Stephen Pickering

Nigel Kent

GTE Southport 2009

G&T

Photo: cbcastro / Flickr.com

What is sustainable Development?

Your mission …

Does the University care now and in the future, near and far?

Stanley Road Primary School

Behaviours• Add to their learning repertoire, refine the

tools they have and make them more effective.

• Cope with the unexpected and unfamiliar.• Monitor what they’re doing – asking

themselves, ‘Is it working?’• Modify their approach, if it isn’t.• Guided by their goals • Stop when they’ve got there.

Perceptions• Believe that they have control over their

thinking and learning

The characteristics of effective learners

A negative outlook?

I can’t spell

Therefore I can’t be

bothered to improve

I make the same mistakes again and again

The feedback I get from others when they look at my

spelling proves I can’t spell

A positive outlook?

I believe everybody

can learn to spell, though I find it difficult

I try really hard

I make progress

The feedback I get when others look at how my spelling is changing proves that I can spell if I

try

.

•That looks interesting, tell me what you’re doing.•Can you tell me what you have done so far?•Have you ever done something else like this?•What does that remind you of? • How did you know to do it like that?

Thinking about learning

Describing and explaining what they’re doing

.

•What does that feel like?•What do you like about that?•What didn’t you like?•Was that good? Why?•Tell me what you are thinking•How did you feel when that happened?•Why did that make you angry?

Asking the right questions

Connecting with feelings about learning

Learning orientation

•If I try hard I can be

successful

•I can improve as a

learner

•I enjoy tasks which

challenge me: they give

me a buzz when I'm

successful

•I enjoy it most when I can

think difficult problems

through and find solutions

to them.

Performance orientation

•You have to be intelligent

to do well at school.

•I am worried that when I

fail other people will think

I am stupid.

•I enjoy it most when I get

top marks, and do better

than my friends.

•When I can't do a

problem I feel so stupid.

Dweck’s orientations to learning

Behaviour

Beliefs

PerceptionsChange how we

see things

EmotionsChange how we

feel

Self-talkChange what we say in our heads

Adapted from the Change Cube, Kewley and

Thomas, 2004Slide: Nigel Kent.

Geographical – concepts covered by the project:

Place - map skills, understanding maps, the place of the Uni within a city community

Space – travel – old to new campus – the university as a space – utilisation of space – sustainability - impact of Uni – locally and globally

Scale – links to maps – local scale – local and global impact of Uni.

Interdependence – As a pupil, how I am or could be connected with the Uni.

Environmental interaction and sustainable development – Und. Of sus. Assessment of sustainability.

Cultural understanding and diversity – Diversity in the campus – how diversity is welcomed and managed.

(Pickering and Mathews)

Geographical outcomes:In taking part in the course the pupils can demonstrate:Map reading and interpretation skills in order to gather and record evidence of sustainability; An ability to discuss and interpret the concept of sustainability and how this relates to a large institution such as a university or a school; now and in the future.An understanding of the interconnectedness between the university locally (e.g.:links to Stanley Road, the place of the Uni within a city community) now and in the future and on different scales (near and far) – relating to campus, curriculum and community (DCFS sustainability framework)An appreciation of the diversity of an inclusive University community

Generic learning outcomes:Can show understanding of enquiry process;Is able to present to an invited audience - both adults and pupils at school in feedback and future work;Can employ higher order thinking skills – reasoning, evaluating, synthesising, making judgements, application of findings, creating solutions;

10 Top Tips for teaching more able & gifted geographersHow can teachers go about providing the necessary challenge for MAG students?Change & vary the scale and contextChanging scales and contexts is an effective way to broaden & extend the knowledge,

understanding & skills of MAG students e.g. thinking “local to global” in planning units of work or series of lessons.

Develop your questioning in the classroomThink Bloom’s Taxonomy – ask MAG students more challenging ie higher order

questions which demand analysis, synthesis or evaluation. Look for detail and justification.

Demand greater precisionEncourage students to be more precise in their use of language, e.g. using specific

geographical vocabulary and terminology. More is not always better – try restricting students to a number of words/lines/minutes to encourage them to be more concise and precise in their explanations.

Provide scope for good quality extended writingMAG students can be encouraged to develop and deepen their written work by using the

“Must/Should/Could” framework. Embrace complexity Geography is a dynamic, ever changing subject involving a complex series of

interrelationships - do not be afraid to celebrate this! Challenge the MAG students to think “outside the box”.

Pickering (2007) Philosophically Gifted? Primary Geographer. Sheffield: GA

Allow students opportunities to find their own way through the enquiry processDon’t over-prescribe the task. Blend “open ended” with more structured or supported tasks. Encourage MAG students to hypothesise both the outcome of the enquiry and the possible future implications of the results (evaluation). Fieldwork/virtual fieldwork provides an ideal opportunity for more independent learning.Set up enrichment “events”Regular and/or “one off” events encourage MAG students to think about wider geog issues – organise visits eg GA lectures, quizzes eg GA “Worldwise” quiz, competitions eg RGS & OS websites, online games e.g. GeosenseUse MAG students as “experts”Various classroom activities lend themselves to encouraging MAG students to demonstrate their outstanding knowledge, understanding and skills. For example, ask MAG students to do a “starter”, use them creatively in peer assessment, place them in “hot seating” and “Mastermind” type activities where they can be quizzed and challenged by their peers.Use decision-making & problem solving exercisesThese encourage higher order thinking skills from all students. They provide a vehicle for MAG students to develop their reasoning skills and to evaluate a variety of solutions to plans and issues and explore the merits of each solution, taking into account the values and attitudes of those affected.Keep up the pace!Younger children demand regular “feeding” – make sure that older MAG students do not go stale by keeping up the pace and energy of the lesson. Geography is a vibrant and visual subject and we must enthuse them if they are to reach their true potential in their work at secondary level.

Thank you for listening

Stephen Pickering

Southport 2009Photo: StrebKR / Flickr.com