Lessons from Tenerife: Connecting Fieldwork Experiences with Classroom Practice

Discovering the geographical significance of Tenerife

Tenerife’s diverse landscapes provide opportunities to investigate volcanic activity, coastal processes, contrasting environments, and agricultural landscapes.

At the heart of the island’s geographical appeal is Teide National Park, home to Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak. Its dramatic volcanic terrain offers a fascinating insight into how endogenous processes shape the Earth’s surface.

From distinctive lava formations to evidence of past volcanic activity, students can explore physical features created by processes studied within the geography curriculum. Seeing these landscapes first-hand helps bring abstract concepts to life, developing a clearer understanding of how volcanic environments form and change over time.

Exploring volcanic processes and geographical hazards

Tenerife’s volcanic origins make it an excellent destination for students studying tectonic hazards and physical geography.

At Teide National Park, students can observe the results of volcanic activity, explore how lava flows have shaped the landscape and consider the processes responsible for creating distinctive volcanic environments.

These experiences offer valuable curriculum connections:

• GCSE Geography: Exploring tectonic hazards, volcanic activity, plate boundaries and why people continue to live in areas at risk from volcanic eruptions.
• A-Level Geography: Investigating plate tectonics, volcanic hazards and the internal processes that shape the Earth’s surface, alongside exploring connections to hazards and desert environments.

Importantly, these are lessons students can continue to draw upon back at school. Photographs, field notes, and observations from the trip can be used to revisit geographical processes, develop case-study knowledge and practise exam-style questions.

Bringing Tenerife back into the classroom

The real educational value of fieldwork comes from how students apply their experiences to their learning once they return. Teachers can use Tenerife as an ongoing real-world case study, bringing the landscapes students explored into future lessons. For example:

• Using photographs from Teide National Park to explore lava formations and how endogenous processes shape the Earth’s surface.
• Encouraging students to use their first-hand observations to support explanations of volcanic hazards and human settlement.
• Revisiting the island’s contrasting environments to explore hazards, deserts and the influence of physical processes.
• Using fieldwork photographs and observations as the basis for geographical discussions and examination-style questions.

How Queen Mary’s Grammar School brought learning back into the classroom

For Queen Mary’s Grammar School, Tenerife provided an opportunity to connect classroom theory with the physical processes and landscapes students could explore first-hand.

Teacher James Hawkins highlighted how students would continue to use their experiences across both GCSE and A-Level Geography:

Allerton High School’s exploration of Tenerife

The geographical opportunities Tenerife offers were also enjoyed by students from Allerton High School, whose visit revealed just how much more there is to the island than its reputation as a popular holiday destination. From volcanic terrain and coastal environments to lava caves and agricultural landscapes, students experienced an impressive variety of physical and human geography within a relatively small area.

As trip leader and teacher Ellenor Geldard-Williams explained:

One of the highlights was their visit to Mount Teide, where students travelled by cable car high into the volcanic landscape. Ellenor recalled:

Making geographical learning last beyond the trip

A trip to Tenerife gives students the chance to experience geographical processes in action and build a collection of real-world examples to support their future studies. For teachers, these experiences provide valuable resources that can be revisited long after the journey home. From discussing field observations and analysing photographs to applying real-life knowledge to GCSE and A-Level exam questions, the learning continues back in the classroom.

By connecting the landscapes they explore with the concepts they study, Tenerife turns geographical theory into something both memorable and meaningful.