What is geography For?

1. What is geography For? Traditionally geography has been defined as ‘describing the Earth’. Simon Catlin, p75, Chapter 6, The Primary Geography Handbook (2004)

2. The blue words in this presentation were written by Simon Catling in the opening paragraphs of his chapter in the Primary Geography Handbook. Each of the statements has been illustrated using examples of children’s work or with photographs from the GA Manifesto for Geography `A Different View’ http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/adifferentview Use the slides to talk with colleagues How closely do the following Statements match your school aims for geography?

3. Geography: • helps us to know where we are and know what is there, giving us a sense of location; St Peter’s Smithills Dean C.E Primary School, Bolton.

4. Geography: • develops our understanding of the environment, • the natural world, • modified landscapes • and the social environment; http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/adifferentview

5. Geography: How did all these dead trees get here? The water is not strong enough to move them. • provides a vocabulary to describe the features of the environment and the processes that shape it; Although there was lots of green above the stream nothing was growing on the rocks next to the water. Thornton Dale C of E (V.C.) Primary School

6. Geography: • enables us to understand the spatial layout and organisation of the world about us and recognise the spatial distributions, patterns and relationships in the environment; www.quickmaps.com See this work on the Geography Teaching Today website: http://tiny.cc/ONMS3

7. We talked to Mark from the planning department and to our family and friends about the changes we wanted to make to our school grounds. Geography • takes forward our understanding and appreciation of places, of their importance to us, of their impact on us and of how we can manage and develop them; http://www.gowilder.org.uk/Oyster-Park/index.htm

8. introduces us to the nature, role and value of maps in ‘seeing’, understanding, interpreting and valuing the world, from the local to the global; Geography: Hallam Primary School, Sheffield

9. Geography: • help us to recognise how changes to places and the environment happen and affect us, both as a result of natural processes and through human activity; • http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/adifferentview

10. Geography • develops our sense of stewardship for our world, at a local and global scale; Hallam Primary School, Sheffield

11. How do I connect to people and places? Geography • helps us to recognise and value our interdependence with other people in our own area and in the wider world http://www.geography.org.uk/eyprimary/visualgeography/framingthepicture/ http://primarygeogblog.blogspot.com/search/label/food

12. ... and to appreciate the diversity evident in the world among peoples and environments. http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/adifferentview

13. Primary geography teaching is ... concerned with • knowing about and understanding the Earth • with developing the skills to do this well • and with fostering attitudes and values that enhance people’s lives, places and the environment.

14. All of this is natural for younger children • ... who are curious about their own and the wider world, who want to explore and investigate people, places and the environment, who wish to develop and enhance the skills to do so, and who enjoy and value the variety they see about them and have concern for fairness and their futures. Chapter 6 Simon Catling Primary Geography Handbook (2004) The Geographical Association

15. Traditionally geography has been defined as ‘describing the Earth’. Simon Catlin, p75, Chapter 6, The Primary Geography Handbook (2004) For each of us today, geography: • helps us to know where we are and know what is there, giving us a sense of location; • develops our understanding of the environment, the natural world, modified landscapes and the social environment; • provides a vocabulary to describe the features of the environment and the processes that shape it; • enables us to understand the spatial layout and organisation of the world about us and recognise the spatial distributions, patterns and relationships in the environment; • takes forward our understanding and appreciation of places, of their importance to us, of their impact on us and of how we can manage and develop them;

16. introduces us to the nature, role and value of maps in ‘seeing’, understanding, interpreting and valuing the world, from the local to the global; • help us to recognise how changes to places and the environment happen and affect us, both as a result of natural processes and through human activity; • develops our sense of stewardship for our world, at a local and global scale; • helps us to recognise and value our interdependence with other people in our own area and in the wider world and to appreciate the diversity evident in the world among peoples and environments.

17. Acknowledgements • Simon Catling, Professor of Primary Geography and Assistant Dean at Oxford Brookes University • Jane Phillips, Hallam Primary School, Sheffield • Anthony Barlow, St Peter’s Smithills Dean CE Primary, Bolton • Karen Clark, Thornton Dale C of E (V.C.) Primary School • Wendy North, Oyster Park Junior & Methodist School • The GA Manifesto, `A Different View’