What makes a geography lesson good? Margaret Roberts There are only ever choices “The what, the how and the why of teaching is always up for grabs. There is no one correct set of things that students should know, there is no one ‘proper’ way of learning; there are no ‘self-evident’ goals of education. Instead there are only ever choices about what to teach, how to teach and to what ends.” Castree, N. (2005) Nature, London: Routledge Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) • Professional attributes 1-9 • Professional knowledge and understanding 10-21 • Professional skills 22-33 The standards …are outcome statements that set out what a trainee teacher must know, understand and be able to do to be awarded QTS. Three essentials Geography Constructivism: connecting with existing knowledge Making sense Images of children removed for copyright reasons Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov Geographical data Images of geographical data including maps, diagrams, graphs and photos removed for copyright reasons Geography’s big ideas Source: BBC Geography: in context http://earthquake.usgs.gov Standards: subject knowledge 14 Have a secure knowledge and understanding of their subjects/curriculum areas… 15 Know and understand the relevant statutory and nonstatutory curricula and frameworks…for their subjects/curriculum areas 22 Plan for progression … designing effective learning sequences within lessons …and demonstrating secure subject/curriculum knowledge. 25(b) build on prior knowledge, develop concepts and processes, enable learners to apply new knowledge, understanding and skills Dream School Images of Jamie Oliver, Robert Winston and others removed for copyright reasons Entering child’s mind: Zone of Proximal Development Within ZPD: With support Beyond ZPD: Image of a child building a basic Lego tower removed for copyright reasons On own: without support Images of complex Lego buildings removed for copyright reasons “Scaffolding” “Entering the child’s mind”: Constructivism “Humans actively construct their knowledge rather than receive it, fully formed, from external sources” (Physical world, social wisdom, schooling, television) “Humans use information from these various sources to create theories of the world… concepts of other people and of society and modes of problem solving” Constructivism: key ideas • How we see and understand the world depends on our existing ways of thinking • Each individual sees and understands the world differently • In constructing new knowledge we are not adding separate new ‘bits’ of knowledge to what we already have • Our constructions of the world are not fixed but are being modified continuously Constructivism in practice We need to: • take account of students’ existing knowledge and ways of understanding • allow time for students to explore new information • provide opportunities for students to reconstruct their existing knowledge in discussion with others • make students aware of the way they see things Connecting with existing knowledge Connecting with existing understanding Connecting with existing opinions Standards: constructivism 1 Have high expectations of children and young people … and to establishing fair, respectful, trusting, supportive and constructive relationships with them. 25(b) build on prior knowledge, develop concepts and processes, enable learners to apply new knowledge, understanding and skills and meet learning objectives Image of teacher with students removed for copyright reasons Making sense: through right answer culture? “Most plants contain a green colouring called chlorophyll. This chlorophyll enables them to make their own food by photosynthesis. Yeast gives off alcohol when it respires” Image of a pint of beer removed for copyright reasons ‘Without even passing through the brain on the way’ We can’t just pass down information, tell them to absorb it raw, ready for regurgitation in a later test, and expect them to learn anything. To learn something, students need to take that piece of information and build it into their own picture of the world. The information needs to pass into and around their consciousness. Only when it becomes part of the pattern in their heads does it become theirs. Making sense: sharing information and ideas Images of students working together removed for copyright reasons Making sense: connecting ideas Making sense: through discussion Image of students working together removed for copyright reasons Making sense: through writing Image of students working together removed for copyright reasons Making sense through reconstruction Standards: making sense 10 …provide opportunities for all learners to achieve their potential. 25(b) build on prior knowledge, develop concepts and processes, enable learners to apply new knowledge, understanding and skills and meet learning objectives • 25(d) demonstrate the ability to manage the learning of individuals, groups and whole classes, modifying their teaching to suit the stage of the lesson. Curriculum Making How does this take the learner beyond what they already know? Teacher Choices Underpinned by Key Concepts Student Experiences Learning Activity Geography: the subject Thinking Geographically 23 There are only ever choices “The what, the how and the why of teaching is always up for grabs. There is no one correct set of things that students should know, there is no one ‘proper’ way of learning; there are no ‘self-evident’ goals of education. Instead there are only ever choices about what to teach, how to teach and to what ends.” Castree, N. (2005) Nature, London: Routledge