BES Facebook groupFieldwork
The BES promotes the development of good teaching and learning practice in the school grounds, local communities and further afield through working directly with teachers, development and funding of professional development for teachers and technicians and assisting schools with the purchase of field equipment.
The BES also works at a policy level to encourage an increase outdoor learning requirements within the curriculum.
A copy of the 2006 Learning Outside the Classroom manifesto is available here through a dedicated website offering advice and support for teachers
The DCSF has published a guide Top Tips for Schools to Engage with Biodiversity which includes advice, ideas and links to appropriate organisations
In 2003 the BES and the Field Studies Council produced a report on 'Teaching Biology Outside the Classroom: Is it Heading for extinction?
Teaching Biology Outside the Classroom [Adobe PDF, 561 Kb].
This report presents the main conclusions of a two-day focus group meeting held in May 2002, to discuss the role and importance of teaching outdoor biology in UK schools.
Fieldwork provision in biology is declining in our schools despite the very clear educational and personal development strengths that it offers. This is happening at a time when there is increasing demand for students with the skills and confidence to practise outdoor biology and to be aware of their impacts on the world around them. There are many reasons for the decline but it should be reversed by:
• making fieldwork a requirement rather than an option in the biology curriculum;
• developing and presenting a strong case for biology fieldwork;
• supporting innovative curriculum development;
• providing support for trainee and experienced teachers;
• encouraging scientists to take a much broader view of the world around them.
