Catherine White Department of Geography and Environment, University of Northumbria catherine.white@northumbria.ac.uk

This presentation gives a brief overview of Fielding‟s work on the „student voice‟The approach is analysed by drawing on open ended questionnaires and reflective diaries completed by first (aged 18-19) and second year(aged 19-20) students on fieldtrips in Scotland and Spain

A case study is also given in which students in a Spanish village were given flipcams to record their student voices.

Ideas as to how this approach could be developed are considered

Fielding (1999) maintained that the central feature of collegiality was the willing acceptance of obligations to contribute to the advancementof the professional learning community.

He saw the key feature of collegiality as a commitment to professional equality in which thevoices of students, parents and the community had an increased resonance and legitimacy.

Fielding‟s „radical or inclusive collegiality‟ of education saw

education as a communal practice which had three strands:

1.Teachers should learn from and with each other

2. ” Teaching is primarily a personal not a technical activity and at

the heart of an educative encounter there is a mutuality of

learning between the teacher and the student” (Fielding 1999:21)

Students would enter the collegiums as partners in the learning

process and on occasions as teachers of teachers.

3. Education in a democracy also embraces parents and other

members of the community as well as teachers and students.

First year Questionnaires from Scotland

Second year Questionnaires from Spain

Through the use of flip cam work

Flipcams were used as an experimental method on thesecond year Spanish field trip to enable students to

work on an individualistic basis to both capture and

construct their own learning about a particular villagein which they were staying.

The fieldtrip includes a visit to three separate areascomprising a stay in Malaga for three days, a stay inone of three villages in the Alpujarras, Yegen, Valor

and Laroles and a day in Granada so that the students

are exposed to a diversity of geographicalenvironments.

The assessment of the field trip is divided into three

parts; background research into the Alpujarran

environment, a report on the Malaga project and a

village workshop.

The study drew on the academic literature on Reflection

On arriving at the Alpujarran village of Yegen studentswere given a flipcam in pairs and asked to record theirimpressions of the fieldtrip, the impressions of Spain,

Malaga and the villages.

It was the intention that they should impart their

discovery about the places and that they should learn askill namely of using the flipcam both to record their

ideas and edit their footage.

The films covered a number of differing approaches.Students L, S and M gave their first impressions ofthe village with student L showing how different both

the village and Spain generally were from his

preconceptions.

Students S and D talked about their feelings for the places that they visited and discussed their feelings

for fieldwork. This was a more personal account and

gave a vivid account of fieldwork and what

Higgitt(1996)calls „inter alia‟ objectives of the respect

and knowledge of other places.

Student G took the flipcam home at the end of the tripand edited it on his own software adding music too.

He has both linked his experiences with prior

knowledge and has used his experience in the village toconnect „theoretical concepts‟ with real world

scenarios as well as his respect for the environment and the development of values associated with the environment

The flipcams do have much potential for fieldwork use

Flipcams can contribute to producing an innovative

learning environment. This draws on McEwen‟s 1996:38

suggestion of “to reinforce fieldwork as a dynamiclearning environment”

They can contribute to individualistic student centred

learning, with students constructing new and

meaningful knowledge for themselves.

Students using flipcams can produce deep learning,experiential learning, active learning and constructivistlearning experiences.

Students used the flipcams in developing intellectualobjectives (Higgitt 1996) linking experience with

previous knowledge and using experiences to connecttheoretical concepts with real world scenarios. They

use critical skills in selecting their material for the

filming.

The use of the flipcams led to a more immediate understanding of concepts visually.

The use of the vibrant visual images gave students a

new way of looking at features in the field.

It helped prepare the students for an engagement withthe field, it provided a means by which the students

could familiarise themselves with the village.

The use of the flipcams appealed to visual learners.

Students used the flipcams in developing technicalobjectives (Higgitt 1996).

Students developed technical skills and enjoyed the use

of the new technology.

The flipcams were used in 2010 and 2011 and on bothoccasions they were very popular. Two students in 2011 mentioned them in their course

reviews, one finding that he had learnt a new skill and

the other finding it fun to use.

Students used the flipcams in developing personalobjectives (Higgitt 1996) with students D and S discussing the new relationships they made in the field.

Students were able to develop their reflexive feelingsfor fieldwork as well as personal transferable skills.

Using the flipcams improved the students‟ self confidence.

Students used the flipcams in developing what Higgitt(Higgitt 1996) calls inter alia objectives.

Through their flipcam work they showed a respect and

knowledge of place, a respect for the environment anda development of values associated with the environment.

Flipcams were used to enable the students to connectwith and reflect upon place.

Initially it had been envisaged that the use of flipcams

would be an individualistic endeavour particularly withthe focus on capturing an individual‟s feelings about

place.

The use of flipcams has also been seen to work

successfully in terms of small group work and they

could be used by small groups to present problem

based learning

The use of flipcams produces a new learning environment which can be seen as a moreimmediate way of bringing the field into the classroom.