MSc Science Communciation
Programme
Teaching in the field
N. Sivasothi a.k.a Otterman
NUS Biological Sciences
Friday, 13th February 2009

Why are
you
here?

Your role?
• Plan an entire course, manage others?
• Teach a group independently?
• Act as a facilitator? eg. Familiarisation
trips.
– Enhance information conveyed
– Promote a discussion
– Use your greater experience

Student’s role
• Learn?
• Forced to be there?
• Trying to pass the CA?
• Be entertained - learn by accident

1. Introduction
• Why have field trips?
• Types
• The importance of an objectives

1. Introduction
Why have field trips?
Can we not simulate?
Visualise the subject, phenomenon or
✤
situation.
Learn techniques under ‘real life’ conditions.
✤
Understand and deal with the realistic
✤
scenarios imposed by field conditions.

Chek Jawa Transect

Chek Jawa Transect

Mt Imbia Swiflets

Mudflats west of causeway,
Western Straits of Johor

Mandai mangroves

Johor
Sungei Mandai Besar

Sungei Buloh Causeway Customs
Mandai mudflats

Types of field trips and
general objectives
• (1) Recognition/Familiarisation
• See examples from theory. E. g. visit to a mangrove
ecosystem, an orchid farm or the zoo.
• (2) Techniques
• Use specific techniques and procedures subject to field
conditions, E. g. Comparison of environmental
parameters between a gap and the forest canopy.

(3)
Experiential
learning

Types of field trips and
general objectives
• Year 1 - Biodiversity Module (LSM1103)
• Year 3 - Ecology
• Year 3 - Evolution
• Year 3 - Life form and functions

Importance of an objective
• E.g. Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve
• Introduction to mangrove ecosystem - walk the park
to observe flora and fauna.
• Study management methods - how former prawn
ponds are managed to encourage migratory bird
foraging and the significance of Mandai mangroves.
• Conservation - difference between a reserve and a
nature park.

Importance of an objective
• Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
• Introduction to a rainforest ecosystem.
• Ecological mechanisms of a tropcal rainforest.
• Management - overuse by public, feeding of monkeys.
• Conservation - conflicting land use, buffer zones

Climbing
or
learning?

Ponds or birds?

Ponds or birds?

Watching
monkey or
watching
people?

2. Preparation before the class -
the lesson plan.
• Meet at least two weeks before scheduled date.
• Limiting factors

An achievable objective
• Scale the content down to realistically fit
• allocated time, space and
• student’s attention span
• students capability

Recognise your student
• C = Do the minimum
• B = + Wants more
• A = ++ Analyses

Recognise your student
• An important challenge
• The D student - resists learning
• Trick into learning

A common, minimum objective
• All TAs convey a compulsory minimum course
content - fair for CAs.
• Anything else is a bonus/luck of the draw!
• Convey this to the student - briefing/handout.
• E.g. Suffer or enjoy there are > 60 species of mangrove, but
students only introduced to 4-5 common genera during
introductory trips.

3. Preparation before the
class
The recce trip

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• 3.1 Recce Trip
• Conditions at a site may vary considerably, so a recce
trip is required. E.g. DBS drain, Labrador/SBWR.
• Consult tide-tables for coastal and marine field trips -
http://tides.sivasothi.com

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• Tides

Sea shores
Various systems of vertical zonation of the sea shore.

Sea shores
Various systems of vertical zonation of the sea shore.
Example:

Sea shores
Various systems of vertical zonation of the sea shore.
Example:
• Supralittoral (=splash zone)
• Zone: > HHWST
• Always exposed, i. e. Never covered even by the highest tides.

Sea shores
Various systems of vertical zonation of the sea shore.
Example:
• Supralittoral (=splash zone)
• Zone: > HHWST
• Always exposed, i. e. Never covered even by the highest tides.
• Littoral (= intertidal)
• zone: HHWST < Littoral > LLWST
• Daily exposure (air) and immersion (seawater), 1-2x/day.

Sea shores
Various systems of vertical zonation of the sea shore.
Example:
• Supralittoral (=splash zone)
• Zone: > HHWST
• Always exposed, i. e. Never covered even by the highest tides.
• Littoral (= intertidal)
• zone: HHWST < Littoral > LLWST
• Daily exposure (air) and immersion (seawater), 1-2x/day.
• Sublittoral
• Below LLWST mark
• Always covered by water even during lowest tides.

Molles, M. C. Jr., 2007. Ecology: concepts and applications, 4th edition. McGraw-Hill

Sea shores

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.
• Diurnal tides: Single low and high tide each day.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.
• Diurnal tides: Single low and high tide each day.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.
• Diurnal tides: Single low and high tide each day.
• Intertidal zone organisms adapted to amphibious
existence.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.
• Diurnal tides: Single low and high tide each day.
• Intertidal zone organisms adapted to amphibious
existence.

Sea shores
• Waves and tides affect distribution and abundance
of intertidal organisms.
• Semidiurnal tides: Two periods of low and high tides daily.
• Diurnal tides: Single low and high tide each day.
• Intertidal zone organisms adapted to amphibious
existence.
• Differential tolerances to periodicity of air exposure leads
to zonation of species.

What time to do the
coastal cleanup briefing?

What time to do the
coastal cleanup briefing?
• Coastal cleanup = Sat 20 Sep 2008: 9am

What time to do the
coastal cleanup briefing?
• Coastal cleanup = Sat 20 Sep 2008: 9am
• Must do briefing on 13 Sep 2008

What time to do the
coastal cleanup briefing?
• Coastal cleanup = Sat 20 Sep 2008: 9am
• Must do briefing on 13 Sep 2008
• 45 mins shift per day = 6 x 45 - > 5 hour
difference

What time to do the
coastal cleanup briefing?
• Coastal cleanup = Sat 20 Sep 2008: 9am
• Must do briefing on 13 Sep 2008
• 45 mins shift per day = 6 x 45 - > 5 hour
difference
• I.e. do briefing in afternoon, 2pm

0.3m

Field trip yesterday

Coastal Cleanup 2008:
Is the date suitable?
Swim?

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• Changes to site (disappearing
habitat)

Lim Chu Kang

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• 3.2 Plan the route
• Limited time so smooth running. Avoid bottlenecks.
Cleaning up. TAs must cooperate. Eg. RMBR
Phylogenetic tour.

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• 3.3 Pace the content
• Amount and sequence of information.
• 3.4 Delivery method

3. Preparation before the class-
The recce trip
• 3.5 Transport and route
• If buses don’t turn up, who do you call?
• You lose the convoy, bus driver turns around and asks
where?
• Teaching point for students - drainage, link to lesson

...help undergraduates
develop intellectual and
cognitive skills.

4. During the field trip
Introduce yourself!

4.1 Flexibility is the key.
• Adapt, and coordinate with the other TAs.
• Transport & Environment
• Students not responding because tired

4.1 Flexibility is the key.

Horseshoe crab rescue,
Mandai Kechil,
13 Mar 2005

4.2 Emphasise the objective -
even to yourself!

diversity or form?

4.3 Give way to exciting scenes
• If a rare or exciting event does take place,
don't fight it!

4.4 Keeping time
• Enlist help.
• Cut down content, and leave time for a few
questions and examples. Better to say less.

4.4 Keeping time
Share resources if possible
– Share uncommon finds
– go down earlier to catch or collect and pool
resources into stations.

4.5 Always admit when you
don't know.
• Any fool can ask a question a wise man
cannot answer!
• Illustrate the difference between
• fact,
• hypothesis,
• an educated guess and
• speculation

4.5 Always admit when you
don't know.

4.6 Helping students
understand: practise and
dialogue
• Have a beginning and an end - Explain
objectives, at the end, make the
connection.
• Repetition to help learn new concepts or
names.
• Let them tell you

4.7 Do students understand?
Nodding heads mean nothing!
• Ask questions.
• Allow written responses (hand out rough paper)
• Make deliberate but obvious errors (lay traps).
• Pop quiz
• Provide a focus for qualitative field trips - eg.
Coastal assessment of Singapore, a bus journey?.
• Tests are the best motivator.

5. After the field trip
• Mailing lists
– What you could not answer, the pool
does
– Clarification to other groups
– students began posting answers!

6. SAFETY PREPARATIONS
• 6.1 - Recce the site
• 6.2 - Be prepared
• 6.3 - Declaration
• 6.4 - Observation

Why are
you
here?

Enjoy
yourselves!

Addendum

Singapore, c.1990

Singapore, shore
Exposed c.1990
Sheltered shore

Singapore, c.1990
Beach
Mangrove

111