Views & Opinion Spotlight on


GCSE Geography Comment by Helen Cunningham, Publishing Director of UK Schools at Cambridge University Press.


The new specifications for GCSE Geography are being introduced for first


teaching in the UK in September 2016. From this date, the qualification will include a number of significant changes including the removal of tiering, an increased emphasis on extended writing, more detailed core content, an increased focus on fieldwork – which will now be assessed through examination rather than controlled assessment – a greater emphasis on the geography of the UK, and a greater emphasis on applying graphical, numerical, statistical and cartographic skills.


How will the changes affect teachers? One of the main changes to the curriculum that will greatly impact on


teachers is the increased focus on fieldwork. From September 2016, students will be required to complete fieldwork in two contrasting environments. The experience and skills honed through this fieldwork will be assessed through exams. This will mean planning and organising additional fieldwork opportunities or trying to combine two environments within one field trip. Another compulsory component of the new curriculum is the requirement


for students to study the geography of the UK. Teachers will therefore need to research and introduce additional UK-based examples and case studies into their teaching and cover new topics in a UK context. An increased emphasis on extended writing combined with the removal of


tiering will likely mean the need for increased support for assessment practice and a greater focus on the development and practice of literacy skills. More detailed core content means that teachers are likely to have more


content to cover in the same amount of time and are likely to have to teach topics they have previously not taught (or haven’t taught in a while). As part of the new assessment objectives students will need to show both


the use of qualitative and quantitative data from both primary and secondary sources and be able to apply statistical techniques to analyse this data effectively. Skills development opportunities will need to be contextually embedded into learning so that geographical skills, including quantitative skills, are developed seamlessly as part of learning. As part of the new AQA specification, which Cambridge University Press is


supporting with published resources, students will now be required to undertake an issues evaluation exercise as part of the assessment for Paper 3. Students will be required to analyse and interpret a range of data and sources provided as a pre-release booklet and use this information to inform a decision about a geographical issue, such as whether a town centre redevelopment project should go ahead or how to minimise the effects of an earthquake in a densely populated earthquake zone where there is great risk to lives and livelihoods.


At Cambridge University Press, we’ve been creating resources for the new GCSE Geography curriculum that will provide:


• comprehensive coverage of all core and optional topics so teachers can feel confident that the whole specification, including new topics, is covered to the required depth


• a range of case studies and examples both for the UK and globally


• numerical, statistical, cartographic and graphical skills development practice in context throughout the student book and schemes of work


• fieldwork skills practice opportunities signposted throughout the student book and embedded into the schemes of work to ensure that skills are delivered and acquired seamlessly in context


• plenty of exam preparation and extended writing support and practice


• issues evaluation spread within the chapters to help students hone the necessary analytical and decision-making skills ready for the exam..


‘Why drop-out is


a significant problem for e-learners – and what can be done to reduce it’


Comment by Subrah Iyar, CEO, Moxtra Here in the UK distance learning has been available for a while, but it’s


experiencing a surge in popularity as, every year, more universities offer new, flexible remote-learning options to their students. While distance learning has many benefits for students – the freedom to study at your own pace and, often, reduced fees – it is not without its issues and this can lead to high drop-off rates. In comparison to the ‘physical’ learning environment, there’s a significantly lower course completion rate for students enrolled in remote learning courses.


What causes student drop-out?


The first – and most obvious – reason many students lose interest in remote learning courses is due to the isolation they experience. The transition from being in the same room as your instructors and fellow students, to working alone, with minimal human interaction, is a struggle for many distance learners. It can also be challenging to ensure a productive two-way dialogue between course leaders and students, and to make sure tutors can be contacted if help is needed. Furthermore, many remote learning platforms don’t offer opportunities for students to work together on projects, the best option often being long email trails. All of these factors contribute to the reasons why many remote learners feel disengaged from their courses and drop out before completion.


How to reduce it?


E-learning is not only about accessing content. In order to improve both uptake and completion rates of these courses, students need to be supported and given access to tools that encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing across their community. Here, perhaps we can learn from countries such as India which are leading the way with e- learning: there, education providers offer an online e-learning platform with embedded collaboration tools, which has reduced student drop- off rates. To reduce the feelings of isolation, messaging within the learning platform enables students to connect and communicate virtually. Learning is nothing if not a collaborative effort; by using these tools, students can work together on group project documents, annotate and share them within teaching groups via screen-sharing or communicate via on-demand audio conferencing. Students also have ready access to their tutors; as real-time online meetings mean the traditional university teaching formats of one-to- one tutorials and one-to-many seminars can take place virtually. It’s all about creating an engaging learning community, mirroring the physical environment – in which students can learn from each other and converse with their tutors – in a virtual workspace.


A new way to learn = more successful students The benefits of distance learning include giving university students more control over when, where, and how, to study. By recreating a physical university learning environment online – as well as providing students with the right tools to facilitate working together remotely and access to their tutors – the advantages of online learning will benefit increasing numbers of students and more students will have successful results.


May 2015 www.education-today.co.uk 13


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