The Armidale School (TAS) opened its campus to crime fighters who explored crime scenes last week during an education forensic science week. Watching crime on television is one interest but learning about crime investigation in one week devoted to investigation, evidence collecting and putting your conclusion to 'a magistrate' at the end of the week is an extraordinary learning opportunity for these crime-grappling students.
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The forensic science camp participants were year 8 boys and girls from 28 independent, government and catholic schools. Schools included were from NSW, Queensland, the ACT and Victoria.
The camp is fun but the students report many learning opportunities such as; teamwork, listening, supporting your own argument, appreciating other students' skills and discipline as the time to investigate takes several committed days.
Students also mentioned that the intricacy of the crime investigation was opening up their ideas about how motives, and what people do in response to the idea that drives them causes them to commit a crime.
The students were very impressive with the creative, way that they used the resources available and really engaged with the process of following the trail, which took different turns as the scenarios became complicated.
"Part of what makes it unique is that it is student run, with five Year 10 students in charge of managing the camp and the Year 9 camp controllers who have created the scenarios that are to be solved by the teams of Year 8 campers," said the camp's co-director, TAS student Hudson McAllister.
The camp managers are Year 10 students who are responsible for recruitment of participants, catering, and organising accommodation. Two adult staff members are also on hand in purely support and supervisory roles.
The participants "campers" are secondary students from different campuses. There are 81 students involved with 6 crime scenarios that have been prepared by last year's participants. They are lead by 'the controllers' who participated last year and they have spent eleven months preparing, the design, choosing participants from submitted applications and running this years camp.
Co-director Kade Stanley said, "There are murders, robberies and other crimes to be solved in six different scenarios. Through the week the campers are given new evidence and use the labs for DNA, blood and fibre testing, cryptography and fingerprinting to help them come up with the culprit, developing their scientific skills along the way."
The students carefully considered each investigative task. The development of arrest and search warrants was a particularly sophisticated feature of the tasks set by the controllers.
Students learn about the different stages of crime investigation and used t search warrants and arrest warrants in a really fascinating, and intelligent way to support their argument that they had discovered the offender in each crime case scenario. Armidale solicitor, Mr Michael Dennis took on the role of a magistrate making a final determination, if the cases were strong enough to go before a court.
"By the end of the week the students will have a clearer idea about forensics as a career, have developed good thinking and organisation skills and made some really strong friendships," Kade said.
