Curriculum Change and Notes from the GA 2015

What follows are a few headline notes form the GA Conference in Manchester; specifically focused on curriculum change for Geography in September 2016:






KEY DATES: 28th MAY 2015 - A Level Exam specs released
- AQA contact: Michelle Atherton - geography@aqa.org.uk
Launch event  (t.b.c -
- OCR  contact:Abi/Mark/Shelley - Geography@ocr.org.uk N.B Geography Journey Newsletter
Launch Event: Thursday 11th June 2015 (London) - Booking required - click here
- Eduqas contact: Andy/Alison - andy.owen@eduqas.co.uk / alison.doogan@eduqas.co.uk
- Edexcel contact:
Launch Event: 24th June 2015 (London) - Booking required - click here






FIELDWORK: Nick Lapthorn
I. Fieldwork skills will need to be built in throughout the key stages, if not already. It would be suggested that despite the removal of CA, students should still complete fieldwork days at GCSE (as they do currently for the CIE IGCSE). Having said this though, reflection must take place as to what constitutes purposeful fieldwork.
Point to consider:
 - Could IGCSE fieldwork questions come into KS3 projects to familiarise students with the thought process and build up their skill level?
 -  Need to write to S5/Deputy Head of Academic to gain support and outline the need for the days.
II. TIME & RESOURCES must be allocated/built into the school curriculum, if fieldwork is to be successful. This links to the 2 days mandatory fieldwork at AS and 4 days at A Level. LOCAL focus preferable.
Point to consider: Very likely that the fieldwork for AS takes place in the Autumn/early Spring term and the fieldwork for the A-Level takes place in the Summer term, post AS exams (or possibly at the start of the Autumn term of Year 13)
III. One point to consider for the A Level fieldwork is that students will ultimately have limited time and resources at their disposable, so they should be made aware of this. Fieldwork independent report will focus on the PROCESS as opposed to the OUTCOME. MISTAKES are ok.
Point to consider: Pilot survey for fieldwork report could be done as part of the Aske project i.e. a mini-proposal, which is then marked and assessed then carried out of the summer with the reflections?
IV. To support centres, the project will be able to done at one centre or site, and the data collected in a group but then there must be an individual - different reports or reports focusing on different hypotheses.
III. For International trips,the following destinations were discussed e.g. Iceland, Jordan, Morocco, Sicily etc. Also,  a 'pre-brief idea' was expressed as an excellent way of engaging students during fieldwork trips and adding value/purpose.








HUMAN CONTENT:
The Human content could be tricky to teach as it could have the problem of looking nice but in reality being a bit too fluffy and again, although exciting to resource, quite demanding and time consuming; my fear is that higher order thinking skills could be easy on the surface to address but challenging for the students to nail down when considering perspectives..but maybe the assessment will be clear and that this is a good example of differentiation...time will tell!


Simon Oakes, in his GA lecture 'Thinking Global and Looking Local' sought to allay our fears about the new 'fluffy' human core part of the specification: how do we teach it? what type of content will need to be covered/generated? how will it be assessed? etc.


I. PLACES  - Oakes stressed the importance of choosing a case study where both types of geography overlapped e.g. his example of the River Mersey and the changes over time from industrialisation to deindustrialisation was well-explained. He described using rivers as the central actor in his place narrative. The performance of a river changes over time (esp when considering the global shift in manufacturing). Scale also matters - who has the power to transform the landscape - STAKEHOLDERS and their local-global interrelationship.


N.B. In Oakes' opinion, A* students will not compartmentalise the social, cultural or environmental assets as separate entities but instead see them as INTERTWINED ENTITIES. e.g. "If you don't change the river, you will not change the economy".




II. SYSTEMS & GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
i. GLOBAL INTERDEPENDENCE - key idea of uncertainty.
The study of the world's OCEANS would be a good example to teach globalisation through as ties in containerisation and undersea cables (telecommunications). Notions of impacts of mass consumption on fish stocks as well as impacts such as spills and risk, resistance, management and players at all scales.
ARCTIC and ENERGY with links to climate change / HOUSING MARKET
ii. GLOBAL FINANCIAL FLOWS
Technological leapfrogging in the form of capital or remittances  - Vodaphone's PISA scheme. Crowdsourcing.
iii. SUPERPOWERS - EE: BRICS...MINTs...US vs CHINA
iv. DIASPORA-Scotland and Ireland punch globally above their weight through their migrant networks.
v.LAWS AND NORMS -governance of cyberspace (not true that we live in a limitless shrunken world -cyberspace controls are good examples also idea of domestic control versus international control and scale of the operating networks.
vi. SOFT POWER  - global conflicts/disruptions


Finally to wrap things up Oakes discussed the importance of SYNOPTICITY...a word distinctly absent from the new specifications and the proposed core content....
Oakes suggested that the best way to teach the human content and to assess it would be through links to key concepts as well as a consideration of the role of rime and space...the photo below sums it up:

GA Conference 2015 - DANNY DORLING

The Geography of Elections - Danny Dorling






http://www.dannydorling.org/?p=4592
http://www.theguardian.com/profile/danny-dorling






Dorling enticed a room full of geographers during the Conference's keynote address by using a series of maps to illustrate the polarisation of voting in the UK.

In particular, the following points are worth noting and thinking on...
i. The Conservative vote is becoming increasingly segregated at an unsustainable rate e.g. in 1918 - 17% and in 2010 - 17%; Dorling pointed out that whilst a degree of concentration was needed to win seats, in this case in the South East, too much concentration in certain areas would not win an election - hence the inevitable hung parliament on the horizon (a long term trend since the 1970s).
ii.If the Greens were savvy, they would rally students in key marginal seats in order to win more seats; as opposed to being thinly spread across the country and winning may be only one seat!
III. He then touched upon the fact that our vote only really counts in the marginal sears...


However, Dorling's key point was that 'WE' need to keep perspective and look at things from an international perspective to observe, and understand what actual radical change is possible - as opposed to the minority squabbles of keeping the centre status quo i.e. the 99% bowing to the whims of the 1% and letting the superich influence our politicians.


If you look at the politics of Europe; specifically comparing the distribution of voters for different parties it is clear that MUCH variation exists and that there are incalculable alternatives...a different (better) way of doing things?!


The recession was a watershed moment for many countries but not just in terms of economics, it catalysed in many countries a rejection of the incumbent politicians/parties and often was followed by a radical shift in either direction e.g. the rise of the right in France and that Greece is an excellent example of a dissatisfied populous looking for a workable and practicable alternative - it is worth noting that if the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) does not work, then Golden Dawn (XA) could come to power!


Dorling then moved away form the election to focus on scale and the global issues which we need to be more concerned with e.g. Europe as a Continent is shrinking in terms of its population (only currently topped up by the youthful Eastern Europe populous and migration to Western Europe.


At this juncture, Dorling moved onto looking at a series of maps from his colleague's, Ben Hennig's website: http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/


Reiterating that many UK citizens view the past with rose tinted spectacles and wish for the old days...especially those who were not alive during the period...this wistfulness and desire to return to the 'good old days of Empire and power', Dorling suggests, means that people look to blame anything that is different e.g. migrants - what Dorling refers to as the immigration narrative.


He tocuhed upon the fallacy of the American Dream - everyone can get rich....by outlining the reality that only 1% of the population can ever be in the 1%.






The latter point links to Dorling's book "INEQUALITY AND THE 1%"


"Since the great recession hit in 2008, the 1% has only grown richer while the rest find life increasingly tough. The gap between the haves and the have-nots has turned into a chasm. While the rich have found new ways of protecting their wealth, everyone else has suffered the penalties of austerity.
But inequality is more than just economics. Being born outside the 1% has a dramatic impact on a person's potential: reducing life expectancy, limiting education and work prospects, and even affecting mental health."



Dorling’s book is essential and foundational reading for anyone who wishes to think about (or indeed change) the present organisation of wealth and power in the UK.


For a brief insight check out the following talks below:

Video 1 - RSA video on inequality and the 1%

Video 2 - RSA why social inequality persists


Website link to Danny Dorling's homepage

End of term and some Toltec wisdom to mull over the summer

So I started up a Twitter account recently, @jsbgeography, as I thought it would be a good medium through which to share information, network and encourage students to connect with the subject outside of the classroom. So far things are going well but Twitter does require the account holder to keep up to speed a.k.a tweet frequently and for a teacher near exhaustion at the end of the summer term this can be quite a challenge; nevertheless, I will stick with it as I feel this form of social network does have the potential (when compared to VLEs e.g. Fronter) to connect the learner with what is a very dynamic and topical subject. Next term I am looking forward to setting some prep using Twitter and seeing how I can use it in the classroom with a heavy dose of common sense!

Now enough of the teaching and learning diatribe and onto some cultural geography wisdom which i picked up from a recent Inset - it is called Toltec wisdom and originates from, yep you've guessed it, the Toltec tribe (900-1200AD) which literally means "Master builder" or "Reed people". Essentially Toltec wisdom can be distilled into the following 4 points:

1. Be impeccable with your words
2. Take nothing personally
3. Make no assumptions
4. Always do your best

Food for thought for all of us at this time of year and on that note I wish you a happy summer holidays - it's time for me to switch off and disconnect...

J.

https://sites.google.com/site/tolteccivilization/

The importance of podcasts in connecting with today's mobile learners

After two years of being a loyal Blackberry supporter, with the shift of the company towards its focus on the business community and the lure of Apple and its Apps, I succumbed last week to getting an I-Phone 4S and my my what a revelation.  Although the touch screen keypad is a little frustrating (ahem..predictive text), the power of the I-phone has surpassed my expectations.  It epitomises how EASY it is to connect to the Global Village (M. McLuhan)and in particular share ideas, links, resources, tweets, podcasts etc etc etc.

Podcasts are particularly useful and still, in my opinion, not utilized effectively by many teaching practitioners.  Obviously the tech savvy student in comparison to his more Luddite orientated teacher (apologies for the gross generalisation) may already listen to popular podcasts on comedy, sport (probably football), and radio shows.  However, there are a plethora of GREAT Political, Economic, & Geographic (a.k.a PEG) podcasts which students can download and listen to on their phones - hence, independent learning on the go, and it's not reading 'dull' or 'long' books!

As the UCAS drum starts to beat again, students (and teachers alike) are trying to prove WHY they love their particular subject through the medium of the their personal statement. If you are lucky enough to live near London, then the LSE Event lectures (free) and RGS Monday evening lectures (free to school members) offer a tangible and dynamic medium to engage with Geography at a higher level. However, for those a little further away, podcasts make geographical distances insignificant and allow any student with a decent smartphone and internet connection to engage with their subject at a higher level and through a medium which they may indeed find more engaging and time efficient. 


Below is a brief summary of some of the podcasts I like to listen to and tweet about (@jsbgeography). Check them out, select the ones you like and add any new ones to this post to share ideas and build up a resource bank!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/oneplanet

http://soundcloud.com/theeconomist

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/

If you are also interested in keeping up-to-date with topical news stories and have an I-Phone then download the free FLIPBOARD app; a great way to collate and browse topical news stories which interest you!

Geography matters on Google Books: Doreen Massey

A classic geographical text for all students wanting to expand their horizons  by  a very prominent geographer.

Abandoned places...spaces or places?

Geographers quite rightly tend to be obsessed with the concept of place and space. I stumbled across a series of interesting images and the following question arose - when places become defunct* are they still places per se or  over time do they lose their human attachment and just return to ordinary spaces/landscapes? Do landscapes have a social or even historical memory and how long can this last before e.g. do humans always have to inhabit places for them to be called a place?

*due to a natural or disaster, quasi natural disaster or simply that it becomes abandoned due to an industry shutting down.

Pictured: Ashley, Pennsylvania
The Huber Coal Breaker, built in 1938. “Other coal breakers have been demolished,” Yves Marchand says. “It really is the last of its kind.” All those windows were there to let in as much natural light as possible. Today they are target practice for stone-throwers

Pictured: Port Richmond, Pennsylvania A generator stands like a sculpture. In its day it was one of the most powerful in the world. It was housed, Meffre says, in a room “built to look like the main hall of a grand city station”

Robert Polidori's photographs of Pripyat and Chernobyl. 

Robert Polidori's photographs of Pripyat and Chernobyl. 

http://moreintelligentlife.com/gallery/american-ruins

http://chrisotley.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.houkgallery.com/artists/robert-polidori/

Everything which is bad is good for you

Steven Johnson has written an interesting book entitled, ' How everything bad is good for you' - the notion that popular culture is making us smarter.It is interesting to note the extent to which Western culture can be demonized and as pessimists moan about the state of TV programming and the rise of social networks, this book takes quite a refreshing approch - i know i will be ordering my copy on the Kindle1

The New Yorker sums up the book quite well here as does the Guardian

Clipperton Project Update

For those of you that have been following the progress of the Clipperton project will be please to watch the new trailer which shows the findings of the group's recent expedition earlier this year!

The Clipperton Project is a multi-disciplinary, international arts and science project which aims to take outstanding practitioners in the arts and sciences on expeditions to little-studied, inaccessible and complex territories which have been isolated by history.

geographyalltheway.com - Online Geography and Humanities Resources

geographyalltheway.com - Online Geography and Humanities Resources

Royal Institution - Geographers website

A fantastic website by the RI covering great geographic themes - plenty of videos to watch and discussion to to contirbute to - excellent - also on my links page!


http://richannel.org/themes/environment

Check out the link on the anthropocene...

Hope and Poverty

Hope and Poverty

Frontline Club - an excellent forum for geographic talks & debates

The Frontline club in Paddington is an excellent place to take older students or friends and listen to a topical geo-political/economic geography talk. Facinating indeed.

http://www.frontlineclub.com/events/2012/05/india-rising.html?utm_source=Frontline&utm_campaign=8b903bd6ba-22+May&utm_medium=email

http://www.youtube.com/user/frontlineclublondon?feature=results_main

Cultural attitudes to the environment & risk

In her latest work, Naomi Klein wonders: What makes our culture so prone to the reckless high-stakes gamble, and why are women so frequently called upon to clean up the mess.

What makes our cultutal attitude to the envionment lead to conflict and risk?

http://www.naomiklein.org/main

Rio 2012: 20years on from sustainable development

How has our attitude to the environment moved on from Rio 1992 when the paradigm of sustainable development was first publicy showcased.

Have we become a more globally and environmentally aware society?
Are we looking after the environment better and has our attitude to it changed from consumption to protection?

We will move towards a green economy in the next 50years? and more possibly are we on track to achieve the MDGs?

CHECK OUT THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW:

http://www.earthsummit2012.org/

Another interesting video -looking at whether development is compatible with the environment...
or not in the case of the tar sands

Arctic melt releasing ancient methane

Scientists have identified thousands of sites in the Arctic where methane that has been stored for many millennia is bubbling into the atmosphere.This article is a good link to Edexcel Unit 1 World at Risk to show the possible impacts of global warming and positive feedback mechanisms...



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18120093

An Ocean of troubles - our attitude to the ocean environment

To what extent does the state of our oceans depict the global attitude to the environment?

Last night Simon Reeve's Indian Ocean programme  highlighted the state of the oceans in the tourist hot spot of the Maldives and how some islands are being used for waste dumping!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18073917

http://www.economist.com/node/21554490

6.0 Earthquake in Bologna Italy

An earthquake in northern Italy has killed at least six people and caused serious damage to buildings in several towns, officials have said.The 6.0-magnitude quake struck in the middle of the night, about 35km (22 miles) north of the city of Bologna.

Questions to consider:
i) Why so few deaths?
ii) What has the response been like?
iii) Is the loss of cultural heritage a significant impact & to what extent can cultural hertiage be protected from natural hazrads?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18136437




http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16231626

Ecological footprint

An ecological footprint measures the total amount of land and resources used, it includes your carbon footprint but goes further.See how your choices affect the environment and whether you are living beyond the capacity of the planet by clicking here - http://www.ecologicalfootprint.com/

The Economist provdies an excellent spatial overview:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/05/daily-chart-10?fsrc=scn/tw/te/dc/bigfoot

Charles Rothschild & UK Conservation

An interesting centenary marking the impact of one individual's attitude to the environment and how it defined a nation's approach to conservation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18013101

Culture & conflict over the environment

Another excellent case study on how cultural attitudes and values (economic versus environmental especially) lead to conflict in one of the world's most charged regions. This case study is an excellent example of the environment as a contested category and how different cultures view the vital resource of water - economic development & geopolitics versus indigenous cultural rights versus environmental value (biodiversity). The map link here shows a classic case of upstream versus downstream conflict & dispute (http://mapsof.net/map/jordan-river-map).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11101797

Friends o the earth Middle east provide a good overview of the situation, admittedly from an environmental perspective: http://foeme.org/www/?module=projects&record_id=23

Opinion: Cultural cooperation is key to this area in order to preserve the cultural heritage from a multi-faith perspective!

Other opinions suggest that Israel is violating the human rights of indigenous Palestinians by not only occupying territory but also denying water access to the Palestinians - however, this is the opinion of Amnesty and it is a very divisive & debated issue!