Charmouth beach is one of the best places to hunt for fossils
The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre hosted the first Jurassic Coast student teacher placement as part of a wider programme to encourage and enhance out-of-school learning.
Rebecca Powell, a PGCE student at Exeter University, spent a week at the centre working alongside resident wardens to experience informal learning experiences of primary age children.
The one week experience forms part of her assessment which will lead to a fully qualified teacher status.
Meriel Whaites, Head Warden, said that “Rebecca was a brilliant part of the team. She was able to provide us with an insight of what teachers really want”.
Charmouth is one of the best locations along the Jurassic Coast to experience fossil collecting, particularly alongside the experts. Rebecca spent some of the week shadowing the wardens on guided fossil walks with primary school children, “It was an amazing experience for me to see how children were encouraged to discover things for themselves. I can’t wait until I am fully qualified to lead my own pupils on a fossil hunt!”.
The Jurassic Coast Trust funded Rebeccas’s placement at the Charmouth Centre and is committed to supporting a wide range of education programmes appreciate the natural wonder of the Jurassic Coast. Dr Alan Peacock, Chair of the Jurassic Coast Education Working Group, said that “This is an important milestone in helping centres along the coast link up with university departments offering teacher training courses. It should support a new crop of teachers enthused about taking children outdoors to learn about their natural environment”.
Anjana Khatwa , Education Coordinator.
