Difference between revisions of "Urban Wilderness"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
<b>Briefing - topics to discuss</b> | <b>Briefing - topics to discuss</b> | ||
− | In | + | |
− | * | + | In previous years I have let the conversation develop organically, but usually cover the following topics: |
+ | * What do we think of when we here the word 'wilderness' or 'wild'? Get the students to think about the factors that make a place a wilderness. Typical answers include: wide open spaces; lack of humans or human activity; remote; rare species, high biodiversity, apex predators or other photogenic animals (e.g. elephants, tigers, polar bears); scary or intimidating; bleak; etc. Explore the physical attributes as well as emotional responses. | ||
+ | * Get each student to give example of a global wilderness. Examples usually include: Arctic/Antarctic; big deserts (e.g. Sahara); mountain areas (e.g. Himalayas, Andes); Australian outback; boreal forests (e.g. Canada); Siberia; American great plains or prairies; etc. It gets more challenging as you go around the group and the easy pickings disappear (e.g. Arctic, Sahara)! You could ask students if they have visited any of these landscapes on holiday or previous fieldwork. | ||
+ | * Pivot the conversation to urban landscapes. Note that all the previous examples given by students are likely to be in remote rural areas. | ||
+ | * Highlight ideas around urban areas and nature - where do we find nature in cities | ||
= Equipment = | = Equipment = |
Revision as of 10:39, 25 September 2019
Contents
Information
Created By: Gareth Clay
Currently Used By: Gareth Clay
Location: Keswick town centre
Instructions
Aims To explore ideas of wilderness and whether we can find the 'wild' in urban landscapes.
Structure
- Coach transfer to Keswick
- Briefing at Theatre by the Lake (if good weather, do the briefing in the field opposite the Theatre - good views to stimulate ideas of nature, wilderness, etc.)
- Fieldwork in Keswick, observing and documenting information on the maps
- Debrief at Theatre by the Lake (again, stay outside if the weather is good!)
Briefing - topics to discuss
In previous years I have let the conversation develop organically, but usually cover the following topics:
- What do we think of when we here the word 'wilderness' or 'wild'? Get the students to think about the factors that make a place a wilderness. Typical answers include: wide open spaces; lack of humans or human activity; remote; rare species, high biodiversity, apex predators or other photogenic animals (e.g. elephants, tigers, polar bears); scary or intimidating; bleak; etc. Explore the physical attributes as well as emotional responses.
- Get each student to give example of a global wilderness. Examples usually include: Arctic/Antarctic; big deserts (e.g. Sahara); mountain areas (e.g. Himalayas, Andes); Australian outback; boreal forests (e.g. Canada); Siberia; American great plains or prairies; etc. It gets more challenging as you go around the group and the easy pickings disappear (e.g. Arctic, Sahara)! You could ask students if they have visited any of these landscapes on holiday or previous fieldwork.
- Pivot the conversation to urban landscapes. Note that all the previous examples given by students are likely to be in remote rural areas.
- Highlight ideas around urban areas and nature - where do we find nature in cities
Equipment
Each student should have:
- Clipboard
- Pen/pencils
- Map of Keswick Town centre (A4 for each student, plus an A3 map for the group)
Staff require:
- Copy of the map
Handouts
- ...