Case Study
Sixth formers see it for real
Seeing how plants adapt to their environment for real rather than reading about it in a book or on a website brings the subject to life
As part of the sixth form biology unit, one group went to Kew Gardens for an afternoon to look at specific plant types. Students had to come up with a convincing explanation of how these plants adapted to their environment and the key features that showed these adaptations.
Kew Gardens provided the setting as well as the expertise in which students could explore this.
During the trip, students were also able to inquire into other areas of interest. Taking a school trip with sixth formers requires less supervision but it still requires the pre planning.
Students were provided with a research sheet to work through as part of their preparation and there was an area within the school intranet dedicated to Kew Gardens. Students used this site to easily find the areas they were visiting for background reading plus a map of the venue. Students were asked to develop a number of questions that they required answers to and take with them to Kew.
Photographs taken at Kew were posted on the intranet once back at school adding another level of excitement to learning.
