Taking the classroom to the beach
Teachers from across the South West of England have been getting hands-on Teach on the Beach learning in a brand new initiative supported by the Ecover Blue Mile in partnership with Plymouth University-based Natural Connections.
The Teach on the Beach sessions are taking place at locations in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Bristol throughout this summer and are delivered by a number of expert trainers including the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Marine Biological Association (MBA) in Plymouth, who held their sessions in perfect summer conditions in June.
Teach on the Beach is the first water-based CPD training scheme from Natural Connections, a Natural England initiative also funded by DEFRA and English Heritage which aims to increase learning in the natural environment at schools. The Ecover Blue Mile is supporting the project as part of its drive to encourage more children to become involved with the marine environment.
The programme aims to provide educators with the tools and self-confidence to deliver National Curriculum based lessons in a beach environment.
The education development team at the Eden Project promised a “challenge-led and sometimes playful approach to delve into maths, science and literacy; with a splash of creativity and a smattering of risk analysis”.
The session was held at Polzeath Beach on a warm, sunny day. Bran Howell, education development officer at the Eden Project, said the day was a great success: “The beach is the best place to teach; there are so many things you can do and we had a great time.
“It was glorious weather, we had a pod of dolphins splashing around and a great group of people who didn’t mind looking a bit silly on a crowded beach, so what’s not to like?"
One of the teachers who attended was Danielle Arkison from Wadebridge Primary Academy. She says she will be taking what she learnt straight back to the children: “It was a really informative and exciting session.
“We explored rockpools and used different equipment to identify things and we also explored how to use it as a stimulus for writing. We are going to use what I learnt for beach lessons, which we hope to have twice a year from now on.”
The MBA’s cross-curricular workshop looked at species, habitats, life cycles, food webs, evaporation and how humans affect the blue environment, particularly with pollution.
Jen Picken, a teacher at Plymouth’s Cann Bridge School for boys and girls aged 3-19 with severe learning difficulties and complex additional needs, said the session would help her to bring new ways of teaching to the children: “I learned a lot,” said Jen.
“I wouldn’t have known how to explore the different sections of the shore with the children, and now I know where and what to look for.
“I now have more knowledge of this subject and feel more confident about passing it onto my children with a lot more enthusiasm. I will be applying what I learned today on our trip to the beach next week with the children.”
Other Teach on the Beach sessions are being run in Torbay and Exmouth by Nature Workshops and in Weston-super-Mare and on the River Frome in Bristol by Earthworks.
Conrad Humphreys of Sport Environment, who run the Ecover Blue Mile said: “I was at the Eden Project event at Polzeath and there was such a positive buzz from everyone. We want children to be able to learn in this environment and it’s great to see so many schools grab this opportunity to get the world class training to make this happen.
“These sessions mean that literally thousands of schoolchildren will benefit in the years ahead.”
For details of the scheme and future Teach on the Beach sessions, visit the Teach on the Beach section on the Ecover Blue Mile website: www.thebluemile.com/teach-on-the-beach/
