Teaching geography at Key Stages 1&2

Planning creatively for effective learning

• Geography:– Provokes and answers questions about the

natural and human world– Uses different scales of enquiry– Views the world from different perspectives– Develops knowledge of place and environments– Develops investigative and problem-solving skills– A focus for understanding and resolving issues– Encounter different cultures and societies– Understand interdependence and reliance– Inspires pupils to think about their own place in

the world, rights and responsibilities– Think globally, about nature and people

• Above all, Geography should– Inspire children to look at the world more

closely– Stimulate their curiosity about other people– Make them angry, sad, happy about what

people do to their world– Involve them in playing a part in improving

the world they live in– Promote a sense of stewardship – that what

we do must be for the future of the world– Instil in them a sense of awe and wonder at

the beauty of the world and all its possibilities

What are we meant to cover?• Knowledge, skills & understanding

– Enquiry & Skills– Places– Patterns and processes– Environmental change & sustainable

development

• Breadth of Study– Localities– Themes– Range – places, themes and skills

A distant place - overseas

How do we cover it?

A Distant place - UK

County/Region

Local

Place – What is it like…?

Weather

Wat

er

Landscape

Settle

men

Settle

men

tt

Resourc

es

Food

Environme

nt

How do we cover it? 2Interactions: Processes, Issues, Places

How do we cover it? 3 Triangulating with the concept

cube

Places

Skills

Them

es

TeacherPupil

Near, familiar

Far, unfamiliar

Sim

ple

proc

esse

s

Compl

ex

issue

s

A Conceptual Approach

• Apply the following overview:• KS 1: Central concept: Peoples’ Needs

– Food, Water, Home, Safety, Security, etc.

• KS2: Central concept: Settlement– Settlement, places and resources, how we

do it

• KS2: Civilization– Diverse places, interactions, issues,

environments, etc.

• Other examples – from the books

Task

• Look at the sheet provided of your particular units, highlighted with likes, dislikes

• In groups, rearrange them around a conceptual approach

• Discuss, draw up charts, play with ideas, forget cost for the moment!

Planning in Geography: The Big questions

• What do we want our children to learn? Why is it important?– Conceptual framework– Expectations of NC: Knowledge,

understanding, skills – Catering for learning needs– Links: basic skills, ICT, Humanities– Links: citizenship, PSHE, etc.

Planning in Geography: The Big questions

• How do we want them to learn?– Promoting autonomy, curiosity and enquiry

• Enquiry, topic work, subject skills and approaches• Grouping pupils• A range of locations• A range of tasks – teacher-led and pupil-initiated• A range of mental and physical skills: role-play,

decision-making, debating, measuring, analysing, etc.

• Being experiential and grasping opportunity• Creative learning – thinking, modelling, applying

Planning in Geography: The Big questions

• What is the teacher’s role?– Interpreting all the above – creative planning– Focus, skills, processes, activities, links and

opportunities – coherent learning over time– Learning needs vs expectations– Assessment– Promoting autonomy: asking questions,

making judgements, seeing processes, taking decisions

– Instil excitement, motivation and sense of purpose for the subject

Planning in Geography: The Big questions

• How do we organise it all?• How do we monitor its effectiveness?• How do we know what pupils are

achieving?– Standard answers – quantitative– Qualitative answers:

• Levels of enjoyment• Sense of creativity• Pupil and teacher motivation and involvement• A job worth doing!

Assessment• Non-statutory reporting subject• Assessment for learning

– Knowing how well pupils are doing– Understanding progression in geography– Applying these to our planning – where we

take them next– Involving pupils in their learning – sense of

achievement and autonomy– Common, shared understanding of levels,

matched to Lit, Num, targets, etc.

• Resources:– NC levels– Bucks Assessment Criteria levels– GA progression rose

• Activity:– Using the samples of children’s work, decide

what levels they are; what skills and issues need to be developed, etc.

– What are the implications for our school practice of assessment in Geography and other Foundation Subjects?

Implications for assessment in geography

• Discussion