Geography

Respect for all

Geography

The above activities are examples of good practice. They provide effective learning opportunities for pupils to value diversity and challenge racism. They focus on helping pupils understand and appreciate aspects of cultural difference, context and change, while challenging and extending their perceptions of themselves and other people.

What is the potential in the geography curriculum for valuing diversity and challenging racism?

The national curriculum programme of study and the QCA/DfES schemes of work for geography provide starting points for valuing diversity and challenging racism in the classroom. The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement sets out schools' responsibilities for meeting the needs of all pupils and provides examples of how this can be achieved.

The national curriculum makes the following statement about the importance of geography:

As pupils study geography, they encounter different societies and cultures. This helps them realise how nations rely on each other. It can inspire them to think about their own place in the world, their values, and their rights and responsibilities to other people and the environment.

The programme of study requires that, through geographical enquiry, pupils have a critical approach to their studies of places and environments. In particular, pupils are encouraged to develop their own views and consider the views that others hold about topical geographical issues. They are also required to gain understanding of how places are linked and are interdependent with each other.

Key stage 1

Geographical enquiry and skills

In undertaking geographical enquiry, children should be taught to:

1c - express their own views about people, places and environments

Knowledge and understanding of places

Children should be taught to:

3d - recognise how places compare with other places
3e - recognise how places are linked to other places in the world

Breadth of study

This should include the study of two localities:

6a - the locality of the school
6b - a locality either in the United Kingdom or overseas that has physical and/or human features that contrast with those in the locality of the school

Teachers' aims:

develop children's awareness of, and familiarity with, the wider world as well as children's knowledge and understanding of the local area;
develop children's awareness of the differences and similarities between their daily lives and the lives of people who live in another locality;
help children to understand how much of their own daily life (eg food, furniture, computers, television sets and programmes) is dependent on other countries.

Key stage 2

Geographical enquiry and skills

In undertaking geographical enquiry, children should be taught to:

1d - identify and explain different views that people, including themselves, hold about topical geographical issues

Knowledge and understanding of places

Children should be taught:

3f - to describe and explain how and why places are similar to and different from other places in the same country and elsewhere in the world
3g - to recognise how places fit within a wider geographical context and are interdependent

Breadth of study:

This should include the study of two localities:

6a - a locality in the United Kingdom
6b - a locality in a country that is less economically developed and the study of three themes: water and its effects, settlements and environmental issues

Teachers' aims:

develop children's understanding that all human beings share the same needs, through, for example, carefully choosing case studies and using comparison in thematic work (eg water, settlement);
illustrate (where possible) how cultures in one part of the world contribute to another (eg medicinal use of plants, architectural styles);
analyse perceptions of places (eg from television, toys, magazines);
look at different map projections when studying places and themes, and help children consider how they might influence our ideas about the world.

Key stage 3

Geographical enquiry and skills

In undertaking geographical enquiry, pupils should be taught to:

1e - appreciate how people's values and attitudes, including their own, affect contemporary social, environmental, economic and political issues

Knowledge and understanding of places

Pupils should be taught:

3b - to describe the national, international and global contexts of places studied
3e - to explain how places are interdependent, and to explore the idea of global citizenship

Breadth of study

This should include 6a, the study of two countries in significantly different stages of economic development, and a range of themes, such as population (including migration), settlements, economic activity and development

Teachers' aims:

develop pupils' understanding of topical issues such as those concerned with refugees, migration and employment, and place these within a historical and a broader geographical framework (eg referring to colonialism as one way of explaining present-day economic patterns);
explore in depth the physical, social, cultural and political geography of another country, ensuring that the many links and relationships with the wider world are highlighted, as well as its distinctive features.

What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement describes schools' responsibility to provide a curriculum that meets the specific needs of individuals and groups of pupils. The statement sets out three principles that are essential to developing an inclusive curriculum:

setting suitable learning challenges;
responding to pupils' diverse learning needs;
overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

The statement also provides examples of how this responsibility can be met.

The following guidelines interpret the inclusion advice in the context of geography teaching and learning.

Ensuring that stereotypical views of people, places and environments are examined and challenged

Many of our most persistent images of people and places are provided by the media (newspapers, television, films and magazines). Time should be allowed to examine these portrayals and to compare them with other sources of evidence (eg information direct from a country or atlas, e-mail contact with people in other parts of the world). A critical analysis of the images of different groups within British society may be a good starting point for this kind of work.

Encouraging pupils to explore and value the diverse ways in which different groups and cultures respond to similar challenges presented by daily life

Studies of distant localities and of a developing country can provide opportunities to make connections with people who lead lives quite different from the pupils. The emphasis in such studies should be on the daily experiences of people rather than on extraordinary and quaint events. The following might be of particular interest: provision of water supply; journeys to work; using natural resources; and dealing with hazards. Wherever possible, the 'voice' of the people from that place should be presented to the pupils so that they can find out about real people and learn to appreciate, value and view positively the differences with their own lives.

Drawing on pupils' own needs and experiences as a starting point for learning

Teachers should develop classroom strategies that meet the needs of their pupils, whatever their social and cultural backgrounds or ethnic groups. One approach is to start from pupils' own prior learning and experiences, valuing and building on their links to other countries and cultures. All pupils need to feel included in such work. However, a formal description of a culture or country can be alienating if it is removed from pupils' own daily life and current experiences. Teachers should aim to start with classroom discussion and exchange. More democratic and collaborative teaching methods can ensure that all views are confronted and engaged with.

Challenging the idea that all people in developing countries are victims

There is some anecdotal evidence that links the images we see on the media, of people in the developing world as helpless victims of famine and disasters, to the way in which some young black people in this country think others see them. This has a negative effect on their self-esteem. In geography lessons, teachers can emphasise the ways in which local people work towards combating disasters, and explain the social and political factors, not only the physical ones, that contribute to the sometimes devastating effects of famines and disasters. This can be done, for example, by comparing the impact of earthquakes in a developing country like India with the impact of one in a developed country such as the USA.

Using a range of resources and materials that can provide opportunities to examine the power of images

Teachers could raise issues about how some images can promote racist ideas by using carefully selected resources, for example examining how black and Asian people are presented in textbooks. Are they shown only as immigrants or asylum seekers, or as victims of famines or earthquakes in developing countries? Pupils can be asked what kind of ideas could develop if young people only see these kinds of images. They might also be asked to consider ways in which more balanced images could be provided.

In addition, pupils can look at different map projections and what messages they give about the supposed importance and dominance of some countries.

Making use of opportunities to make direct links with people or places representing other cultures

Examples of how this can be achieved include:

involving a wide range of members of the local community from different ethnic backgrounds to contribute their own experiences and views to geography lessons or fieldwork activities;
setting up a link with a school in another country to exchange ideas and views by e-mail;
developing these links further to include, for example, pupil exchanges and/or fieldwork visits.

Providing regular opportunities for pupils to discuss their changing views and for evaluating what has been learnt

Teachers need to check the possible gap between what they have taught and what pupils have understood or learnt. It is also important to provide opportunities for pupils to talk about their attitudes and how they have changed or developed as a result of geographical work. For example, changing views about asylum seekers after a study of migration (key stage 3) and developing ideas about the meaning and importance of religious festivals after a study of an overseas locality (key stage 2).

Teaching geography in a global context

Geography offers many opportunities to value diversity and challenge racism, since it requires pupils to study and compare different places and cultures, and investigate countries and themes at a range of scales: local, regional, national, international and global. Geography provides pupils with the following opportunities:

To reflect on the many groups and communities to which they belong and how these influence their lives