Taking the Exe Estuary into the classroom
13 May 2014 04:21 PM
Over 50 teachers will be
gathering at Courtlands House on the Exe Estuary on May 22 to find out more
about how our local coastline is managed and how the estuary can be used to
inspire learning in primary school classrooms.
The free teacher training day
has been developed and paid for by the Living with a Changing Coast (LiCCo)
project, with the involvement of the Environment Agency, the Exe Estuary
Management Partnership, the National Trust and the former Devon County Council
schools geography advisor.
The storms of this winter
highlighted the scale of damage and disruption that can be wreaked on the
coastline by nature.
While it was not the first time
that the Dawlish railway line was severed (it breached in 1846, 1855 and 1869)
scientists predict that climate change will bring more frequent and intense
storms as atmosphere warms up and is able to hold more energy.
It has been decided that needs
to be done to make coastal communities more aware of how the coast changes
naturally and how tidal flood risk may increase as a result of climate change
and sea level rise.
By increasing understanding of
these issues amongst 7-16 year olds it can help to ensure that the next
generation becomes more resilient and better able to cope with extreme
weather.
The new schools resources use
photos, presentations, film clips, data, old photos and even action songs to
provide an inspiring way of learning what makes the Exe Estuary
special.
Lesson plans cover the complex
natural processes at work, the different habitats found here, why people visit,
how flooding is managed and how the coast has changed over
time.
Courtlands is also hosting
another primary teacher training day on 6 June and a secondary teacher training
day on 26 June. Resources are also being developed for GCSE level. The response
so far has been staggering with 170 teachers already registered to attend from
Devon and Dorset.
The free resources will be
available after the training days as booklets, as DVDs or
online.