Resource #V107221

Précis

Students will learn about the human characteristics of a specific coastal environment (Southampton Water/The Solent) and consider how humans are using this area, through the types of activities that they can observe taking place there. They will be considering how conflict may occur between the different activities that they see taking place, and develop this further by then investigating the ways in which these conflicts and issues can be managed to ensure that the area is safe and accessible for all to enjoy.

Contextual Summary

This is a geography resource which engages students with the environment of Southampton Water and The Solent, whilst on their Red Funnel ferry journey across to and/or from the Isle of Wight. It includes pre-visit, on-site, and post-visit activities. This resource focuses on the human geography of the area; specifically, the different types of human activities that students can see taking place on and around the water. They will focus primarily on activity on the water, and students will be able to observe a wide range of different types of vessels. Based on their observations, students will start to consider the potential for conflict between different users groups, and complete a conflict matrix while on board the ferry. They will then look for navigational / safety measures for the ferry and start to think about how these measures help to reduce conflict and manage the area for the needs of all users.

Curriculum Relevance

Geography → Human and Physical Geography → Coasts

Implementation

The pre-visit activity starts with the basics by getting students to think about what the term ?conflict? actually means. A photo-interpretation exercise then requires them to identify conflicts in the images presented to them, and to annotate the images to state what conflicts they think might occur (as suggested in the image), and explain how/ why they think this conflict may arise. Students are encouraged to develop their ideas into full annotations, rather than simple labels. The on-site activities then focus on students working collaboratively to make observations from the ferry as they travel across to/from the Isle of Wight. They will have the opportunity to observe a wide range of different activities going on, both on and off the water, and they should be able to think about how some of these activities might conflict with one another. Southampton water is an incredibly busy, multi-use area and, as such, conflicts arise between different user groups. Encourage students to observe the wide variety of vessels along the route, and to think about how their size and mode of operation might affect their ability to navigate / react quickly, and how this might lead to safety issues. Students are presented with a conflict matrix to complete; the lower ability worksheet has more guidance here, whilst the higher ability worksheet encourages students to think more independently about how to complete it, and then stretches them to explain some of their ideas about the potential for conflicts in the extension task. Once they have completed this activity, they will then start to think about how these potential conflicts might be manages, and they will be focusing on navigational and safety measures that they can observe from the ferry. They should take photos of any measures that they can see, to help with their post-visit presentations (see next paragraph). On the worksheet, they are presented with a range of images showing various navigational/ safety measures in place and they are asked to consider how each of these contribute to making Southampton Water/The Solent a safer place for all users to enjoy and, therefore also, reduce the likelihood of conflicts arising between different user groups.

The aim of the post-visit activity is to produce a presentation which will summarise their key findings from their primary ?data? collected during their fieldwork, combined with secondary information gathered by researching the websites suggested. The websites give further information on conflicts within Southampton Water and The Solent, as well as information on the methods being used to manage the area as a multi-use resource, ensuring that all users are catered for and that safety standards are high. It is anticipated that students would work in small groups to conduct their research and produce a presentation, but the exact methods for this will be decided upon by teachers depending on their individual wishes and needs. Students are prompted to include their own fieldwork (matrix, photos) in their presentation, as well as the information gathered through research.

Key Skills Practised

• Understanding key processes in human geography (human activities; land use, economic activities and recreation)
• Observation of, and analyzing, images; labelling and annotating images
• Conducting fieldwork by making observations and producing a conflict matrix, and recording informa- tion accurately using an appropriate key
• Working collaboratively with peers.

Learning Opportunities

Pre-Visit

Students will familiarize themselves with the term ?conflict? and start to consider potential conflicts through an image-interpretation task.

On Site

Students complete the conflict matrix and safety/navigation management exercise, on the ED worksheet.

Post-Visit

Students complete the post-visit activity, which involves further research into conflicts in Southampton Water/The Solent, and how this is being managed, and present their findings (including their primary fieldwork findings).

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to define the term ?conflict? and be able to give some examples of likely conflicts between different users of Southampton Water / The Solent. Students will learn what a conflict matrix is, and will develop and complete their own. Students will observe different management strategies, and explain how they might address safety/navigation issues. Students will produce a presentation of their findings; both primary (fieldwork) and secondary (internet research).