HMI Primary Geography Conference

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HMI Primary Geography Conference
June 2004

• The view from QCA
• John Westaway

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Geography update

• The state of primary geography QCA monitoring
• So what is QCA doing about it?
• Schemes of work
• National Curriculum in Action
• Innovating with geography

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QCA monitoring findings 2002-03 KS1/2

• Geography continues to have marginal status
  compared with core and other priority subjects,
  resulting in a lack of funding, time and support
  for geography subject leaders
• Many primary teachers have weaknesses in their
  specialist knowledge and the likelihood is that
  the situation will worsen in future years as a
  result of changes to primary teacher education
• There is little understanding shown by many
  senior managers of geographys distinctive
  contribution to the foundation stage and the
  primary curriculum
• As a result, many pupils receive a fragmented and
  incoherent geographical education and leave
  primary school with significant gaps in their
  geographical knowledge, understanding and skills

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So what is QCA doing about it?

• Helping teachers to improve the quality of
  geography teaching and
• learning, with a particular focus on planning and
  teaching geography
• courses that will engage and motivate pupils of
  all ages.

If your pupils seem really disinterested, why not
take advantage of the new flexibility of the
national curriculum?
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How is QCA helping teachers?

• Schemes of work
• National Curriculum in Action
• Innovating with Geography

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Schemes of Work

• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/geography/?view
  get

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Improving schemes of work

• The Scheme of Work website is changing to support
  primary schools in
• developing their schemes of work
• adapting units information about adapting units
  with examples in different subjects
• combining units coming soon
• planning guidance long-, medium- and short-term
  planning, with examples in different subjects
• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3

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Scheme of Work adapting units

• Geography examples    
• Adapted unit 1 Around our school the
• local area
• Adapted unit 20 Local traffic an
• environmental issue
• Why? How? How did it work?
• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3

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Scheme of Work combining units

• Planned combined units involving geography
• a geography and history unit on 'the seaside'
  combining Geography Unit 4 and History Unit 3
• geography and French units, for example combining
  Geography Unit 22 and French Unit 12 to look at a
  French-speaking contrasting, overseas locality
• geography and science units, for example on
  water, making links between parts of Geography
  Unit 11 and Science Unit 6C
• Why? How? How did it work?
• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3

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National Curriculum in Action

• www.qca.org.uk/ncaction/subjects/geog/index.htm

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National Curriculum in Action purpose

• This website uses pupils' work to show what the
  national
• curriculum looks like in practice. The examples
  given show
• the standard of pupils' work at different ages
  and key stages
• how the programmes of study translate into real
  activities
• NEW! effective use of ICT in subject teaching
• NEW! how teachers recognise and promote pupils
  creative thinking and behaviour
• www.qca.org.uk/ncaction

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National Curriculum in Action - exemplification

• The level descriptions (indicating aspects
  relating to each sentence)
• Guidance on making judgements with sample
  profile of a pupil working at L7
• Progression expected performance in each aspect
  at L1-2, L3-4, L5-6, L7-7
• Examples of pupils work exemplifying evidence of
  different levels of performance searchable by
  level/aspect, year, PoS, SoW with a description
  commentary
• www.ncaction.org.uk/subjects/geog/index.htm

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NC in Action Exploring a local issue - Kirsty

The local issue was a current issue, with
articles in the local newspaper, a campaign by
local residents, and a petition to the local
council. The teacher realised that this issue
would help develop the pupils' citizenship
skills. This activity involved using historical
and present-day OS maps, role play and debate,
and a substantial fieldwork exercise. In this
exercise the pupils had to collect data about
traffic movements, use of land in the park, and
views and opinions of local people. This activity
also involved writing a report. In this report
the pupils had to include maps and diagrams,
summarise findings from the fieldwork, and draw
out conclusions and recommendations.
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National Curriculum in Action - creativity

• Guidance on creativity
• What is creativity?
• Why is creativity so important?
• How can you spot creativity?
• How do you promote creativity?
• Examples of creativity in action
• A dancing river river snap, river dance, a big
  book on rivers for infants (Y5)
• River poetry the outcome of two lessons on
  literacy, focused on poetry, following recent
  geography work on rivers (Y6)
• www.ncaction.org.uk/creativity/index.htm

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A dancing river river snap cards (Year 5)

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A dancing river a big book on rivers for
infants

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River poetry (Year 6)

• This activity was part of a sequence of
• two literacy lessons focused on poetry.
• The context for this creative writing
• activity was recent work on rivers.
• The teacher introduced the pupils to
• different types and styles of poetry, and
• encouraged them to try writing their
• own. The teacher introduced the class
• to rivers through a combination of
• fieldwork and structured classroom
• work.

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National Curriculum in Action - ICT

• The ICT support material includes
• Guidance material
• Case studies with pupils work - of uses of ICT
  to enhance geographical learning
• www.ncaction.org.uk/subjects/geog/index.htm

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ICT case studies

• Key stage 1
• Housing in the local area (year 1)
• Robotic journeys (year 1)
• Key stage 2
• Local flood (the Dirty Don!) (year 3)
• Improving the school grounds (year 4)
• Mountain environments (year 6)
• www.ncaction.org.uk/subjects/geog/index.htm

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ICT case study Exploring the local area Year 1
A digital photograph of Daniels house for the
class database
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Innovating with geography purposes

• to help schools plan and teach geography courses
  from the national curriculum programmes of study
  that will engage and motivate pupils aged from
  5-14
• to provide a gateway to other sites offering
  support for geography teaching and learning
• www.qca.org.uk/geography

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Innovating with geography development

• Being developed in partnership with GA and
  RGS-IBG
• Work on developing the website and assembling
  materials started October 2002
• Website launched July 2003
• Continuing development 2004-05 and beyond
• www.qca.org.uk/geography

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Innovating with geography home page
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Innovating with geography bright ideas

• Bright idea
• Current affairs
• Create a template for a current
• affairs news diary and ask the
• children to watch the news and
• record what news programmes
• they watch and which places
• are featured over one week.
• Helen McLoughlin,
• Barlborough Hall School, Derbyshire

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Innovating with geography more developed ideas

• More developed ideas
• Globingo A fun activity to investigate the
  concept of interdependencePDF 38Kb RTF 11Kb
  Help
• Promoting empathy and challenging stereotypes a
  true or false activityQuestions to challenge
  pupils' perceptionsPDF 44Kb RTF 10Kb Help

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Innovating with geography other information

• Other information
• Visit the DfES standard site for the QCA scheme
  of work unit 25 Geography and numbers. This unit
  demonstrates the contribution geography can make
  in developing numeracy skills. As a result, it
  should be used within other geography units
  across years 1-6 rather than in isolation. The
  unit gives examples of activities that can be
  used from years 1-6.
• For more information about the national numeracy
  strategy, visit the National Numeracy Strategy
  site.
• Cadbury's learning zone website contains a wide
  range of on line activities that develop and
  extend numeracy skills in the real context of
  chocolate making. Cadbury has developed the
  website in conjunction with BEAM Education and
  Big Picture Interactive..
• Thames Water's numeracy project 'Water counts'
  has its own website that applies numeracy. The
  website includes fun interactive games for key
  stage 2 children and details of curriculum links.

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Innovating with Geography geography matters

• Ask an expert
• New developments
• Promoting geography
• Careers
• Continuity progression
• Continuing professional development activities
• Fieldwork
• www.qca.org.uk/geography

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Other QCA support
QCA geography
Respect for all
Learning difficulties
Gifted and talented
www.qca.org.uk
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Spread a little good practice!

• The QCA websites are only as good as the
  materials that teachers contribute
• If you have a bright idea or a more developed
  idea that worked well, let others know about it
• Submit your ideas direct through Innovating with
  Geography or by email to geography_at_qca.org.uk
• Your website needs YOU!