Going global !

1. Going global ! Sharon Witt March 2012

2. Aims of the session • Consider the value and challenges of teaching about distant places • Develop knowledge and understanding of the teaching and learning of distant localities • Understand the global element within Geography and its role within citizenship education

3. What is our knowledge worth if we know nothing about the world that sustains us, nothing about natural systems and climate, nothing about other people and cultures? Jonathan Porritt, environmental campaigner , National Curriculum 1999, DfEE/ QCA

4. Children already know there are other places They need to understand: how important these other places are to us and us to them – interconnectedness We are all part of one world with many similar and different ways of living

5. Growing up in a global world • Opportunities for travel • World brought into our living rooms on tv • Geography of fashion • Geography of food • Global health and safety concerns e.g. bird flu and climate change Now increasingly recognised we are global citizens

6. 10 good reasons for studying other places • Uses and develops their interest and natural curiosity about places • Provides opportunities for them to explore ideas and skills • Develops their existing knowledge and understanding of places, environments and cultures • Helps them to examine and clarify their existing experience and awareness of places • Develops spatial awareness towards a global scale

7. 10 good reasons for studying other places (Ctd) • Helps them to recognise their interdependence with the rest of the world • Builds positive attitudes towards other people around the world • Builds a global perspective that extends their present perspectives • Helps them to value diversity in places, environments and cultures • Combats ignorance ,partiality and bias thus helping to avoid stereotyping and the development of prejudice

8. Gapminder • How the world has changed over the last 200 years?

9. Children need to know about the world in which they live • What image do they have in their heads of their local area? • What image do they have of the world? • Start with a little knowledge • Ask children to draw their maps of the world

12. If I dig a hole …

13. What are the statutory requirements?Early Years Foundation Stage – Knowledge and understanding of the world • Key component of the Foundation Stage curriculum • Developing skills and understanding to help make sense of the world • Provision of opportunities to develop the following skills: exploration, observation, problem- solving, prediction, critical thinking, decision making and discussion

14. What are the statutory requirements?Early Years – Knowledge and understanding of the world • Help children to explore and question issues of gender, ethnicity, language, religion and culture. • Provide learning opportunity to enable children to value cultural diversity (Updated 2008 )

15. What are the statutory requirements?National Curriculum Geography for Key Stage 1 • a study of a locality either in the UK or overseas • Thematic study (investigating the quality of the environment) must be part of a particular locality e.g. school, comparative locality or a third locality

16. What are the statutory requirements?National Curriculum Geography for Key Stage 2 Two contrasting localities – 1 locality in the UK and another locality in a country in Africa, Asia, (excluding Japan), South or Central America (including Caribbean)

17. IMPORTANT! • Please remember a locality is NOTthe study of a country or region but a smaller area. • Locality is likely to be: • A village , • Part of a town or city • Small island

18. Teaching distant localities –good practice • Developing a sense of place • Provide awareness of broader geographical context in which localities exist through: • Access to maps and globes • Background information to the country • Physical features • Climate • Positions of capital and major cities • Show how your chosen locality relates to features

19. Making your distant locality study fun and stimulating • Use of a cross- curricular approach • Variety of teaching and learning strategies • Drama • Focused day of activities • Soak the children in the culture of the locality chosen BUT be aware of the discrete geography being taught

20. Teaching ideas for overseas localities

21. Resources • …and many others… • T.V • Links with overseas locality-school partnerships • Visitors • Personal knowledge • Commercially produced pack including photos and activities • Video • Stamps • Postcards • Paintings • Music • Slides • Photos • Locality in the news • Books – fiction/information books • Globes • Maps • Atlases • Artefacts • Food • Travel brochures • pictures

22. Top Five Aid agencies for primary geography resources • Oxfam- • 01202 712933 for catalogue • http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/ • Action Aid • Call 01460238000 for catalogue • www.actionaid.org.uk • UNICEF • www.unicef.org.uk/tz -teacher zone • Christian Aid • 0207620444 for catalogue • www.christianaid.org.uk/learn- schools pages • www.globalgang.org.uk/learn - pupils’ website • Water Aid • www.wateraid.org.uk – excellent for water topics.

23. Issues to consider when studying distant places • Bias and stereotyping – Constantly be on your guard about images of place conveying the wrong messages or use of words to describe a place e.g. primitive / simple

24. The danger of the single story

25. Issues to consider when studying distant places • Ensure a broad and balanced view • Images of rich and poor • Urban and rural • Female and male • Values and attitudes • Appreciation of cultures • Value others way of life and ideas

26. “Of course all images have their limitations and in overcoming one set of stereotypes we may create new ones. However, with a wide variety of images and plenty of chance to question and discuss them it should be possible to build up a reasonably accurate picture of life in a distant locality. If we aware of these pitfalls we can try to avoid them; we can help children develop informed and balanced views of other people ,places and cultures” Weldon, M.(1997) Studying Distant Places, Sheffield: The Geographical Association.

27. Basic principles when teaching the global dimension-Three C’s • Creating positive images • Challenge stereotypes • Consider everyday events ( similarities rather than differences) Am I doing these things? Stephen Scoffham

28. Give an all-round view of a place Don’t generalise Look for similarities before differences Compare like with like Be prepared to challenge any discriminatory views that may arise Look for reasons and explanations Thinks of solutions not just problems Draw on the richness of the school community Find the right information and pictures to help you Avoid being tokenistic Teaching strategies to promote a global dimension in Geography

29. Age 11 Focused teaching programme Experiential and unbiased Age 4 Biased Images from adverts , media , parents and peers Age 11 Willingness to value all people are equal Better judgement and increase in self- esteem Children at 3 or 4 can go in either direction Tendency towards bias images Tendency to generalise leading to prejudices and racism Stephen Scoffham Early Years most effective time to shift attitudes

30. The Geography we deliver must be: Relevant Dynamic Challenging Emotive Motivating Radical Progressive AND … Jeff Stanfield

31. Fun to teach and Fun to learn! Jeff Stanfield

32. Everyday is a geographical adventure waiting to happen… (Witt, 2009)

33. Geographical Association Annual Conference Guildford 2012 – Geographies of difference Free to students but do book workshops Special PGCE / NQT event on the Friday Want to know more: http://www.geography.org.uk/cpdevents/annualconference/