Living Geography The Geographical Association furthering the learning

Living Geography

The Geographical Association • ‘. . . furthering the learning and teaching of geography’ • It does this through – Supporting teacher development – Promoting curriculum development These are mutually dependent activities

The GA ‘approach’ • Belief in teacher autonomy. This has – Privileges (eg guardians of quality and selecting content) – Responsibilities (eg intellectual engagement) • Curriculum making. This emphasises – Strong purpose relating to the outcomes of disciplined enquiry (eg ‘thinking geographically’) – Localised and responsive curricula that excite and build on young people’s curiosity and engagement with the world.

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

Summary • We value – geography as a subject discipline and intellectual resource. This emphasises engagement with ideas over the ‘delivery’ of content knowledge – young people’s geographical experiences, interests and curiosity and their interaction with the world and capacity to learn – the art and craft of teaching and the development of pedagogic repertoire • Our goal – to enable a more geo-capable citizenship

Living Geography Can we build this idea into the GA’s activities more explicitly? - Geography Quality Mark criteria? - in responses to consultations (eg GCSE specifications)? - in project developments? - in position statements and website presence?

A Living Geography “Community of Practice” Negotiated Participation membership documents World mutuality experience instruments Reification curriculum making Examples/models P = ‘taking part’ R = the ‘thingness’ meaning Adapted from Wenger 1998 Communities of Practice: learning, meaning and identity, CUP

Living Geography • Does this ‘brand’ have legs? – Why brand? What’s wrong with what we’ve got? • What does it mean? – To teachers, young people, parents, politicians/policy makers

GA and the GTE network • TEWG – Campaigns – Conference • TDA funding – Margaret Roberts – Data base, GTIP and Geog. Ed; New tutors

GA and the GTE network • TEWG – Campaigns – Conference • TDA funding – Margaret Roberts – Data base, GTIP and Geog. Ed; New tutors Recruitment and retention !