Research And Debate In Primary Geography

This book brings together recent papers which make important contributions to understanding and developing primary geography. It considers primary teachers’ and trainee teachers’ knowledge of geography; how the primary curriculum uses geography; teachers’ planning of geography teaching; the way in which aspects of geography are taught; what high quality geography might look like; and children’s geographical understanding and voices. Though geography curricula change quite often in countries around the world, the core matters noted above remain of constant and vital importance. The papers in this book either concern research with primary teachers and children, or consider key concerns in primary geography, providing important perspectives for thinking about future developments in geography teaching and curriculum initiatives in primary schools. This is a stimulating and enticing collection written by leading exponents of, and experts in, primary geography education. This book was originally published as a special issue of Education 3-13.

This book brings together recent papers which make important contributions to understanding and developing primary geography. It considers primary teachers’ and trainee teachers’ knowledge of geography; how the primary curriculum uses geography; teachers’ planning of geography teaching; the way in which aspects of geography are taught; what high quality geography might look like; and children’s geographical understanding and voices. Though geography curricula change quite often in countries around the world, the core matters noted above remain of constant and vital importance. The papers in this book either concern research with primary teachers and children, or consider key concerns in primary geography, providing important perspectives for thinking about future developments in geography teaching and curriculum initiatives in primary schools. This is a stimulating and enticing collection written by leading exponents of, and experts in, primary geography education. This book was originally published as a special issue of Education 3-13.

Debates in Geography Education encourages early career teachers, experienced teachers and teacher educators to engage with and reflect on key issues, concepts and debates. It aims to enable readers to reach their own informed judgements with deeper theoretical knowledge and understanding. The second edition is fully updated in light of the latest research, policy and practice in the field, as well as key changes to the curriculum and examination specifications. Expert contributors provide a range of perspectives on international, historical and policy contexts in order to deepen our understanding of significant debates in geography education. Key debates include: geography's identity as an academic discipline; what constitutes knowledge in geography; places and regional geography; what it means to think geographically; constructing the curriculum; how we link assessment to making progress in geography; the contribution of fieldwork and outdoor experiences; technology and the use of Geographical Information; school geography and employability; understanding the gap between school and university geography; evidence-based practice and research in geography education. The comprehensive, rigorous coverage of these key issues, together with carefully annotated selected further reading, will help support and shape further research and writing. Debates in Geography Education is a key resource that is essential reading for all teachers and researches who wish to extend their grasp of the place of geography in education. Mark Jones is Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK David Lambert is Professor of Geography Education at UCL Institute of Education, London, UK

This book outlines how good teaching of primary geography can extend children′s world awareness and help them make connections between their environmental and geographical experiences. Chapters offer guidance on important learning and teaching issues as well as the use and creation of resources from the school environment to the global context. It covers all the key topics in primary geography including: understanding places physical and human geography environmental sustainability learning outside the classroom global issues citizenship and social justice. Summaries, classroom examples and practical and reflective tasks are included throughout to foster understanding and support the effective teaching of primary geography.

In recent years there has been increased attention paid to the importance of assessment in Geographical Education, the chosen subject for this book. Assessment is an important tool for collecting information about student learning and for providing timely data to inform key stakeholders including students, teachers, parents and policymakers. To be effective, assessment needs to be valid, reliable and fair. Validity is about ensuring that we assess what we claim we are assessing. Reliability is about measuring performance and understanding in a consistent way. Without validity and reliability, assessment is unlikely to provide equitable opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and can do. As geography educators it is therefore important that we identify the core concepts and skills in geography that we want students to master. We need a clear understanding of what the progression of learning looks like for each concept and skill so we can develop fit for purpose assessments that track and improve student learning. While there is a substantial literature on evidence-based assessment in secondary school contexts, research exploring best-practice assessment in geography is rare. This is a concern given the distinctive nature of geography and the important role of assessment in the learning process. This scholarly collection seeks to address this issue by connecting research in educational assessment with the domain of geography. The chapters are written by leading researchers in Geographical Education from across the globe. These chapters provide examples of innovation through the collective voices of geography teacher educator scholars from across Australia, USA, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore. What unifies the work in this book, is that each chapter focuses on a key feature of the discipline of geography, providing scholarly examples of evidence-based practices for assessing student’s knowledge and skills.

Teaching Primary Geography is a hands-on guide to planning and delivering primary lessons that will inspire your class and extend their knowledge in lively and effective ways. By providing a succinct and accessible overview to over 30 geographical topics, it meets the needs of practitioners across the country and provides a single reference point for informed and creative geography teaching. Linked to the National Curriculum guidelines for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, each chapter provides easy-to-follow lesson plans that are packed full of activities and ideas, alongside a helpful summary, a myriad of interesting facts, key vocabulary, cross-curricular links, and fully formed lesson plans. Downloadable online resources are also available for immediate use in the classroom. If you are a primary practitioner or a subject co-ordinator who wants to plan and deliver an engaging and informed programme in your classroom or across your whole school, this book is for you! The Bloomsbury Curriculum Basics series provides all the subject knowledge and lesson plans you need to deliver the primary curriculum with confidence. Perfect for classroom teachers and subject leads, each book includes engaging lesson plans, key vocabulary, useful links, cross-curricular activities and much more.

Learning Primary Geography: Ideas and inspiration from classrooms celebrates children’s learning in primary geography. It is a book for all student and practising teachers who would like children to learn about their world in an enjoyable and stimulating way. Every page presents inspiring examples of children’s learning, and explains how and why creative approaches such as enquiry learning, learning outside the classroom, and using imaginative resources work so well in primary geography. Using illustrated case studies from a range of schools and classrooms, each chapter showcases the fantastic work all children can do in primary geography. The book explores a wide variety of geographical learning, with chapters focusing on key aspects of the subject, including: primary geography through the school grounds topical geography through issues and events learning about places in primary geography children’s agency and action through primary geography Throughout the chapters, the role of primary geography in helping children develop all types of literacies, including spatial, critical and digital literacies, is explored. Written by a highly experienced teacher and lecturer in education, Learning Primary Geography is underpinned and illustrated by examples from a wide range of primary classrooms. It will be a source of support, guidance and inspiration for all those teaching geography in the primary school.

This powerful text encourages both pre-service and established teachers, as well as teacher educators, to engage with contemporary debates in primary education. Promoting a critical approach, the chapters explore a wide range of key themes including the importance of values in primary education and the imperative for a curriculum which embraces the whole range of available subjects. At the same time, the chapters are underpinned by a belief that children should be at the heart of all the decisions we make and that primary education should inspire a love of learning, for life. The book aims to support practitioners to make informed judgements and feel confident to argue their point of view with deeper theoretical knowledge and understanding, thus increasing teacher agency and confidence in responding to complex educational and social dilemmas such as literacy levels and rising mental health concerns. Chapters encompass both the macro aspects of primary education and more specialised debates on key topics such as reading, mathematics, languages, early years education and the use of technology. With annotated further reading and reflective questions, this key text is essential reading for all those wanting to develop a better understanding of the issues that shape their practice including student teachers at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, practising teachers engaged in continuing professional development and teacher educators.