1. We saw it… we want it improved!
** For a full version of this presentation with all the original images, please me.
GA CONFERENCE 2009
INVESTIGATING GEOGRAPHY
We saw it… we want it improved!
Anthony Barlow, Year 3 teacher, Geography/ICT subject leader, St Peter’s Smithills Dean C.E Primary School, Bolton.

2. Use some practical investigative Geography tools.
Aims…
To tell you about our cross-curricular project using ICT/ Literacy/ music/ drama to promote Geographical fieldwork.
Use some practical investigative Geography tools.
How to promote debate and thinking skills by getting ‘out there’.
Places to go for support on how to lead on Geographical enquiry more effectively in school.

3. Go for a walk in your mind…
Our project was all about impressions of where we were … what do you think of where you are?
Manchesterppt
Idea for SEN! Use emoticons instead of words. Google Images: Emoticons; cut out and use with a series of photos. Ask children to group them. Can promote the use of environmental index vocabulary.

4. Where am I coming from? Primary Geography Quality Mark - silver
Removing Barriers to Learning cluster project
Where am I coming from?
Healthy Schools/ Active mark/ School Travel Plan / Every Child Matters/ SDP
Young Geographers – GA/ TDA project

5. Geography is…according to year 5’s ‘a lesson about countries of the world’ ’different places around the world’ ’a subject about the world’
‘the study of the countries and the continents of the world’
‘when you learn about the world’
‘a lesson about the world’
‘it’s all about the world and what’s happening in it’
‘it is a subject where you learn about other countries and populations’
‘it is a lesson about the environment’
‘about the world, animals, nature, countries, towns and islands’
What shocked me:
Where do we fit into all of this?
There’s plenty about them, contrasting places, other environments, but little about us, now, and our future. It raised for me questions about fieldwork in KS2 – what’s outside our window, down the road and what they pass on the way to school.

6. Our children were good at seeing the ‘global’ view of the world…

7. Young Geographers = Living Geography
Where does this fit in?
Young Geographers = Living Geography
The GA use this term for geography coming `alive’ for pupils. > it embraces young people’s geographies
> it is current and futures oriented
> it is often `local’ but always set in the wider (global) context
> it investigates changing environments
> it encourages critical understanding of `sustainable development’
The project emphasises four key aspects:
> Engaging in practical 'curriculum making'
> Capturing the sense of motivating 'living geography'
> Learning Outside the Classroom
> Education for Sustainable Development
See:

8. These are examples from a Reception class group of children
We took Reception class children out and about, but not the older children. Why?

9. The project… Age range: KS2, taught in this instance 32 Year 5 pupils.
Approach: A series of small-group, teacher-led walks with a class followed by group ‘write-up’ sessions; with parallel, linked Literacy and ICT units of work.
Concepts: Fieldwork, place and space, ESD.
The project…
LESSON 1: Small Groups of 6-10 children. Going Outside! LESSON 2: Small Groups of 6-10 children. Creating our Map! LESSON 3: Whole-class Literacy. Writing our recount! LESSON 4: Whole-class ICT. Creating our Photostory3 Recount! LESSON 5: Whole-class. Sharing our work!

10. What do you now think? Write down your reactions…
Imagine what a ten year old would think!
Smithills ppt
What do you now think?

11. Staff love the school… love the green, leafy environment… but the children thought otherwise!

12. - Maps
Photostory
Literacy
How did they record this?

13. What did we get out of the experience
What did we get out of the experience? Quality talk about their man made and natural environment… they were brutally honest! The mundane and everyday, i.e. road signage and markings The practical - Why does the pavement suddenly stop? What is this grey box on my street? It was the Royal Mail storage box for the postman’s second round Why are there so many different types of grid? We found at least 10 types in one circular walk. Is this because of theft/ replacement over many different periods? Why is the road surface so bad and what’s underneath? We found ourselves sprayed with grit from the road when the traffic sped past. The council are seriously thinking about removing the tarmac, exposing the original cobbled streets and claiming these as ‘cost-saving traffic calming measures’. What is the raised ‘bobbly’ pavement as you cross the road? For the blind etc. The shocking graffiti, litter, multiple dog/horse ‘messes’, dead birds.

14. Journey sticks… affective mapping
See:
Primary Geographer, Journey Sticks and Affective Mapping, Spring 2006, Jane Whittle
Opportunity to retrace a journey
Promotes discussion about a place promoting enquiry skills
Links to thinking skills
This is a long ‘map’ of a sequence of photos retelling the journey taken, with impressions and litter, debris etc they picked up from their journey

15. Making maps of where the children have walked – really fixes in their minds what they have seen. Begins the process of saying this inanimate object = that or this in the real world. Improves development of spatial awareness.

16. The children were charged with emotion and wanted to do something!
The project spread – we got some great recounts…

17. ‘Who will buy…’ became: ‘Who will clean this horrible rubbish/
Following our work we put on a time-travel performance called : ‘Saving Smithills:2028’
The children wrote the script, changed words to popular songs like the hit from ‘Oliver’:
‘Who will buy…’ became:
‘Who will clean this horrible rubbish/
Such a mess you never did see/
Who will clean it up with a bucket/
And put it in the bin for me… etc!’
if you would like the script.

18. So what were their conclusions?
To the children the audience for the work was clear – those in power - and the children were very eager to share their findings more widely.
It was one of those tasks where the children instantly saw through the ‘barriers’ and began to fire off solutions.
Perhaps alarmingly (to an adult) the most popular solution was installing CCTV to catch wrongdoers and heavily fine/ remove cars from speeding motorists!

19. Where are we going next?
School Travel Plan - traffic, travel, our immediate environment
VLE – exciting school linking using audio/ video
Please join a Geography Champions group… there’s one near you!
Or even better join the BAD Geographers!
Anthony Barlow, Year 3 teacher, Geography/ICT subject leader, St Peter’s Smithills Dean C.E Primary School, Bolton.

20. BAD Geographers! (Bolton and Districts)
Anthony Barlow:
Come and join the
BAD Geographers! (Bolton and Districts)
Thursday 21st May 2009
at St Peters Smithills Dean CE Primary School, Limefield Rd, Bolton
Other local Geography Champions contact: Theresa Donnelly :
Preston Meeting held on …Wednesday 6th May 2009