IGU Research Forum 15 th October 2011

1. IGU Research Forum 15th October 2011 Title of Research Project 'Empty vessels or amazing individuals.’  Do private sector schools meet the needs of widely travelled and educated children by teaching Geography effectively within schools today.

2. The Thesis • Objective • An evaluation of children’s travel experiences and knowledge, parental influence at home and abroad and how this is utilised in the effective teaching of Geography within one particular private school sector.

3. A common way of thinking about learning is ‘the empty vessel’ • This should not be the case as everyone constructs their own learning and life experiences due to many outside influences such as parents, friends, home life etc. We are learning and experiencing all the time as are the children we teach. They all come to school at roughly the same age but have had very different journeys and life experiences. • Children need to learn information that is relevant. Learning needs to be related to a child's environment, because learning is not limited to the classroom environment. The World Bank 2005

4. Background • Who am I ? • Name: Julia Fox • Occupation: Primary Teacher at Akeley Wood Independent School, Wicken, Bucks (11 Years) having taught Years R, 1, 2 and 3

5. My previous teaching experience • Grenville State School Buckingham (teaching years 2, 3, 4 and 5 (5 Years) • Paulerspury State Primary School (teaching years 1/2 (1 Year) • I hold a BEd from Westminster College, Oxford (1993) and an MEd from Leeds University (1994). • My initial research for these two degrees and the subsequent 17 years teaching experience has inspired me to undertake this research project.  

6. The research design/ Research Methodology • What methods do I plan to use? • Questionnaires to staff, pupils and parents • Lesson observations • A mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches

7. Outcomes and significance • For the school • To illustrate how effective teaching is taking place within the company. ‘Value add’ for marketing. • ‘Geography is a 'big' subject and where geography is taught effectively the school prioritises areas of content and has clear strategies for helping children understand key ideas and develop geographical skills.’ The GA A vision for Geography 2009

8. The future • To set up a 'vision' and 'aims' for how Geography should be taught more effectively within the school so that Geography is taught to meet the needs of the children. “Quote” (Catling, 2004, The Primary Geography) Handbook Children are said to be ' …….curious about their own and the wider world, who want to explore and investigate people and the environment, who wish to develop and enhance skills to do so, and who enjoy and value the variety they see about them and have concern for fairness and futures.’

9. Marketing for tourism • ‘Children are naturally very curious about new countries and are excited to learn new things and always want to know more about the interesting places you can visit, the food you will taste or the activities you can enjoy abroad’. The kids world travel guide. • In comparison to experiencing Geography through for example TV watching where a recent study found that ‘watching television decreases the metabolic rate in children to below that found in children at rest.’ Klesges, PhD, Robert C.; Mary L. Shelton, MS; Lisa M. Klesges, MS (1993).

10. Timeframe • 4 – 5 Years Part Time

11. Questions • Which research methods have proved be the most successful within this type of research area? • Which age groups within the primary would prove the most rewarding to work with for this type of research? • Should I aim for breadth - year groups R - 6 or depth within key year groups for example the transition years 2 and 6 ?