International Baccalaureate

Medina Valley Centre offers the international Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme for Biology and Geography.

IB Biology Field Trip

The Biology course in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme offers Ecology in both the core syllabus and as an option for students studying Biology at both standard level and higher level.
Field study courses at Medina Valley Centre allow IB Biology students to develop their knowledge and enjoyment of Biology and build up some practical hours in the outdoor classroom.

They also provide the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge at the end of the field course by carrying out an individual investigation of their choice on a particular ecosystem or organism. The rocky seashore at the eastern tip of the Island is ideal for carrying out investigations due to the wealth of different marine invertebrates and seaweeds found in the large, shallow rock pools.

For those students taking Option G, a field study course enables them to cover large parts of the syllabus including hands-on use of fieldwork techniques and equipment, such as random sampling and use of quadrats and transects.
All field courses begin with an introduction to ecology and as each group is unique, we tailor the rest of each field course to individual requirements. Risk assessments and resources are available to download beforehand.

All field study sites are within a 40 minute drive from Medina Valley Centre or are within walking distance

Recommended options for International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology include:

Estuarine Ecosystem

Students carry out practical work which involves core sampling for invertebrates on mudflats of the Medina Estuary and measure abiotic variables which include tidal height, turbidity and salinity. ICT is used to turn the data the students collected into ecological pyramids of number, biomass and energy, which can be compared with data from other local ecosystems.

Rocky Seashore

Students can carry out an investigation on food webs and feeding relationships to generate ecological pyramids, similar to the study which can be carried out on the estuarine ecosystem. An alternative or supplementary investigation, particularly for those students studying Option G, is to use the rocky seashore to investigate an organism’s niche, inter- and intraspecific competition and the competitive exclusion principle (Gause's Law).

The rocky seashore provides a brilliant opportunity for all students to see first hand and recognise species from the following animal Phyla: Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca and Arthropoda as required in Topic 3. Each student can build on this knowledge to develop their own dichotomous key for up to 8 chosen organisms. There are also real live examples of alien species on the seashore, which students will have the opportunity to investigate, as well as many examples of species which use the r-strategy for reproduction.

Saltmarsh Study

The key concepts of zonation and succession (as required for Option G) are taught using the data students obtain by sampling along a transect established to investigate the environmental gradient of a saltmarsh. The Spearman's Rank statistical test is use to analyse the results of the soil samples.

Pond Study

Students use instruments to measure abiotic factors and a dichotomous key to identify invertebrates to determine the species richness and biodiversity of 3 local ponds. Simpson's Diversity Index and the Mann-Whitney U statistical test are used to help analyse the data. The pond study is popular as an introductory session on the first afternoon because as some students are familiar with this habitat and all sites are within walking distance. However, the Simpson's Diversity Index can easily be carried out as part of another option if there is sufficient time available.

Mark-Release-Recapture

Several different organisms can be caught to investigate their population using the mark-release-recapture method. Depending on the time available and tidal conditions, students can investigate the population of periwinkles or topshells on the seashore, crabs in the estuary or small mammals either in the Centre's grounds or the local woodland. Having collected data the population of the particular species can be estimated using the Lincoln Index.

Conservation Study

There are opportunities to compare first hand the advantages and disadvantages or in situ and ex situ conservation by visiting a Nature Reserve and the Isle of Wight Zoo, particularly considering the zoo's lemur conservation project. A visit to the zoo also allows students to study the behaviour of spider monkeys and the genetics of the white tiger, of which the zoo has the largest collection in Europe.

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IB Geography Field trip

The fieldwork course for International Baccalaureate (IB) Geography is designed to provide stimulating case studies and to engage students in a range of geographical skills required by the exam board. The investigative approach and the fieldwork techniques will provide valuable training for students preparing the fieldwork report at the Higher Level or engaging in coursework at the Standard Level.
Special emphasis is put on aerial photographs and map interpretation, including the use of Google Earth, electronic maps and GIS.

All field study sites are within a 40 minute drive from Medina Valley Centre or are within walking distance

Case studies based on the Optional Themes for International Baccalaureate (IB) Geography:

Coastal Management

Fieldwork at a coastal protection scheme on the active landslip zone of the Island or at a coastal honey pot in the West Wight.  The coastal localities are investigated within the context of the Isle of Wight Shoreline Management Plan and Coastal Defence strategies.

Drainage basin management

Fieldwork in either one of two accessible river basins. One of the rivers includes an innovative restoration scheme in an urban setting and the other flows across an agricultural landscape of mixed land use and geology.

The Estuarine Ecosystem and human activity

Fieldwork includes core sampling for invertebrates on the Medina Estuary to record the biological productivity of the inter-tidal mudflats. ICT is used to turn the data the students collect into ecological pyramids of number, biomass and energy. Mapwork and fieldwork is used to identify the pressures and threats to the protected habitats.

Plant succession on a Saltmarsh

Fieldwork to record the plant succession across a halosere, includes soil sampling; the Spearman's Rank statistical test is used to analyse the results of processing the soil.

Settlements - Urban morphology

Fieldwork includes urban land use mapping in Newport, retail mapping, use of GOAD maps; traffic and pedestrian data is presented as isoline maps to help define the CBD. Maps and aerial photographs are used to describe the site, situation and growth of the settlement.

Settlements - Competing land use on the urban-rural fringe

Fieldwork includes detailed land use mapping and evaluations on Newport's urban-rural fringe. Historic land use surveys used to identify change on the urban-rural fringe and the Isle of Wight's Unitary Development Plan controlling further development.