Geographical Detectives

Sharon Witt January 2012

Aims

• To consider how children learn in a geographical context, including the enquiry process;

• To provide a range of teaching and learning strategies to promote good quality geographical experiences within the classroom;

• To begin to explore appropriate resources, including ICT to support children’s learning in Geography’

What is the enquiry approach

“ Geographical enquiry is a process, similar to scientific investigation and historical research, which defines the way in which geography should be taught in the primary years.“

Pickford, T.(2002), ICT: An enquiry approach, Geographical Association, Sheffield p.8.

Geographical Detection- includes:

• Enquiry• Investigation• Problem-solving• decision making• analysing / synthesising

• SENSORY EXPERIENCES

Enquiry Skills are: • observing

analysing• Questioning • Generating • Judging • Selecting • Planning • Using prior knowledge • Reflecting

• Investigating• selecting• Recording• Interpreting• Drawing conclusions • Synthesising • Communicating• Presenting• Organising • Evaluating

“Children are actively engaged in the creation of personal and shared meanings about the world rather than being passive recipients of knowledge that has been created or selected by the teacher”

Fran Martin

Enquiry questionEnquiry question Collect information

Interpret and analyse information

Draw conclusions, offer explanations and propose

actions

Present findings and conclusions

Evaluate the enquiry and identify further

questions

The Enquiry ProcessThe Enquiry Process

Framed Enquiry

A. Pickford(2006)

Enquiry question Collect information

Interpret and analyse information

Draw conclusions, offer explanations and propose

actions

Present findings and conclusions

Evaluate the enquiry and identify further

questions

Where is a litter bin needed in our locality?

Survey the local area looking for litter

‘hotspots’.

Make maps & charts

Decide where a bin is most needed.Letter to Environmental

Services at local council.

Consult others in the locality?

The Enquiry ProcessThe Enquiry Process

A. Pickford(2006)

Issues suitable for geographical enquiry

• Parking • House building • Traffic calming • Quality of the environment- man-

made or natural • Local shops • Special local events e.g. ice rink at

Christmas by the Cathedral.

Questions in the National Curriculum

• What is the place like? (3a, 4)

• Where is it in relation to other places? (3b,c)

• Why is the place like it is? (3d, 4)

• How is the place changing? (3e, 4)

• How is it similar and different to other places? (3f)

• How is the place linked to other places? (3g)

• How can the environment in the place be improved sustainably? (5)

Young Geographers project

St Peter’s Smithills Dean CE Primary School, Lancashire How do we feel about the

environment around our school ? Concepts: Fieldwork, place and space, ESDKeywords: Local area, changing environments, opinions, change, the future and past, environment, community, feelings, improvements, good, bad, interesting things, Photostory, journey stick

Mission Explore

I- SPY

• Make your own I spy trail for the locality, school grounds ?

I love to go a wanderin’My Walks

http://nuweb.northumbria.ac.uk/mywalks/intro.php

• What do we love? • What do we hate?• What tickles us?• What makes us see? • What makes us touch? • What makes us listen?• What irritates us?• What disgusts us ? • What makes us smile?• What stops us in our

tracks?

My walks!

Owens

Messy maps!

Messy Maps are a useful technique to record responses back in class. Pupils use their given map of the route to draw their own version of the route and add their data.

http://www.geography.org.uk/cpdevents/onlinecpd/myplaceyourplaceourplace/mywalksandmessymaps/#top

Children getting stuck into Messy Mapping ... And key – making ..

Photos Nell Seal

Pupils from Hillside Avenue Primary School doing fieldwork at Wells – next - Sea Owens

Geography in schools – Changing Practice –

OFSTED

“The geography curriculum in most primary schools draws strongly from the topics in the QCA’s schemes of work: ‘Barnaby Bear’ and ‘Weather and climate’ are the most popular units; India, Egypt and Mexico are the most frequently studied countries.

• This is a sensible approach to meet pupils’ needs and interests. However, weak medium- and short-term planning mean that the intentions of these units are not fully borne out in practice, in particular because they have not been adapted, as was intended, to meet local requirements or the resources available. Instead, there is a tendency to rely on commercially produced worksheets which occupy pupils rather than engage their interest, and to ‘cherry pick’ parts of a study while omitting significant material.”

What do Geographers do?- Provide a context for the children’s work

Map- maker Explorer Route Finder Traveller Village / Town Planner

Adventurer

Detective ConservationistsRambler Weather man/

woman Photographer Manager of floods Climber of mountains

Puzzle Solver

Presenter Investigator Carer News Reporter

Spies

Wendy North

Don’t Forget your Leech Socks

Students are challenged to assist the research team in the gathering of background material that will ultimately contribute towards a new reality TV survival show.

In order to accomplish

this task, the students must embark on a quest of discovery through the Rainforest Biome, a quest that will educate the students in the art of rainforest survival.

http://www.edenproject.com/

Hooking the children’s interest

Use technologies to spark their interest…

• Mobile phone message

• Video of a local issue

• Geo- caching …http://www.barnabybear.co.uk/main.asp?pageID=49

http://www.geocaching.com/

Use contexts that you know will have them hooked…

• Adventures…• Quests…• In search of …• Journeys…• Voyages of discovery…• Treasure hunts…

Use ideas that will motivate and excite children

Animated films Over the Hedge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE77igZczlI

Good geographical detective work could include:

• Pictures

• Sounds• Children’s Feelings• Local people’s feelings• writing• Sketches• Data• Photographs • Noises via a

Dictaphone

• Surveys e.g. carrier bag survey, traffic, land use

• Counting• Measuring• Maps • Field sketches• Questionnaire • Etc…

A sense of place

• Date: 1.2.12

• Time: 2.00p.m (Please note early

start due to lack of day light !)

• Finish: when students have completed the session ( around 4.30-

• 5.00p.m )

A sense of place project

• Session Outline• A cross- curricular History,

Geography, RE and Art project using first hand experience of the local environment designed to enhance student understanding and application.

• Students will have the opportunity to explore and respond creatively to the Winchester locality using a variety of techniques.

A sense of place project

• Session Objectives• To develop an understanding of the uniqueness of

place at a variety of scales and a variety of times • To respond to the environment through sensory

exploration • To promote an understanding of an emotional /

creative response to place • To reflect critically on the value of a cross –

curricular approach • To work collaboratively, exploring a range of

techniques considering their practical application for the primary classroom

A sense of place project

• You will need :

– Appropriate clothing for all weathers!( depending on the forecast )– Sketchbooks – Digital cameras – A sense of fun and adventure – Any other materials/ resources you feel

are useful