mapping news 30 summer 2006 - Ordnance Survey

The action plan for
geography
The Geographical Association (GA) is thrilled to be working in close partnership with the Royal
Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) on a programme
called Geography in Action. This was launched with considerable fanfare and flourish at the
RGS-IBG on 30 March – with Michael Palin leading the way. His book Himalaya will find its
way into secondary schools with a letter from the Minister for Schools, Lord Andrew Adonis,
anticipating the recovery and resurgence of geography in schools.
You can find more details about the Action Plan on the web. This article is going to
focus mainly on one element of the plan, namely the need to promote and support
‘subject leadership’ in schools.
Geography: making connections
David Lambert
The launch of Geography in Action was reported in The Independent ® newspaper.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this article focused (yet again) on geography’s challenging
circumstances in schools – declining numbers at GCSE and A level, poor Ofsted
reports in primary and KS3 and so on.
But the article also made a link to The
Independent’s ground-breaking theme
for the week: ’Your world. Your
say’ – a forum of letters and comment
about global warming. Furthermore, I
couldn’t help but notice that the front
page of the paper that day was covered
in maps (of the Middle East).
There is no doubt about it. Geography
is a 21st-century subject. It concerns
the future, as well as the past and
present. Without geography you
may be limited in your ability to
read The Independent,(or watch
the six o’clock news for that
matter). Geography provides the
learner with an appreciation of the
interconnectedness of the world and
the various issues and challenges
that lie ahead, and the means to think confidently about the future – something a
professor of geography was urging as a priority.
‘Why isn’t climate change… the core subject of our schools…?’
Nicki Penaluna
‘I have read little about scenarios that may lie ahead (about 50 years)’
Prof R Bradshaw, Dept of Geography, Liverpool
‘Although I am only 14-years-old I believe my opinion can make a
difference. So here goes…’ Helen Way
‘People must make informed choices…’ A-level geography class
(Quotes from the Your world. Your say forum from The Independent on the 30 and 31 march.)
6 mapping news Issue 30 Summer 006 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/education
The GA’s contribution to Geography in Action is to
emphasise subject leadership. No matter how much
we love geography and enjoy the wow! factor of
special places, we need to be clear about how to select,
organise and sequence wonderful learning experiences
for children, with a clear sense of how and why it is
relevant to their education.
Perhaps, ‘to be able to read the news intelligently’
just about covers everything. In fact, Rita Gardner
(the Director of the RGS-IBG) and I will be devoting
considerable energy to clarifying an overarching
framework for school geography – in our capacity of
Geography Advisers to the Secretary of State.
We will want to show how geography can switch on
curiosity about the world, open eyes and encourage
the exploration of diverse people and places, establish
aspects of geographical capability to operate
confidently with knowledge and understanding about
the physical and human worlds, and the skills of
informed and aware citizens.
Subject leadership operates at all levels, and within
the shared framework all teachers will need support
and encouragement to do their bit – the selection,
organisation and sequencing of geography curricula.
This is what we mean by curriculum making
– so watch out for courses, publications, and online
opportunities, literally to lead geography closer to the
centre ground of the curriculum!
The GA will have dedicated primary and secondary
teams to offer subject leadership CPD (continuing
personal development) and curriculum development
opportunities. In addition, we will be rolling out the
Primary and the Secondary Geography Quality Marks
from September 2006.
Is your school
worldy-wise?
The Geographical Association’s (GA) Worldwise initiative enables young
people to take part in fun and engage in free activities to promote geography
in schools.
With opportunities to take part at both a local and national level, the project
culminates in the annual Worldwise challenge, a weekend of free fieldwork
activities. Ordnance Survey has hosted the Hampshire round of the
competition for more than two decades and is one of the main sponsors with
ESRI ® UK and the Field Studies Council.
The head of geography at King Edward VI’s school in Southampton, Mr Garry
Hunt, has been involved in Worldwise since 1983.
He recalls:
‘At that time the event was run in Southampton by the local
branch of the GA and it took place at, what was then, the
Curriculum Development Centre in the city. Sponsorship
has been a key element, and during my second year of my
involvement I invited Ordnance Survey to attend, resulting in an
offer to host the following year’s event.’
‘At one stage there was a regular series of rounds, starting at a local level in December.
Then there was a regional final, which took place in February, followed by a national
final, which was normally tied into the GA conference at Easter. One year there
was even an international final based on taking one team member from each team
competing in the national event. King Edward VI was fortunate enough to come second
nationally that year, and I can still remember the agony of trying to decide which one of
our team members should get an all-expenses paid trip to America.’
‘The quiz today is a rather different animal. There is now only a
local round to the quiz, which I feel is a shame in many respects.
There are, however, other elements – which include various
online activities and competitions – that no doubt appeal to a
wider audience and are more accessible. The Field Study Council
sponsors the winner’s visit to Malham Tarn Field Centre.’
‘The children that I know enjoy taking part in the event and staff
are often very pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge
demonstrated by their students. I have enjoyed my involvement in
the quiz and have been fortunate to work with many like-minded
individuals. Having Ordnance Survey as hosts has made
organising the quiz much easier and has given the Southampton
area an independent base from which to run it. This has helped
to make it such a successful event.’
All secondary schools are eligible to enter teams for the local round of the
quiz. Each team is made up of three pupils who must all be under 16 on 1
September of the year of entry.
For more information visit http://www.geography.org.uk/events/worldwise
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/education mapping news Issue 30 Summer 006 7