The Iceland STEM study visit is a unique opportunity to be inspired by the wonders of the country in a STEM context.
Through talks from leading researchers in their fields, carrying out a mini-STEM project, seeing real-life examples of “difficult to teach” contexts and through sharing ideas with other participants, the STEM study visit is full of cutting edge research which can inspire teachers to bring STEM to life in their classrooms and improve student motivation and achievement.
Catrin Williams shares her experience of the Iceland study visit and the impact this trip has had on her teaching.
Iceland here we come!
Having travelled the breadth of the country to get to Luton airport on possibly the foggiest day since 1962, it was very easy to identify the group. All were in possession of large holdalls containing enough Gore-Tex to cover the northern hemisphere in breathable waterproof membrane, most had woollen beanie hats, seemingly derived from a flock of Welsh sheep, and some had industrial quality coffee flasks, ready for their adventure.
The flight was smooth and uneventful, and we landed in a cold and rather damp Keflavik. Everyone bundled into the minibus, along with their survival kits ready for our first experience of an Icelandic STEM location – Krýsuvík bubbling mud pools. We ate our lunch on the bus, kitted out in our thermals/waterproofs/any wearable kit we could place our hands on. It was a scene reminiscent of a year 11 geography fieldtrip…20 years too late!
We re-grouped at the University of Iceland for an engineering talk by Professor Bjarni Bessason. We must have walked at an amazing pace as we had enough time to stop in the park and see the skyline of downtown Reykjavik which was amazing. Unfortunately, all my extremities could think of was sitting next to a radiator and having a cup of tea.
The talk was a great introduction to the geologic backdrop and the daily struggles of building in Iceland, including the innovative ways that construction methods have adapted over time. Everybody thanked the Professor and said their goodbyes. We walked back up the hill to the guest house for tea and were lucky enough to spot some Aurora, in central Reykjavik.
Mum’s gone to Iceland!
We enjoyed our breakfast and packed for the day ahead. We were ready to walk down to the Aurora Centre in downtown Reykjavik, however it was 9am and still dark outside.
We toured the Aurora Centre, learning about how different northern hemisphere cultures embedded the northern lights into folklore stories.
There was the scientific element too, with an explanation of what caused the northern lights, including the regions within the electromagnetic spectrum where different colours originated, this was followed by a very calming slide show of the Aurora taken from different regions in Iceland by various photographers. The staff were extremely helpful in assisting the group with their camera settings ready to take amazing pictures of the northern lights later that day...
Elín Jónasdóttir (as it turns out an Icelandic weather forecasting celebrity / meteorologist) gave us a more detailed explanation of the northern lights including the link to solar sunspot cycles and various theories surrounding their existence.
In the afternoon we travelled to the Hellisheiði Geothermal power station. As we ventured to the interior, the road turned into a whiteout and the scenery changed completely. The power station building was impressive and a tour gave us a fascinating insight into the government owned energy supplier. For example the affordability of heating homes, the practical nature of the hot water being gravity fed over 25 miles yet only losing 0.5 Celsius in temperature due to the highly insulating properties of the pipes being used. A fantastic idea was the network of pipes lying under pavements in Reykjavik, resulting in a low tech but highly effective solution to the de-icing of pavements in the capital.
Food glorious food!
We were the first to arrive at Geysir, just after sunrise (about 9.30am) and the group proceeded to split in order to carry out their experiments, carefully navigating the icy pathways to their desired data collection location. The majority warmed around the higher bubbling spring to boil eggs, measure pH and water temperature using a smorgasbord of probes and electronic devices. It was a beautiful (though frosty) day and the jets of water/plumes of steam rising periodically from the geyser reminded us that this was a place like no other.
Next on the agenda was Gulfoss (like Niagara Falls but prettier/ quieter/ colder/ no gift shops). Once again the team’s snowgrippers advice came up trumps and we confidently walked down the glazed, icy pathway to the viewpoint, whilst others clung onto a frozen rope with fear in their eyes.
After a frosty morning we visited the Friðheimar greenhouses, ready for some lunch. We met the company director, Knútur Rafn Ármann and were given a compact history of the company, sampled some cherry tomatoes and saw a box of bees which had been recently delivered, ready for pollinating the plants. We were invited to sit down and challenged (in my mind!) to eat/slurp as much as we could from the fresh bread being served and the tomato soup.
After seeing the Icelandic horses, we hopped on the bus once more to visit the subject of Professor Bjarni Bessason (University of Iceland) engineering talk - the Þjórsá (Thjorsa) bridge. It is never good to pass a roadblock condemning a road/bridge then venturing onto it to see a torrent of a meltwater flowing beneath you….on a positive note the steel used to construct the original bridge was British.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at Seljalandfoss and already light was fading. We had a walk around a busy waterfall which was very damp owing to the spray and windy conditions. Further down the path, Troll gorge was a hidden gem and included a scramble up a section of river. The gorge features as a backdrop in an outdoor clothing catalogue - yes, it really was that impressive.
When we arrived at the Hotel Ranga, we were given an informative presentation by the resident astronomer, Sævar Helgi Bragason (another Icelandic celebrity) who also works at the University of Iceland and uses his expertise to share with visitors.
We were led into the middle of a field and into the observatory (a term used loosely on this occasion, to describe a shed) which, if entered, would also double up to win the 'amazing spaces/shed of the year' award owing to a roof that opened up. It really was amazing. It was also slightly strange to stand in a sheep pen with windows looking up at the stars, where the temperature inside was equal to that outside.
There was some aurora on show, however in my opinion (and that of fellow observers) it was not as good as the show on the evening of the 27 October . It was a great opportunity to try out photographic equipment which had, up until now, remained hidden in bags.
Our final day
The morning was spent at Þingvellir (Thingvellir), the western escarpment of the Icelandic rift where it is possible to see the newer crust which has formed at the bottom of the rift floor in this divergent plate boundary. The boardwalks were extremely icy and we had an hour to follow the trails at the bottom of the rift and higher up the escarpments at the visitor centre.
Although the visitor centre was very busy it had a series of interactive videos covering different aspects of the geological formation and wildlife. There were also many different geological maps to look at the bedrock structures locally and across the entire country.
The afternoon was spent packing and repacking bags as well as visiting the sights of Reykjavik once more before meeting up for a final evening dinner at the Hofnin restaurant. The group shared tales from their afternoon including visiting a whale museum, visiting the cathedral tower and relaxing in the local hot springs/ swimming pool.
Back to reality
Back in college and the real work begins to ensure that the visit has impact in the classroom. My plans are to use the data that I collected to trial and model using CAD so that I can improve my own level of understanding and confidence before I then use it as an exemplar activity with learners to enhance their skills in this area. The fact that the data was collected in a different environment (and is real) makes the data more interesting and engaging
I am also intending to disseminate the knowledge and presentations within my own department and to put together some case studies that can be used by the students that we come into contact with. Over the course of a term it will be possible to plan a CPD knowledge sharing presentation with colleagues. The benefit of this is that with a few weeks of thought, true reflection can start and it will be possible to identify ways of imparting this knowledge to the students that we teach in a way that will enthuse them One example of this is the engineering lecture on bridges and living in hazardous environments. I hope that this will also give other staff the confidence and inspiration to incorporate more innovative teaching ideas in order to engage and inspire their students.
I hope that the information will also allow us to bridge the gap from the classroom and into industry, enhancing our curriculum so that we are able to offer something different from the other schools and colleges in our area by offering students experiences beyond the classroom. I hope that we will be able to offer students a trip to the places we visited in Iceland in the future too.
The impacts as a consequence of this CPD are varied in terms of formal and informal as well as measurable and non-measurable outcomes. However, the CPD has truly inspired me and I will be working to ensure that students and other staff benefit from this great visit.