SPICING UP GEOGRAPHY GA CONFERENCE 2006

SECURE FOOTING? Geography has too often been the poor relation in the curriculum. The original KS 3 programme of study was in my view the problem of developing a creative curriculum for the subject. Why i) too detailed prescription of content ii) inflexibility for teachers using the programmes of study iii) Concepts and skills not explicit and the over reliance on text book series.

So how can it be spiced up The balance between knowledge understanding,skills and values must be combined into a new curriculum. None must dominate but should be combined into an innovative programme of study which allows the teachers flexibility. In the 21 st century this should allow pupils to see the relevance of the topics to be covered and allow teachers to use creatively the content to make it relevant to the children we are teaching at KS 3.

What should we teach? Scale – from Local to Global Knowledge taken from what is happening in the World Skills that will be useful in the future Critical analysis and investigation Values A sense of place –locational knowledge Thinking skills

How should we teach all this? By allowing children to discover the world we live in through enquiry By allowing children to understand what is happening in the world By allowing children to study maps and how maps are the key to understanding the world we live in By inspiring the children we teach by using a variety of primary and secondary resources

So what topics should be taught? These should allow the children to realise that geography is central to their lives. So maybe we should be looking at: ISSUES –SUCH AS i)The Local Environmental issue – Waste, Transport, Pollution. ii)A National Issue – Water supply iii)A Global Issue – Global Warming

CULTURAL AND POLITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD SUCH AS Understanding why places, peoples lives and activities are significant and interlinked in both national and global scales i)A study of the role of water ii)A study of logging issues iii)A study of migration –illegal immigrants iv)The Global Economy – Globalisation

OUR FRAGILE EARTH The need to look at natural hazards that occur. i) Climatic - Hurricanes, cyclones drought, floods ii) Tectonic – earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions- Tsunami iii) Geomorphological – Landslides, mass movements,

LEISURE AND SPORT I)The changes in Shopping habits and methods II)The development of Tourism globally and the issues related to this III)The need for recreational facilities on a local scale IV)Global Sport

HOW Through local Fieldwork Enquiries Through the use of the Internet and the News Through thinking skills exercises Through map work Through pupils own experiences Through discovery and the understanding of the world we all live in. THROUGH ALLOWING FLEXIBILITY FOR BOTH TEACHER AND PUPIL

GEOGRAPHY IS A BORE Too often I hear this cry. Why – too much course work? – not relevant? – insignificant? – lack of focus by teachers on relevant issues? – too much content? – Who to blame – well those who developed the Programmes of Study? –the teachers? The targets for literacy and numeracy? – the development of what pupils see as more exciting subjects- all share the blame for declining numbers at GCSE. KS3 is vital in capturing the childrens imagination and showing the relevance of the subject.

A LITTLE BIT OF SPICE –What would you add to the recipe? –What have I missed? –Do we need to prescribe content or do we just need to consider themes such as –Sustainability, Globalisation, Local Issues –Relevance and Significance -I believe to be two key words here –OVER TO YOU