Post-visit learning: student activities, project ideas and questions

On return to the classroom students can choose from a variety of activities depending on their abilities or interests. Many of these activities allow the students to apply the principles of democratic decision-making in cooperative projects (SRP 3.3).

• Debates - Students could engage in debates on topics such as:

  • Should Mt Morgan have been mined?
  • Tourism is better than mining
  • Mining is a necessary evil (SRP 3.1)

• Role plays - Role play scenarios can be developed to explore environmental issues from different perspectives (Resource 4) (SRP 3.1).

• PowerPoint on mining - Using knowledge gained and images taken on the visit to Mt Morgan students could produce a PowerPoint presentation. To apply knowledge and skills gained during the unit and give structure and continuity to the presentation students could develop slides based on the Positive, Negative and Interesting strategy or the Six Thinking Hats (Resource 5) (TCC 3.4).

• Video - By editing footage taken during the visit and information gained in pre-visit activities students could develop a video showing the cause and effect of mining (TCC 3.4).

• Panel of experts - Students can volunteer to become an expert on any area explored during this unit. These students can then be interviewed and questioned by their peers using skills and techniques developed for the interview of experts and tour guides in Mt Morgan. Models for this activity can be gained by viewing current affairs programs or listening to radio interviews. This activity would allow the teacher to assess many of the outcomes suggested in this unit.

• Game Shows - Using television game shows such as Sale of the Century or Who Wants to be a Millionaire as models the students could develop questions based on a variety of topics. For example one group might choose to assess the knowledge their peers have gained on the historic events in Mt Morgan using the sequences and timelines they created. Another may develop questions based on the use of the Fitzroy catchment and the effects of these activities.

• Boardgame - By creating boardgames based on themes such as Catchment Care, Mining Benefits and Problems, Caring for a Place, Changes Over Time, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, students can display the knowledge they have gained during the unit. Playing the games consolidate the knowledge all students have gained, as well as allowing the teacher to assess many of the outcomes suggested in this unit.

• Diorama or model - Students can draw upon their experiences to create models or dioramas. Pairs or small groups could create models of Mt Morgan before European settlement, during early settlement, at the height of production, as it is today and what it might be like in the future. This could also be done using a site on the Dee River. These could then be sequenced to show change over time. Another sequences of models could be the sequence of mining at different times in history. Signs explaining the time, events/activities, values and impacts could be attached to each model providing the students with an opportunity to display their inferencing, organisational, analyzing, describing and creating skills (SRP 3.2, TCC 4.5).

• Poster - Students could produce a poster to persuade a selected audience to care for a place by referring to the values expressed by experts during the visit, the effects of people using a place and ways of caring for a place (PS 3.3, 3.5). This activity could be preceded by a discussion of why people are working to improve the Dee River and the Mt Morgan community (PS 3.5).

• Complete time lines begun in the pre-visit activities by adding pictures and extra information gained during the visit (TCC 3.2).

• Thank you letters - Brainstorm what was learnt, how it was learnt during the unit and how learning was applied. Use this knowledge to write thank you letters to all volunteers and guest speakers.

• Expo - Other classes, parents and community members could be invited to an Expo or information centre to share the work the students have completed. Students could act as tour guides to show visitors around the Expo and explain their learnings. Working cooperatively the students could plan, set up and run the expo. A visitor’s book would provide the class with feed back on their efforts.