Strathfield Saye Estate with Battle Primary School
Teaching and Learning Observation and Analysis
For use by students for participant observation. Where available, include a copy of any notes/plans provided by
the teacher for the lesson.
Date/time:
Class/age:
Tues- 10-July-2012
Years 3.
9.30am till 2.30pm
What is the main curriculum focus?
Geography
A one-day activity to promote the map making
process at primary age level.
Which aspects of the Foundation stage NC/NLS/NNS are
being addressed?
Learning objectives –
To understand the main features on a map.
To be able to make a journey stick of a route.
To understand that maps can show the route of a journey.
To make a map of a route taken with a journey stick.
See the attached sheet for more details of the day and the
lesson plan.
Focus for this observation:
This self directed experience was a little different because it took place in the grounds of
Stratfield Saye Estate which is home to the Duke of Wellington. A student form the PGCE
course runs outdoor learning days for children from local primary schools.
The focus of todays session were journey sticks and map making. My objective of the day
was to gain a general insight into outdoor learning.
On arrival the children went to the bathroom and had water, then sat down on chairs and
on the floor in the cafe (currently closed to the public). Anna had taped some white paper
on the wall to be her ‘interactive whiteboard’!
She started by welcoming the children again (they had visited previously in March where
they had made sculptures out of woodland objects), and asked what they thought they
would be doing today (they already knew they would be doing journey sticks!). So she then
began to speak about maps and asked the children what she thought a map would show
(the answers included: countries, buildings, streams and rivers, the sea, bridges, roads,
paths, X – for treasure!). Anna wrote these down on the paper and re-enforced the idea
that only static things would appear on a map (i.e. sheep and flowers would not appear on
the map).
Anna then explained what a journey stick was and showed the children one that she had
created of the walk from the car to the cafe. It was a stick with wool wrapped around it and
collected items from the environment, stuck in the wool. She held it up and explained
where the things had come from and what that indicated (gravel from the carpark, leaves
from the trees, litter on the floor, etc). She then handed out the sticks as the children left
the building. The children were divided into groups and put with an adult (I helped with one
of the groups). The adults had wool, scissors and sellotape.
We then went on a mile (if not more as it turned out!) walk and the children collected bits
that they found on the floor, and picked leaves and flowers (does this re-enforce protecting
the environment?). All the children appeared to relish this. At one point the sticks were put
on the ground whilst we visited the walled garden. Anna spoke to the children in groups
about the beans they had grown here last time, and about the flowers. She picked sweet
peas for them to touch and smell, and let them eat some raw peas and beans. So she really
allowed the children to use all their senses. The children were allowed to take some roses
that had already been cut down doe their journey sticks.
After the walled garden we headed through the ‘enchanted wood’ where deer footprints
were pointed out. A dead hedgehog also aroused a lot of interest! Thistles were also
collected and other grasses and bits and pieces for their journey sticks.
Lunch
The children ate their lunch under a tree while we ate ours by the cafe! Unfortunately there
was a downpour at the end.
After Lunch
After lunch, Anna asked if I wanted to take the next session where the actual map making process
was presented to the children so I did!
I thought about what to say...I opened by asking the children if they had enjoyed the mornings walk,
and they unanimously said yes! I asked what they liked about it and they said, unsurprisingly, the
journey sticks. I then explained that we were going to use these to make a map, and revisited what
kinds of things went on a map from the mornings’ session. I went through the list and questioned
which of the items they might think would go on their maps (i.e. counties? Buildings, etc). I felt the
session was going well, and felt in flow! Which was great because it was my first ever session like
this! I then said I was going to draw a map based on Anna’s stick of her walk from the car park to the
cafe. I said that she started at the car park and asked what symbol we could use for a car park to
which the replay was a car! So I drew a car (not well though)! I then looked at the stick and pointed
out the gravel and asked what we could use to represent the gravel (dots came back so I drew dots),
I then drew a path and a bridge, and trees and grass, and buildings and doors, etc. I then said that
the journey stick was to be used with their memory of the walk, and that this is how the map would
be created.
I then asked if someone was looking at the map, would they know what the symbols meant, to
which the answer was no so I asked for some ideas of how we could improve on this..One girl said a
key but described another use of a key involving colours that wouldn’t have quite worked (In
hindsight I could have handled this a bit better because she looked a little upset when it was
apparent that this wasn’t ‘right’. Another boy described a better use of a key. I then took this idea
and drew the key on the paper.
I then said the class should have a go at this themselves. I looked up and Anna was gone, but the
teacher added a few bits and pieces. I then realised that I hadn’t asked them to draw a direction
arrow, so I added this to my map.
The day continued with a look around the museum which contained the Duke of Weelington’s really
impressive funeral carriage. The children had visited the museum in March but were equally
engaged on this second visit. I had a lot of children asking me questions about who Wellington was,
and about all the artefacts.
The day finished with a short walk which took us past Wellingtons’ horse who was buried in the
grounds. On the day he was buried an oak tree was planted. Today the oak tree is 180 years old and
is huge. This was a chance to do some maths. This was a great way to end the day.
Reflection on this observation:1. All the children seemed to relish being outside just for a start (Anna also said that with the
secondary school children, some just wanted to walk and that the 3.5 mile walk in itself was
an education). They could run through the long grass and have freedom of knowing there
was no traffic. They seemed to love the idea of the journey stick and liked using their senses
of touch and smell to engage with the environment.
I think just being out of the classroom was hugely beneficial for the children.
2. When creating their own maps, the boys seemed as equally engaged as the girls. This
surprised me a little, and maybe it shouldn’t have. I think the publicity or perception that
boys don’t engae so much with writing (albeit that this was more drawing) affected my
attitude, and it really shouldn’t. I think I need to have high expectations for boys when it
comes to ‘work’ as such. I am sure the outside nature of what we were doing was beneficial.
3. I was impressed with the childrens behaviour and attitude which again re-enforced my
perception that outdoor learning was beneficial to them.
Next Steps for my learning :I would definitely like to be involved in another outdoor learning session and to learn more about
how to incorporate more outdoor learning within the school environment. I think for both the
children and the teachers, just being outside is healthier, and better for wellbeing in every way
which can only aid learning.