Personal Personal Geographies & Geographies &

Classroom Classroom SpacesSpaces

GTE 2013GTE 2013Sue Bermingham MMUSue Bermingham MMU

Case Study -The Case Study -The emergence of Personal emergence of Personal Geography in the UK Geography in the UK

curriculum curriculum

this has been examined in: policy and this has been examined in: policy and curricular documentation; in the academic curricular documentation; in the academic discipline of geography; in teacher discipline of geography; in teacher education in one institution; and as education in one institution; and as understood by pupils in 5 schools.understood by pupils in 5 schools.

Reflexive awarenessReflexive awareness

Boundary between researcher and ITE tutorBoundary between researcher and ITE tutor

Initial tendency towards numbers & why I Initial tendency towards numbers & why I became disillusioned with thisbecame disillusioned with this

Geography and gender – prior experiences Geography and gender – prior experiences of selfof self

Chapter 4 Chapter 4 MethodologyMethodology

Case Study approach – adopted to facilitate Case Study approach – adopted to facilitate in-depth reflexive engagement in the in-depth reflexive engagement in the research contextresearch context

Chapter – focus for this termChapter – focus for this term

Chapter 6 Educational Chapter 6 Educational SpacesSpaces

This chapter focuses on the discipline of This chapter focuses on the discipline of geography to aid our understanding of geography to aid our understanding of educational spaces for teaching and learning educational spaces for teaching and learning (i.e. classrooms). (i.e. classrooms).

Classrooms provide the location for teaching Classrooms provide the location for teaching and learning of the National Curriculum and learning of the National Curriculum including the curriculum expectation that including the curriculum expectation that geography teachers will build upon the pupils’ geography teachers will build upon the pupils’ prior personal experiences of geography and prior personal experiences of geography and offer opportunities to build upon the ‘personal offer opportunities to build upon the ‘personal scale’ of geography.scale’ of geography.

Liminal spaceLiminal space

Visiting 5 schools in the North West of England to Visiting 5 schools in the North West of England to carry out a 30 minute pupil group interview carry out a 30 minute pupil group interview (videoed) gave me new understanding of the (videoed) gave me new understanding of the concept concept liminal spaceliminal space, my time in school was , my time in school was temporary, typically 1 hour, the physical spaces the temporary, typically 1 hour, the physical spaces the school had allocated for videoing a group interview school had allocated for videoing a group interview with pupils took on a temporary configuration for with pupils took on a temporary configuration for this one off interview experience.  this one off interview experience.  

I reflected and considered the impact of spaces in I reflected and considered the impact of spaces in particular the temporary existence in specific particular the temporary existence in specific spaces had upon myself, and others namely pupils spaces had upon myself, and others namely pupils and trainee teachers. I considered how familiar and trainee teachers. I considered how familiar spaces could become spaces could become intimidatingintimidating spaces as I spaces as I visited with a changed professional role.visited with a changed professional role.

Use of Thrift (2003)Use of Thrift (2003)

4 notions of Space:4 notions of Space:

EmpiricalEmpirical

FlowFlow

Image & Image &

PlacePlace

Using Theory to open up Using Theory to open up ‘space’‘space’

Thrift’s four conceptualisations of space Thrift’s four conceptualisations of space add to the complexity and personal add to the complexity and personal challenge as a geography educator defining challenge as a geography educator defining the key geographical concept of space (and the key geographical concept of space (and place) to pupils, novice teachers and to the place) to pupils, novice teachers and to the reader of the thesis.reader of the thesis.

Not necessarily a clear boundary between Not necessarily a clear boundary between Thrift’s categories – it’s about how they can Thrift’s categories – it’s about how they can be used to open up the be used to open up the space of spacespace of space..

My interpretation of My interpretation of theorytheory

‘‘Humble’ classroom Humble’ classroom chairchair

Empirical – standard size, materials etcEmpirical – standard size, materials etc

Flow – daily movements / interactions with Flow – daily movements / interactions with pupils/ cleaning staff/ life cycle of chairpupils/ cleaning staff/ life cycle of chair

Image – visual - colourImage – visual - colour

Place – human/ chair blurring, Place – human/ chair blurring, improvisations- interaction, imprintimprovisations- interaction, imprint

Visual analysis of Visual analysis of Research DataResearch Data

Spaces:Spaces:

Technology classroomTechnology classroom

RE classroomRE classroom

Geography classroomGeography classroom

Faith roomFaith room

Staff work roomStaff work room

Video dataVideo data

Plastic chairsPlastic chairs

Journal entryJournal entry

The soft velour beige high The soft velour beige high backed fixed seating in ‘faith backed fixed seating in ‘faith room’. The seating linked to my room’. The seating linked to my prior experience of public prior experience of public houses, social gathering spaces, houses, social gathering spaces, and gave an immediate reaction and gave an immediate reaction that paper based work was that paper based work was unlikely in this space.unlikely in this space.

Challenge of plastic Challenge of plastic chairschairs

For a living, breathing, growing adolescent to For a living, breathing, growing adolescent to remain passively sat on a hard plastic chair for 30 remain passively sat on a hard plastic chair for 30 minutes is an incredible challenge, to control all minutes is an incredible challenge, to control all aspects of one’s body to be perceived by others as aspects of one’s body to be perceived by others as fully engaged is an incredible feat. fully engaged is an incredible feat.

Our physiology requires us to regularly blink to Our physiology requires us to regularly blink to lubricate our eyes, to regularly look close then at lubricate our eyes, to regularly look close then at distance to look after the eye muscles was evident distance to look after the eye muscles was evident in the recordings as pupils moved their eyes up, in the recordings as pupils moved their eyes up, down, around the space. This natural eye exercise down, around the space. This natural eye exercise led on occasion for an individual to re positioning led on occasion for an individual to re positioning body e.g. Turning around seeing a senior teacher in body e.g. Turning around seeing a senior teacher in the room pupil places hands on face (CHHS), the room pupil places hands on face (CHHS), Looking around another pupil and coming face to Looking around another pupil and coming face to face with the camera lens (CHHS). face with the camera lens (CHHS).

Standardized spaces / Standardized spaces / IndividualityIndividuality

It is within classrooms, these unique educational It is within classrooms, these unique educational spaces with their standardized plastic chairs and spaces with their standardized plastic chairs and melamine tables that geography the school subject is melamine tables that geography the school subject is taught. taught.

Pupils strive to find tiny improvisations to enhance Pupils strive to find tiny improvisations to enhance their feeling of place within classrooms, and yet the their feeling of place within classrooms, and yet the curriculum appears to value individuality, curriculum appears to value individuality, personalisation, sharing of personal experiences of personalisation, sharing of personal experiences of geography.geography.

UK educational spaces are designed to limit our ability UK educational spaces are designed to limit our ability to move, twitch, exercise or embrace our to move, twitch, exercise or embrace our surroundings. No time is provided for us to care for surroundings. No time is provided for us to care for our possessions and environment. In such a controlled our possessions and environment. In such a controlled environment who benefits from sharing personal environment who benefits from sharing personal experiences and information, why should we care?experiences and information, why should we care?

AffectAffect

A communal experience within the space was A communal experience within the space was particularly evident when pupils shared unique particularly evident when pupils shared unique personal insights, the group all turned towards personal insights, the group all turned towards the pupil speaking with facial expressions of the pupil speaking with facial expressions of wonderment. wonderment.

There was a communal swelling of admiration There was a communal swelling of admiration from pupils hearing a pupil share their from pupils hearing a pupil share their experience having ‘seen a volcano erupt’ (AB), experience having ‘seen a volcano erupt’ (AB), and a communal awe and wonder as we all and a communal awe and wonder as we all looked towards the individual pupil sharing her looked towards the individual pupil sharing her experience of an earthquake (OL).experience of an earthquake (OL).