A View From King Edward VI Five Ways School

Building OutstandingGeography Departments

STANDING OUT

Things to think about #1….

Having a VISIONWhat exactly are you doing and why?

What philosophy or rationale informseverything you do?

What is the point of you and yourGeography department?

What kind of geographer do you want your pupilsto be?

Things to think about #2…. The Importance of Geography

• What is Geography?

• Why does it matter?

• The distinctiveness of Geography

• Do we need to be geographers and teachers?

Outstanding geography brings the real world, with all its excitement, complexity and challenges, into the classroom. It also takes students and teachers out of the classroom!www.geography.org/uk

The Importance of Geography Geography stimulates an interest in and a sense of wonder

about places and….

• helps young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world

• explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected ….

• builds on pupils’ own experiences to investigate all scales, from the personal to the global.

• encourages questioning, investigation and critical thinking about issues affecting the world and people’s lives, now and in the future….

• inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.

Things to think about #3…. Your PUPILS and your PLACE

• The distinctiveness of Geography (again)

• The need to be pupil-centred

• Distinct social, economic, environmental and political settings

• Available resources

• Plan for and recognise outstanding performance in geography

Your pupilYour geography

• All students make satisfactory progress; most make good progress.

• Most know what they are doing and why.• Students behave well - little time is lost to behavioural issues.• The classroom is a friendly and safe place - relationships are

good.• The teacher knows his/her subject and strategies for teaching

it well; the teaching methods used are appropriate for the content.

• The teaching is well-matched to the learners' needs; most are stretched by the teaching.

• The teacher encourages and praises frequently.• Available resources (time, staff etc) are well used.• Assessment is regular and supports progress - most pupils

know what they need to do to improve.

Things to think about #4…. OfSTED and SMT - ‘From good to outstanding’

http://archive.leadermagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=623

Things to think about #4…. OfSTED and SMT - ‘From good to outstanding’

• All students are challenged and make good progress, especially those at the ends of the ability range and those who lack confidence; some make exceptional progress;

• Enthusiasm and enjoyment pervade the classroom.• The teaching is exciting and interesting (for example, through use of stimulating

resources or other adults in the lesson), it may be inspired. All the students are involved in the lesson and all contribute.

• Teaching methods are very well matched to the content and to the learners - some may be original or innovative

• The teacher checks progress throughout the lesson; assessment is regular and helpful.

• Students evaluate their own and others' progress accurately and constructively.• All students know how to improve as a result of regular and constructive feedback;

where appropriate this is linked to national criteria or examination requirements.• The teacher develops students' basic and other cross-curricular skills• Students have easy access to, and make use of, additional resources• The classroom is a lively and interesting place

http://archive.leadermagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=623

Things to think about #5….

The GeographyWhat are you teaching and why?• Get it right• Make it current• Update it

How are you teaching it?• Challenge• Pupil or teacher centred?• Critical

Which country has the highest fertilityrate – Israel, Saudi Arabia orBangladesh?

Which country spends the highest proportion of its income on education – Lesotho, Botswana or Denmark?

Which country has the highest child mortality rate?

Sri Lanka or TurkeyPoland or South KoreaMalaysia or RussiaPakistan or VietnamThailand or South Africa

Which country has the highest fertility rate –Israel, Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh?

Answer: Saudi Arabia – it has a rate of 3,Israel’s is 2.6 and Bangladesh’s is 2.6

Which country spends the highest proportion of its income on education – Lesotho, Botswana or Denmark?

Answer: Lesotho spent 13%,Botswana 8.7%, and Denmark 8.3%

Q5: Which country has the highest child mortality rate?

Answers:Sri Lanka or TurkeyPoland or South KoreaMalaysia or RussiaPakistan or VietnamThailand or South Africa

Territory size shows the proportion of all people living onless than or equal to US$1 in purchasing power parity a day.

The Wretched Dollar (up to $1 a day)

Territory size shows the proportion of worldwide human development that occurred there between 1975 and 2002 (calculated by multiplying human development index by population).

Development Increase

http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=175

Territory size shows the proportion of worldwide human un-development that occurred there between 1975 and 2002 (calculated as the fall in Human Development Index multiplied by population).

Development Decrease

http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=176

The HDI scores of 7 territories fell between 1975 and 2002

Afghanistanthe DRC, IraqSomalia,Timor-Leste,Zambia,Zimbabwe.

Are we still talking about Kobe?

Outstanding resources

• Current• Web-based• Varied, visual, audio and kinaesthetic• ICT, graphs, data• Inside and outside classroom• Literature, film, imagery, newspapers• Visitors• Food and props

Things to think about #6….The Geography Curriculum

KS3 – is up to you!

KS4 – choose an exam board, best-fit!

KS5 – choose an exam board, best-fit!

Uptake (results!) at KS4 and KS5 dependson pupil experience of KS3

An ‘outstanding’ curriculumor

A curriculum that inspires outstanding learning, ensures progress and has the WOW factor

• Bespoke• Pupil-centred• Resourced, shared, ensures pupil parity• Matches KS3 guidance/exam specification• Plays to strengths• Innovative technologies• GIS• Fieldwork• Enquiry• Use fieldwork and enquiry

Write a curriculum that suits YOU and your PUPILS

At KS3, the Key Concepts are..•Place•Space•Scale•Interdependence•Physical and Human Processes•Environmental Interaction andSustainable Development•Cultural Understanding and Diversity

WHAT are we trying to achieve?

HOW do we organise learning?

HOW well are we achieving our aims?

The Geography Curriculum

CURRICULUMDESIGN

KEY QUESTION

AIMS TO UNDERSTAND

LEARNING ACTIVITIES SKILLS RESOURCES

What can we find out about population?

Information sources can be used to begin investigating a topic and establish understanding and familiarity.

Introductory lesson using the website ‘six billion human beings’ to begin investigating the breadth of the topic.Present pupils with questions that they must find the answers to by searching the website. Design the questions to ensure they search the site.

Interrogating a websiteLocating and selecting information

Six billion human beings website (use Google search to find it)Question sheet

Where do people live?

Global population distribution is uneven. Some parts are very crowded and some are not. There are physical and human reasons for the uneven distribution. Some areas are densely populated and some areas are sparsely populated.

Visit worldmapper site and select and annotate maps to demonstrate population features

Map selection and interpretationIdentification and description of pattern

Photos in various texts and internetWorld 2000 video ‘Population’ or similar

3 Planning With ConceptsA scheme of work on one page

1

2

Support

• Join the Geographical Association• Join the RGS (continue to!)• Be a CGeog• Go to the GA conference• Use the APG opportunities (continue to!)• Enable others by supporting CPD• Write and update a departmental

handbook

You have a shared vision and a clear understanding of themeaning and power geography.You understand your pupils and their geographical context.You have designed an innovative, bespoke curriculum thatenables pupils to make great progress and involves GISand fieldwork and visitors.Your lessons are hugely interesting – WOW - and yourresources are current and accurate

SO…..

OUTSTANDING!

The big question is…

How do you know?

How do your SMT know?

How does OfSTED know?

How do your pupils (and parents) know?

SO WHAT?

PRACTICALITIESASSESSMENT, MONITORING, RECORD-KEEPING, EVIDENCE, MEETINGS CPD, SYSTEMS…. IDEAS TO CONSIDER