation: Data reliable?
4) Conclusion: Can we make a solid and sound conclusion?
5) Reflection: Room for improvement?
Reflective Questions for Students after VFW
• Students need to fully aware of the relationship between precipitation (rainfall) and discharge in Hong Kong.
• Only take a virtual fieldwork once may not understand the actual hydrological characteristics of Ng Tung River.
* Not to scale
Higher order thinking
Critical thinking
DISCUSSION
On the Using of Fieldwork Tools
04
70%
60%
30%
40%
Perceived Constraints for Virtual Fieldwork
• Biological threats?
• Restricted access?
Planning
• Insufficient primary data to validate secondary data
Data Presentation
• Site selection?
• Choice of sampling?
• Sufficient data collected?
Data Collection
• Accumulated biases &
superficial interpretation may lead to invalid conclusions
Conclusion
• Fixed route and a fixed screen.
• Can only provide more verbal, imagery information of the site on a particular day.
Future Development for Virtual Fieldwork
Drones tracking
Shared / Authentic data set
Video for taking field data collection
Comparable VFW in other
season
01 02 03 04
Resources for Conducting Fieldwork in Geography
02 04
03
01
Thanks
All above photos are property rights of the owner. The powerpoint is only for educational use.