Geography in schools: standards and best practice

Leszek Iwaskow HMI

National Adviser for Geography, England

Royal Geographical Society; 17 May 2013

Secondary headlines

For the first time in over a decade numbers taking GCSE geography have increased.

Relatively weak achievement in Key Stage 3, particularly of the more able, often contrasts with the good progress of those in examination classes (as determined by exam results)

A lack of opportunity for writing at length limits opportunities for students, particularly the most able, to show their understanding of geography

Secondary headlines

Poorly developed core geographical knowledge remains an issue –students do not have a coherent picture of the world around them – places are often taught without clear reference to location

At Key Stage 4, teaching has become more functional with exam questions often the focus of a lesson rather than the development of knowledge and understanding in the subject

The geography curriculum is currently an area of weakness and of increasing concern.

Most schools are not meeting statutory requirements for fieldwork at Key Stage 3 or the use of geographical information systems (GIS), including in examination classes

The lack of involvement in subject specific professional development has resulted in many secondary departments stagnating and will not leave them in a secure position to cope with the changes expected to the curriculum over the next few years.

Exploding the myths about good teaching!

There is often an insistence by senior managers that lessons follow a prescriptive formula (rigid 3 part structure)

This does not allow for spontaneity, creativity or real challenge, especially for more able students

Pace. There seems to be a belief that the faster the lesson, the better the learning.

While pace is important – teachers too often concentrate on the pace of their planned activities rather than the pace of learning.

The number of activities - some teachers appear to believe that the more activities they can cram into the lesson, the more effective it will be.

This is often counterproductive, as activities are changed so often that pupils do not complete tasks and learning is not consolidated or extended.

Over-detailed and bureaucratic lesson plans. Teachers are encouraged to plan individual lessons in considerable detail.

Inspectors sometimes note that excessive detail within these plans causes teachers to lose sight of the central focus on pupils’ learning

An inflexible approach to planning lessons. School policies sometimes insist that all lesson plans should always follow the same structure, no matter what is being taught.

In addition, evidence suggests that teachers often feel that they should not alter their plans during the lesson.

Limited time for students to work independently. Pupils rarely had extended periods to read, write or discuss issues in class.

Inspectors observed lessons where pupils were asked to self- or peer-assess work before they had been able to complete more than a sentence or two.

Constant review of learning. Significant periods of time are often spent by teachers on getting pupils to articulate their learning, even where this limited their time to complete activities and thereby interrupted their learning!

Key Stage 3 ‘Getting around – a travel plan for the local area’

Pupils should be taught to:

understand through the use of detailed place-based exemplars at a variety of scales, the key processes in: human geography relating to ….population …… economic activity ….urbanisation, and the use of natural resources.

build on their knowledge of ….maps …. And use these geographical tools routinely in the classroom and the field

interpret Ordnance Survey maps in the classroom and the field, including using six-figure co-ordinates and scale, topographical and other thematic mapping, and aerial and satellite photographs

use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to view, analyse and interpret places and data

use fieldwork to collect, analyse and draw conclusions from geographical data, using multiple sources of increasingly complex information

Key Stage 3‘Discovering landscapes’

Case Studies:

Improving provision in geography – developing subject knowledge and skills ( Greenford High School – Ealing)

An enquiry based approach to learning – how practical demonstration helps pupils to learn (St Anne’s C of E Primary School – Durham)

Excellent geography teaching – how structured scaffolding enables students to compile detailed in-depth case studies ( Greenbank High School – Sefton)

Improving teaching and learning using the outdoor environment – utilising the rich resources of the outdoor environment to improve provision with pupils and learning ( Lavington Park Federation – West Sussex)

A creative curriculum to support teaching and learning in geography – how a school skilfully integrates geography into a creative curriculum (Corsham Primary School – Wiltshire)

Ofsted’s National Adviser web pages

Keep up-to-date with Ofsted's work in history by visiting the dedicated history web pages on the Ofsted website at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/our-expert-knowledge/geography

National Adviser: email – leszek.iwaskow@ofsted.gov.uk