Published on: 14 May 2020


Year 12 Geography students from Christ Church and Methodist Ladies’ College recently took part in a unique virtual fieldwork experience as part of their course on environmental change.

With current measures preventing students from attending sites, Christ Church Geography Teacher Mr Jon Wyllie adapted the normal river fieldwork to a virtual field trip, investigating the rehabilitation of Point Walter foreshore in Bicton and the development of the Living Streams Project in Brentwood.

“While there is no perfect substitute for the fieldwork, we feel that students are able to learn a lot about the management of river foreshore environments from the safety of the classroom,” says Mr Wyllie.

“The field trip incorporated ground and satellite photographs, Google Earth flyovers and videos of the site, along with previous fieldwork data to develop students’ fieldwork skills and knowledge.”

“Both girls and boys were able to fully immerse in the experience and walk away with a better understanding of the world around them.”