Thinking Quality Geography ~ what does it look like? ‘...quality geography engages pupil interest, captures imagination and stimulates enthusiasm for learning...’

KS3 The importance statement Unpick the statement on the next slide. Does your KS3 curriculum achieve these aims?

The study of geography stimulates an interest in and a sense of wonder about places. It helps young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It builds on pupils’ own experiences to investigate places at all scales, from the personal to the global. Geographical enquiry encourages questioning, investigation and critical thinking about issues affecting the world and people’s lives, now and in the future. Fieldwork is an essential element of this. Pupils learn to think spatially and use maps, visual images and new technologies, including geographical information systems (GIS), to obtain, present and analyse information. Geography inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.

Some ‘quality’ questions about teaching geography In what ways can geography be taught ‘carelessly’? What would characterise school geography that was taught ‘carefully’? 4

Teaching geography in a ‘careless’ climate As if education were an ‘answer culture’ As if there were no overarching disciplinary ‘architecture’ As if there were ‘no right or wrong answers’ “it’s your opinion that matters” “everybody’s views are of equal worth” As if the ‘pedagogic adventure’ were all that mattered As if schools and teachers were only about giving pupils answers, instead of encouraging them to be critical, reflective and to arrive at their own judgements Geography has a set of concepts and ideas that help us to see the connections between places and scales. These help us to organise the vast quantity of information that is available to geographers so that understanding can become established. Geography is the language by which we can think about the world. Geography has a vocabulary, enabling us to communicate these thoughts, but also has grammar (big ideas), the rules, concepts and procedures which allow us to construct meanings. Some answers are patently wrong! Answers that the pupils come up with should be reasonable, considered, balanced and justifiable. Teaching geography is not only about teaching methodologies. It is about a carefully thought out balance between the subject discipline, the pupils’ own experiences (their personal geographies) and the choices that the teacher makes. All can combine in varying ways to create the rich, fulfilling experience that school geography should aspire to. 5

Teaching geography ‘carefully’ Medium term planning – with ‘big concepts’ Nurturing a ‘culture of argument’ - education for conversation, making sense of the world Promoting an attitude of ‘confident uncertainty’ towards knowledge development Sense of progression … or of ‘getting somewhere’ in relation to goals 6

Thinking Geographically Geography provides the possibility to study, reflect on and reach conclusions about topics and issues in a way that is unique to our subject Seeing the world through a geographical lens It helps children make sense of the world

Recognising quality Look at the following piece of work. To what extent do you think it reflects ‘quality geography’? How might you change it if you were to use it in your own teaching?

Recognising quality Select a unit of work from your KS3 programme that you believe best reflects quality geography. Justify the quality of the unit you have chosen to convince colleagues of its worth.