Geography: A different view: a manifesto by the GA- a powerful tool for reaffirming geography’s potential in the curriculum or another sexy gimmick by the GA?

Debbie Moss

To what extent does the GA manifesto

‘ a different view’ present a different view of geography to your experience of the subject?

What are the potential challenges in your view in ensuring that the

manifesto is successful in realising its vision?

Eight families of images (themes):

• Energy flows• Vanishing points• Producers and consumers• Moving stories• Running free• To the ends of the earth• Between heaven and earth• Things aren’t always what they seem

Seven sections:

• Geography: a curriculum resource par excellence

• Thinking geographically• Living Geography• Geography and young people• Investigating and exploring geography• Geography and the ‘real world’• Curriculum making with geogaphy

What and why?• ..a statement of beliefs and priorities• ..a case for geography in education• ..affirmation of geography’s place in

curriculum• ..engaging in conversation about the

earth• ..designed for use in any context,

where geography needs to be explained, encouraged or promoted

Areas used to support case for a powerful tool

• PGCE Creativity Day• PGCE Primary school placements• Work with Secondary mentors• PGCE M level assignment• Interview tasks 2009/10• Cross-curricular fieldwork with English ATs• Undergraduate Education Studies session on

Reflective teaching and Critical pedagogy module• Developing geography’s place in Holocaust

education

Creativity day!

Primary school placement• 14 survey responses• 80-800• 10 Geog co-ordinators, 1HT as co-ordinator, 3 no-co-

ordinator• 2 +ve, 4 –ve, 4? attitudes towards Geo’y as subject • 1/14 heard of ADV, even then only by title• 8 expressed interest, 1 mixed views, 5 not really

interested• Most interest expressed by head teachers• 2 ATs able to make use of resources in PS that

week

Work with secondary Geography mentors

• 13 schools• Size 250-1350• Integrated year 7 through to separate subjects• All but one knew about ADV• All but two enthusiastic• 1 knew only about images not content of manifesto• 2 already felt their department had/is already developed

ADV approach to curriculum therefore hadn’t needed to focus on manifesto in department

• 2 mentors more excited by GA Toolkits• 7/13 ATs used resources in school already• 1 mentor keen to incorporate resources/approaches into

new SoW for new year 7 curriculum in September

M level assignment

Module 1 assignment: Subject Pedagogy 1 (Subject Identity; Level 3 / 4 (M))

To what extent is the manifesto ‘A different view’ launched by the Geographical Association presenting a different view of Geography? Evaluate its potential impact/success in schools.

Cross-curricular fieldwork with English ATs

Reflective teaching: Critical and reflective approaches to teaching in

secondary education

‘Lost in Space: Curriculum development and change in Geography’

-post modernity and reflection in geographical education

-teachers as change agents

.........can it support?

• ..a statement of beliefs and priorities• ..a case for geography in education• ..affirmation of its place in curriculum• ..designed for use in any context, where

geography needs to be explained, encouraged or promoted

• ....engaging in conversation about the earth

another sexy gimmick by the GA?..... potentially could be just that......but...

I don’t think so!

...but what do you think?

http://www.geography.org.uk/download/GA_ADVBookletFULL.pdf

References