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School of Education

University of Brighton

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A case study focused around the question

How do geography teachers construct the geography curriculum at key stage 3?

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Interviews

Questionnaires

Analysis of documentation

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Interviewees allowed to talk freely on thesubject of the construction of the key stage 3geography curriculum.

A list of questions for backup if needed.

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Questionnaires are rarely objective

Knowing the PGCE students quite well I felt I

was able to make a useful interpretation of

their questionnaire responses.

(Insufficient time for in-depth interviews)

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Classroom and departmental observations are

at best a snapshot of the reality of the

department.

Documentation can also be misread and mis-

interpreted.

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Shortcomings of methods & methodology

acknowledged.

Professional judgement comes into play

(as with Ofsted inspections)

Variety of methods reinforces validity.

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School A

It was my perception this department

needed to revise its KS3 curriculum

Also reflected in the most recent Ofsted

report.

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Department achieves around 50% A-C GCSE

Basic text for KS3 original Waugh series.

HoD only interested in exam. classes.

1500 pupils: 2 GCSE groups

12 taking geography A-level

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Student on first placement at this school at a tiny school for second placement :4 GCSE groups.

In his limited opinion he felt that ‘the approach at key stage 3 in his first placement school was putting pupils off selecting it at examination level’.

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School B

Limited experience in KS3 geography for

pupils.

Opening comment ‘I like having PGCE students as I can use the money to buy new sets of text books. Proudly pointing to his new set of Waugh books.

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Has moved on through the influence of PGCE students.

Thinking skills activities

ICT

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School C

Lack of awareness of poor practice in

geography his own county, although he has

remit to visit other schools and run workshops.

Insight I get when my students actually work

within departments is a privilege.

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Department scheme of work :verydetailed but not prescriptive

No non-specialists teaching the subject

1400 pupils (no 6th form) 7 GCSE geography groups

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School D

New, young HoD in post 12 months when interviewed.

Most recent Ofsted weaknesses in geography:- limited use of ICT to support the teaching of the subject- the use of a number of part-time staff to cover

geography lessons

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• First job-dusted off lap & data-projector which had never been used!

• He believes he revitalised pupils’ interest in the subject by use of very basic technology in his lessons

• ‘The fun had been taken out of geography. There were only 23 pupils taking the subject at GCSE. There was very little cross-over from key stage 3 to GCSE which I think is a fairly good indicator that they did not enjoy the subject in years 7,8 & 9’ .

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Made immediate changes:

• Year 7 ‘capture’ pupils interest ‘having fun with maps’.

• Year 8 360 Geography based around a new set of texts

• Year 9 ‘development’ around current issues G8 & Live Aid (‘ditched use of old texts)

• Units on sport & crime being developed.

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• GCSE geography uptake increased from 23 to 50 for September 2005 (yr 9 options made in Feb.2005 after 6 months in post)

• Wants 3 by Sept 2006 to convince SMG that another full time geographer should be employed.

• Very noticeable how many times he used the word ‘fun’ when talking about his aims with the geography curriculum

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PGCE Questionnaires

• Frequent references to case study work within schemes of work relating to Kenya, France, Brazil, Bangladesh.

• Use of videos 20 years old including China’s Child. Pupils transfixed by fashions, hairstyles and technology; miss the geography!

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• Virtually every department where data was collected has the Waugh series in current use; some departments are still using the 1992 version.

• One school; pedagogy more important than content. The exception to the rule; feedback from students and the interviews with heads of department, reveal an emphasis on content not pedagogy.

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• Pedagogy given more attention in ‘challenging’ schools; perception that where behaviour is an issue, pedagogic approaches need more detailed attention.

• ‘Dry’ subjects such as farming and rivers brought to life if a field trip is included.

• Consensus that a topic maintained for too long; pupils became bored. A case study of the USA, lasted nearly half the year; pupils became bored. Other over-long topics: rivers, coasts, farming, Kenya, France, Brazil and deforestation, Bangladesh and flooding.

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• Generally there was flexibility to deal with issues as they arose (e.g. Boxing day tsunami)

• When the Iraq war broke out, one of my students was told he must not spend any time on it as ‘we must get through the syllabus on coasts’.

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• There was much less emphasis on the Waugh series of books in my second placement school where the uptake at GCSE was much greater than in the first placement school.

• I tried to be ‘inventive’ in approach but the year 9’s especially worked much better if they were just given questions to work through in a book. This is what they are used to and they were resistant to change; had they been exposed to other forms of teaching on a regular basis from year 7, they might have been more receptive.

• The year 10 GCSE group numbered 25 pupils in a school of 1600 pupils from year 7-11. This is probably a reflection of the way the key stage 3 geography curriculum is constructed and delivered in this particular school’.

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Documentation and Observation

• Majority of schemes reviewed still cling to 1991 structure.

• USA & Japan still there.

• Italy and France predominate EU study.

• Bangladesh the most commonly used country with regard to flooding

• Kenya and Egypt (LEDCs)

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• Most schemes of work reflect a split of geography into human, physical and environmental

• Schemes of work looked at nearly all have a section called ‘skills’; which seem to be taught in isolation

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Conclusion and reflection

• Earlier research; an expectation about subject content

• This project ;an expectation about pedagogy• Pupils talked about pedagogy; teachers talked

about subject content• Mis-match in perceptions led to a conference

‘Reinvigorating key stage 3 geography’• So successful another one this July; planning for

the new Geography National Curriculum

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• Does subject content dictate the construction of the curriculum at key stage 3?

• Have heads of geography neglected pedagogy when constructing the key stage 3 geography curriculum?

• Should heads of department be able to intertwine their subject expertise with pedagogy, which Shulman (1986) claims is essential for effective and successful teaching and learning?

• Is there evidence that departments are most successful where a balance between subject content and pedagogy exists, and vice versa?

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“The world’s a wonderful place; how can geography teachers make it so boring”

(Germaine Greer cited in Molyneux & Tolley 1987,10)

It does indeed take a very special kind of talent, said Gerald, to make such a subject as geography dull. A toast: to the extinction of geography teachers. They all drank.

(Hart 1999, 53)

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