As a pair or small group, share some examples of aspects of geography you know students typically

struggle with.

Using hinge questions to diagnose student misconceptions in

geography

STEPHEN SCHWAB Co Chair - Geographical Association Secondary

Phase Committee

SIMON RENSHAWMember - Geographical Association Secondary

Phase Committee

RYAN BATE Member - Geographical Association Secondary

Phase Committee

It is the moment where you move from one key idea/ activity/ point on to another.

Understanding the content before the hinge is a prerequisite for the next phase of learning.

The main reason air temperature varies across the globe is because...

A - The Earth orbits the sun B - The Earth orbits the sun at an angleC - The Earth is a sphereD - The Earth has a hot core

You are most likely to find scree slopes forming in mountain environments where...

A - The altitude is highB - The gradient is steepC - The temperature is very cold D - The temperature fluctuates around 0⁰CE - The rainfall is low

“To move on? Briefly recap, or completely re-

teach? The most important

decision a teacher has to make on a regular basis”.

A hinge question is an inclusive diagnostic assessment tool because…

A – It is a multiple choice assessment item B - They require all students to respond C - They are based on the teachers learning intention(s)D- The distractors seem almost plausible

Work in pairs using the resources provided to help create hinge question(s). (1) Dylan Wiliam criteria for a hinge question (2) Examples of hinge questions used in the geography classroom (3) Stimulus images / diagram

Two aspects to your challenge…

(1)What are the misconceptions that students face in these topics?(2)Can these become the basis for the development of hinge question(s)?

Share your question with another group.

Discuss your rationale for each question.

Can you offer any helpful suggestions to refine theirs?

Debrief – Any questions?

(1) How challenging was it to create a hinge question; Why?(2) Why might it be difficult to create a hinge question before you have

delivered a lesson?(3) Would collaboratively generating hinge questions be a good use of

subject meeting time?(4) Might the marking of student work provide stimulus material for

the development of hinge questions?(5) How portable do you think hinge questions are? Can they be used

again the following year with different classes?

Comments on hinge questions from other subject areas. “Hinge questions are simply assessing knowledge. I want more than that, I want my students to understand”.

“I teach a skills based subject so I see the point of hinge questions, but they wouldn’t work for my subject”.

Discuss with your table, to what extent would you agree with these statements?

What conclusions can you draw from this information?

Which of the following is a conclusion you can draw from resource 1?

A - more than 842 million people in the world are undernourished.

B - A calorie is the amount of energy contained within food.

C – The UN considers that the minimum calorie intake per person per day should be 2350 calories.

D – There is more than enough food on the planet for everyone to eat.

Quick Key

Quick Key

1 2 3 2

Answer sheet – which questions did you get correct, which were incorrect?

Some of the things I need to remember are…(1)(2) (3)

Follow up tasks…

Question Remember Follow up action

(1) The correct definition of an extreme environment is...

An environment in which it is difficult for humans and other forms of life to survive.

Write out this definition and give an example of two extreme environments and the characteristics which make them extreme.

(2) Which of these is not a typical characteristic of hot deserts

High daytime temperatures, rainfall under 250mm per year and low population densities are all characteristics of a hot desert

Produce a short summary of typical desert characteristics, explain why each one is found in a named hot desert environment.

(3) Which of these is not true regarding the global distribution of hot desert environments

Hot deserts are usually found near the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, and are usually found on the western side of most continents

Find a map which shows the distribution of hot deserts across the world. Describe their distribution using examples.

(4) Hot deserts have a large diurnal range because The lack of cloud cover allows heat energy to escape at night.

Draw a diagram which illustrates why hot deserts have such a large diurnal range

(5) Hot desert ecosystems Hot desert ecosystems contain Producers, Herbivores and Carnivores

Draw a diagram of a typical hot desert ecosystem food chain. Explain the importance of decomposers.

(6) Camels store fat in their humps to... Camels store fat in their humps to help to reduce their body temperature.

Explain how animals like camels have adapted to the hot desert climate. You should explain at least three adaptions.

(7) Which of these is not a characteristic of xerophytic vegetation

Xerophytes are plants which have adaptations which allow them to survive in hot desert climates.

Draw annotated diagrams which show the key differences between xerophytes and ephemerals.

(8) Which of the following is not a process of weathering in a hot desert

Exfoliation, block disintegration and freeze thaw are all examples of weathering processes in a hot desert.

Explain how each of the weathering processes listed works in a hot desert environment.

(9) Which of the following desert landforms has been created by wind erosion

Yardans are a desert landform created by wind erosion

Explain how physical processes have created Yardangs in a hot desert environment. You should draw a annotated diagram to assist your explanation.

Question Remember Follow up action

(10) Which of the following desert landforms has been created by deposition

Sand dunes are a desert landform created by wind deposition

Explain how physical processes have created sand dunes in a hot desert environment. You should draw a annotated diagram to assist your explanation.

(11) Which of these are not typical Sinai Bedouin uses of a hot desert environment.

Typical Bedouin uses of a hot desert include, keeping camels/goats, trade supplies, collect water, provide cultural exchange for tourists. Migrate from one place to another, use animal skin for shelter and clothing, trade in commodities such as salt

Using a named example, Explain how indigenous groups use a hot desert environment.

(12)Energy companies use of hot deserts conflicts with the Bedouin lifestyle in Algeria primarily because...

Multinational energy companies conflict with indigenous groups because large drilling sites use huge quantities of water to cool drills.

Explain the why there is a conflict of use between energy companies and indigenous groups.

(13) Desertification isn’t directly caused by... Desertification is caused by a combination of human and physical causes.

Draw a process diagram which shows all the causes of desertification.

(14) Tree planting, storing water, reducing overgrazing and mixed agriculture are all solutions to desertification which primarily...

Tree planting, storing water, reducing overgrazing and mixed agriculture are all solutions to desertification which primarily increases vegetation cover to hold nutrients in the soil.

Explain how sustainable farming methods can be used to reduce the risk of desertification.

(15) The Great Green wall is an ambitious afforestation project started in Sengal which

The Great Green wall is an ambitious afforestation project started in Sengal which will reduce the risk of desertification, improve diet, increase biodiversity and stimulate a range of economic activities.

Explain why the Great Green Wall afforestation project can be considered sustainable

(16) The Desert Tech project aims to create a more sustainable future by making use of hot desert environments to generating energy primarily through which renewable energy source...

The Desert Tech project aims to create a more sustainable future by making use of hot desert environments to generating energy primarily through Solar Energy.

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the Desert-tec energy project. To what extent do you feel this project is sustainable?