the london geography alliance: re-connecting the school … · 2018. 1. 23. · a period of...

London Review of Education DOI1018546LRE14206Volume14Number2September2016

The London Geography Alliance Re-connecting the school subject with the university discipline

AlexStandishUCL Institute of Education University College London

DuncanHawleyGeographical Association

TessaWillyUCL Institute of Education University College London

The London GeographyAlliance was established to provide a network of subject-basedsupport to primary and secondary schools by linking teachers and university lecturersWorkshops and fieldwork were conducted over a 17-month period to address differentaspectsofthegeographycurriculumTheeffectsoftheprojectwereevaluatedusingqualitativeandquantitativemethodsPrimaryschoolteachers improvedtheirknowledgeofgeographyandtheirconfidencetoidentifyandfacilitategeographicallearningSecondaryschoolteachersenhancedtheirsubjectknowledgedevelopednewideasschemesofworkandresourcesforteachingandimprovedtheiruseoffieldworktechniquesTheprojectshowedhowteachinginschoolscanbeimprovedthroughmakinglinkstouniversitydisciplines

Keywords subject knowledge subject-specific pedagogy professional developmentcurriculumgeography

Introduction

Intheautumnof2013theGreaterLondonAuthority(GLA)announcedthelaunchoftheLondonSchoolsExcellenceFundwithaviewtoimprovingthequalityofteachinginthecapitalthroughenhancingthesubjectknowledgeandskillsofteachersAfundofapproximatelypound25millionwascreatedbytheDepartmentforEducationandtheGLAandacallwasputoutforproposalsthatwouldsupporttheaimsandprinciplesoftheFundspecifiedasfollows

TheLondonSchoolsExcellenceFund(LSEF)isbasedonthehypothesisthatinvestinginteachingsubjectknowledgeandsubject-specific teachingmethodsandpedagogywill lead to improvedoutcomesforpupilsintermsofattainmentsubjectparticipationandaspiration

(GLA2014)

The timing of the LSEF coincided with the Coalition Governmentrsquos review of the nationalcurriculumandashifttowardsaknowledge-ledcurriculumTheGLAexpresslywantedtoworkwithprojectsthatwouldcontributetowardsmeetingteachersrsquoneedswithrespecttothenewnationalcurriculumandthatwerelsquore-focusedonknowledge-ledteachingrsquo(ibid)

Geographyeducationinschoolsspecificallyhasexperiencedatleasttwodecadesinwhichsubjectknowledgehasbeendeprioritizedwithrespecttoa focusonpedagogysocialcausesand values and attitudes (Marsden 1997 Standish 2007 Standish 2009 Lambert 2011)This

Correspondingauthoremailndashastandishuclacuk copyCopyright 2016 Standish Hawley andWillyThis is an OpenAccess article distributed under thetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicencewhichpermitsunrestrictedusedistributionandreproductioninanymediumprovidedtheoriginalauthorandsourcearecredited

84 Alex Standish Duncan Hawley and Tessa Willy

period has alsowitnessed the steady erosion of subject-specific support for schools in theformofexpertisechannelledthroughlocaleducationauthoritieswhosepowerandinfluencehavebeencurtailedbyastreamofgovernmentpolicyCombinedthesetwofactorshaveleftsome schools lacking the foundations to develop a knowledge-based curriculum and manyteacherswithouttherequisitegeographicalknowledgeneededtoprovidepupilswitharoundedgeographicaleducationItisforthesereasonsthatwedecidedtoputforwardaproposalforaLondonGeographyAlliance(LGA)comprisingschoolsuniversitygeographydepartmentsandtheInstituteofEducationUniversityofLondon(IOE)1Theapplicationwassuccessfulandtheproject received funding of approximately pound150000 over a two-year period commencing inJanuary2014

The evolving policy context

FormuchofthemodernhistoryofstateeducationtheaimsofschoolsanduniversitieswerecloselyalignedwithuniversitiesinvolvedintheschoolcurriculumGeographersattheturnofthenineteenthcenturysuchasHalfordMackindermadetheircasefortheintellectualbasisofthesubjectasbeingapplicabletobothschoolsanduniversitiesalikeTheGeographicalAssociationforteacherswasfoundedin1893byacademicgeographerswhoplayedaroleinestablishingthecurriculumforsecondaryschoolsWithreferencetoschoolgeographypriorto1970EleanorRawlingrecalls the influenceof lecturersupontheschoolcurriculumlsquoThecloserelationshipwithschoolgeographymeantthattherewereconsiderableeffortstodisseminatethenewideastosecondaryschoolsrsquo(200122)

FollowingtheestablishmentoftheindependentSchoolsCouncilin1964the1970sheraldedaperiodofcurriculuminnovationIngeographytherewerethreeprojectsthathadwidespreadimpacton the schoolcurriculumGeography for theYoungSchoolLeaverGeography14ndash18andGeography16ndash19TheseprojectsreflectedaperiodinwhichtheaimsofeducationwerebroadeningtowardssocialandpersonaldevelopmentTheGeography16ndash19projectforinstancesoughttoopenupthelsquoaffectivedomainrsquoofeducationwithanemphasisonvaluesandattitudesingeography(Naishet al19877)DespitethespecificnatureofeachprojecttheirnewpedagogicapproachhadinfluencebeyondthetargetpopulationsuggestsRawlinglsquoTheemphasiswasonmovingschoolgeographyawayfromregionalanddescriptiveworkandfocusingonmoreactivelearningstylesandmorerelevantthematiccontentrsquoThisincludedmorelsquohumanisticqualitativeandissues-basedapproachesrsquo(200124)

Thebroadeningoftheaimsofeducationcontinuedinthe1980swithagrowingemphasisonpre-vocationalskillsinthecurriculumItwasduringthisdecadethatcentralgovernmentbecamedirectlyinvolvedwiththeschoolcurriculumculminatingwiththelaunchofthenationalcurriculumin1988ReplacingtheSchoolsCouncilweretheSchoolCurriculumDevelopmentCommittee(1984ndash8)andlatertheNationalCurriculumCouncil(1988ndash93)Bothwerelsquoessentiallycreatedtoallowgovernmenttoexercisefirmercentralcontroloverthecurriculumandassessmentrsquo(Rawling200124)Thegrowthofgovernmentinfluenceovertheschoolcurriculumhasbeenparalleledbyasteadyerosionofthecurricularlinksbetweenschoolsanduniversities

UnderNewLabour(1997ndash2010)schoolsweretreatedasasiteforvariousinterventionsintheformofcitizenshipeducationsocialandemotionallearningenvironmentandsustainabilityeducationandglobaleducation(Whelan2007EcclestoneandHayes2008Standish2012)TheQualificationsandCurriculumAuthority(1997ndash2010)wasthenewgovernmentbodyappointedwithresponsibilityforthecurriculumTheQCAworkedincollaborationwithanumberofnon-governmentalorganizationstopursueitsnewaimsforthecurriculumForgeographyOxfam

London Review of Education 85

andtheDevelopmentEducationAssociationcontributedtotheemphasisonglobalcitizenshipanddevelopmentaimsinthecurriculum

Itwasagainstthispolicybackdropthatthe2010CoalitionGovernmentplannedtoreviewthenationalcurriculumasoutlinedintheWhitePaperThe Importance of Teaching(DfE2010)Intermsofthecurriculumreviewtheemphasiswasonlsquothecoreknowledgeandunderstandingthatallchildrenshouldbeexpectedtoacquireinthecourseoftheirschoolingrsquo(ibid41)Duringthe national curriculum review subject-expert working groups were set up to recommendwaysinwhichteacherscouldbesupportedinthetransitiontothenewcurriculumTherewasrecognition that the new curriculumwould challenge some teachers in terms of its subjectknowledge demandsWith this aim in mind the GLA and the Department for Educationestablished theLSEF tenderingbids forgroupsoffering tosupport thesubjectknowledgeofteachersInsodoingtheycreatedthemeansandopportunityforcurriculuminnovationthathasperhapsnotbeenseensincethecurriculumprojectsofthe1970s

Theoretical basis of the project

SubjectknowledgeisnottheonlyelementthatmakesagoodteacherTeachersalsoneedtobeskilledinpedagogyplanningorganizationcommunicationandassessmentNeverthelesstheauthorityoftheteacherderivesfromtheirdisciplinaryknowledgeasitisthetaskofschoolstoengagechildreninanopenlsquoencounterwithhumanityrsquosintellectualadventuresrsquo(Pring2013)Itisforthisreasonthatthecurriculumisusuallydividedintosubjectsmostofwhicharerelatedtooneormoredisciplinesorrealmsofmeaning(Phenix1964)

Although teachers enter the professionwith a basis of disciplinary knowledgewe taketheview thatknowledge isdynamic and that intellectualenquiry is something that teachersthemselvesneedtobecontinuallyengagedwithTheschoolcurriculumshouldthereforealsobedynamicreflectingshiftingdisciplinaryparadigmsandnewknowledgeWithoutlinkstothedisciplinesfromwhichsubjectsderivethereisadangerthatthecurriculumbecomessterileandteachingrepetitiveanddull

Howeverthematterofknowledgeandthecurriculumisnotnecessarilystraightforwardasknowledgeisproducedinasocio-politicalcontextHereweadoptthesocial realistpositionthat disciplinary knowledge is both socially constructed and objectively related to the realworld (Young2008)This isadeparture fromboththeoverlysocializedsocialconstructivisttheory aswell as the under-socialized viewpresented by theCoalitionGovernment (Youngand Muller 2016)The former fails to adequately differentiate subjective experience fromtheoreticalknowledgeThelatterdoesnotofferasufficientaccountofhowknowledgeissociallycontextualizedmeaning the content of the curriculum tends towards stasis and is assumedratherthanrationalized

Inschoolsteachersre-contextualizedisciplinaryknowledgeintoschoolsubjectsthatmakeup the curriculum (Bernstein 2000) Sowhile university lecturers can teach teachers aboutthelatestideastheoriesanddataitisteacherswhohavetomakedecisionsabouthowtore-packagethisknowledgeforpupils It isherewheretheexpertiseofeducationalistsmakesanimportantcontributionmediatingbetweenuniversitygeographyandteachersandsuggestingways to re-contextualize knowledge into schemesofwork thatwill take children through aprogressionofknowledgeandunderstanding

Subject knowledge matters because lsquo[s]ubjects bring together ldquoobjects of thoughtrdquoas systematically related sets of conceptsrsquo (Young 2014 98) Concepts as generations andabstractions are ameans for simplifying a complex reality by sorting things into categoriesRussianpsychologistLevVygotskywaswell-attuned to thesignificanceofconceptslsquowith the


helpoftheconceptweareabletopenetratethroughtheexternalappearanceofphenomenatopenetrateintotheiressencersquo(Derry2014)Eachnewconceptwelearnisinferredfromotherconcepts(Brandom2000)Thereforeitistheroleoftheteachertoteachpupilstheconceptsthat enable epistemic assent (Winch 2013)or to achievedisciplinary progression (Bennetts2005)SubjectsthenarethemostreliablemeanswehaveofmakingsenseoftheworldThisreasoningbringsustoconcurwiththegoalsoftheLSEFinemphasizingsubjectknowledgeaswellasthenecessityforsubject-specificpedagogyasopposedtopedagogicalgenericity

Project activity

The IOE launchedtheLGA in January2014by forgingpartnershipswithtwelveschools (sixprimary and six secondary) three university geography departments (University College ofLondonKingrsquosCollegeQueenMaryUniversity)andtheGeographicalAssociationTheinitialschoolsanduniversitiescalled to join theprojectwere invited throughexistingconnectionsWewantedtobeginwithschoolsthathadagoodfoundationandorcommitmenttogeographyso as to establish a strongmodel uponwhich to buildAt the start of the summer term alargerpoolofschoolswasinvitedtojointheprojectandnumbersgrewto13primaryand20secondaryschoolsTheschoolsthatjoinedtheLGAwerevariedintypegeographicallocation(bothinnerandouterLondonboroughs)geographicalexpertiseandteacherexperienceWhilethemajoritywerestate-fundedprimaryschoolsacademiesorcomprehensiveschools thereweretwoindependentschoolsandonefreeschool

TheprojectengagedteachersprimarilythroughworkshopsandfieldworkFinancialsupportwasprovidedforteacherstobereleasedforafternoonworkshopstheoccasionaldayoffieldworkandforpurchasingteachingmaterialsPrimaryworkshopsandfieldworkwereheldatarangeoflocationsandledbyeducationalistsfromtheGeographicalAssociationtheRoyalGeographicalSocietytheFieldStudiesCouncilorlecturersingeographyeducationTopicsincludedlsquoWhatisgeographyrsquothegeographycurriculumearlyyearsgeographyfieldwork(inLondonandtheLakeDistrict)mountainsriverslanduseinuplandregionstheAmericasmapworkskillsandmicro-climatesTheLGAforprimaryteachersiscoordinatedbyTessaWilly

ForsecondaryteachersmostworkshopsandfieldworkwereledbyageographylecturerfromoneofthethreeuniversitydepartmentsTopics includedrivers(uplandandinLondon)coasts climatechangeglaciationgeomorphology geologyhazardsenvironmentalmonitoringLondon the developing world geopolitics in Africa geographical information systems andfieldwork in the LakeDistrictThe supporting role of the three university departmentswascritical to the establishment and success of the LGAThe LGA for secondary teachers iscoordinatedbyAlexStandish

Aprojectwebsite(wwwlondongeographyorg)wasestablishedasameanstoarchiveandshareteachingmaterialsThiswasalsoameanstocommunicatewiththeoutsideworldabouttheworkoftheLGA

Project evaluation methodology

LGAprojectactivitywasevaluatedintermsofteacher outcomespupil outcomesandwider school system outcomesThetimeframeforprojectevaluationwasjust17monthsorlessbetweenthecollectionofbaseline(MarchMay2014)andfinaldata(July2015)DuncanHawleywasappointedasanindependentevaluatorfortheprojectHewasresponsibleforcollatingpresentinganalysingandevaluatingalldata


ThreekeyapproachestocollectingevidenceandevaluationwereadoptedThesewere(1)teacherquestionnaires(2)teacherinterviewsand(3)schoolvisitsincludingpupilfocusgroups

Questionnaires

Aquestionnairewas developed to survey the geographical knowledge and confidence of allprimary and secondary teachers A second questionnaire regarding teachersrsquo efficacy wasprovidedbytheGLA(Tschannen-MoranandWoolfolkHoy2001)Bothoftheseweregiventoallteachersattheoutsetofthecourse(baselinesurvey)andattheendofthecourse(post-projectsurvey)sothatinthisrespectallcourseparticipantsformedthelsquocomparisonrsquogroup

Thereturnrateforquestionnaireswasacceptable(between50and70percent)TherewasalsoadegreeoflsquochurnrsquoinparticipatingteachersoverthecourseoftheprojectsothatsomeoftheteacherswhocompletedthefinalquestionnairehadnotcompletedtheinitialsurveyThiswasalimitationinthedataThereforetheimpactoftheLGAcourseonindividualteacherswasdifficulttoascertainbutgiventhewiderangeofteachersandtheirindividualexperiencesafine-grainedanalysisislessindicativeoftheoverallimpactonteachersrathercomparisonsbetweenpre-andpost-projectanswerstoquestionnaireswereanalysed

Teacher interviews

Interviewswerearrangedwithtwoprimaryteachersaswellastwoteachersandtwoheadsofdepartment(HoDs)atsecondarylevelSelectionofschoolsandteacherswasdeterminedbyavailabilityandaccessAllteachersweregiventheopportunitytoparticipateintheinterviewpartoftheevaluationThesesemi-structuredinterviewsallowedfortheprojectevaluatortoaskin-depthquestionsaboutprojectparticipationandhowtheschoolhadmadeuseoftheLGA

School visits and pupil focus groups

Allschoolsweregiventheopportunitytobevisitedbytheexternalevaluatorandthreevisitstoschoolswerearranged(oneprimaryschoolandtwosecondaryschools)Thesewerehelpfulinprovidingcontextandopportunityforface-to-facediscussionandtoviewsamplesofpupilsrsquoworkDiscussionswith pupils needed significant interpretation to draw out any changes toteachingPupilscoulddescribewhattheyhadbeentaughtandoutlineteachingstylesbutfewhadanydirectunderstandingofhowtheteachingandcontentofgeographylessonshadchangedfromlessonstaughtpriortotheLGAcourse

On balance it is reasonable to be confident that the data collected using these threedifferentmethodsenableasoundassessmentthatreflectsthegeneralimpactoftheLGAcourseon beneficiariesOne further limitation of themethodology is that itwas designedwith anexpressedpurpose inmindtoexplorethepedagogicaleffectsof improvingteachersrsquosubjectknowledgeThereforealthoughresearchinstrumentsdirectedteacherstofocustheiranswersonthisaspectoftheirteachingsomegaveanswerspertainingtootherareasinthemoreopen-responsequestions

Project impact Primary schools

With a project focus of improving teachersrsquo subject knowledge and subject pedagogy theprincipalfocusofourevaluationwasonteachersthemselveshowtheymadeuseoftheprojectanditsimpactontheirpreparednesstoteachthenewcurriculum


Primary teacher outcomes

TheprimaryschoolsamplecomprisedteacherswithawiderangeofdegreebackgroundswithonlyonehavingcompletedadegreeingeographyFouroftheteacherswereintheirfirsttwoyearsofserviceonehadbeenteachingforfouryearsandtheother17yearsAlthoughthiswasnotalargesampleitisconsideredasofferingareasonablerepresentationofthecoursecohortforprimaryteachers

Figure 1Supportforaspectsofgeographyteaching(primary)

PrimaryteacherrankingofprioritiesandprovisionbytheLGAcoursebyweightedscores


In the baseline survey participantswere asked to identify and rank the top three prioritiesforaspectsofgeographyteaching inwhichtheywould likemostsupport Inthepost-coursesurveytheteachersrankedthetopthreeaspectsforwhichtheyconsideredtheLGAcoursehadprovidedmostsupport Eachaspectwasgivenascorebytallyingthenumberofmentionsbyrankthenweightingeachrankbymultiplyingeachranktallybyitsinverse(iefirstrank=x3thirdrank=x1)withthescorethenadjustedproportionallytothesamplesizeTheresultsareshowninFigure1

Perhapsexpectedlyprimaryteachersweremixedintheirrankingofperceivedprioritiesfor supportThepost-project surveyof supportprovidedby theLGAproject indicates thatin general itwas a goodmatchor gavebetter support for theperceivedneeds than at theoutsetThereweresomekeyaspectsthatdidnotmatchtheoriginalrankingndashmostmarkedlysupportforlsquopedagogicalapproachesrsquofellshortoftheoriginallyperceivedneedHoweverthereweresomegainsparticularlyintheuseandintegrationofGISandinsupportingnon-specialistcolleagues

ThesurveyandanalysisindicatethattheLGAprojectprovidedmuchmorebalancedsupportacrossallaspectsofgeographyteachingthanthoseareasoriginallyprioritizedbyteachers Itseemslikelythatteacherstransferredtheirneedforpedagogicalapproachestoabroaderrangeof priorities including knowledge of new areas of the curriculumOther evidence gatheredindicatesthattheprimaryteachersdidvaluethepedagogicalapproachesexploredduringtheprojectTheyappeartohaveunderstoodhowtheirparticipationontheprojecthadvalue indevelopingthegeographyteachingoflessconfidentcolleaguesinschool

Participantswereaskedtocompleteasenseofself-efficacysurveyindicatingtheiropinionoftheirabilityrelatingtogeneralpedagogicalskillsandrelationshipswithpupilsinlessonsThesurveywascompletedatthecommencementandendoftheevaluationperiodbyteachersself-scoringtheirviewsontheircompetenceinrelationtoeachofthestatements(usinga10-pointscale1=nothing5=someinfluence10=agreatdeal)ForeachsurveyameanwascalculatedfortheindividualscoresofeachteacherandthesewerethenusedtoderiveanoverallmeanscoreThedifferencesbetweenthemeanscoresofeachsurveywerecalculatedtoindicateanyshift inteachersrsquoopinionsontheireffectivenessingeneralpedagogicalskillsandrelationshipswithpupilsinlessonsTheresultsareshowninFigure2

Thehighestshiftsinself-efficacyrelatetomotivatingpupilschallengingpupilsandcraftinggoodquestionsTheseareindicativeofamoreconfidentunderstandingofgeographyandhowitcanbeincorporatedintoteachingininterestingwaysConsequentlyitissurprisingtofindarelativelysmallincreaseinteachersrsquoself-assessmentoftheireffectinfosteringpupilcreativity

Theoverallmeanself-efficacyscoreinthebaselinesurveywas60andinthepost-projectself-efficacy survey this had increased to an overall mean self-efficacy score of 80 therebyindicating a perceived higher level of effectiveness in pedagogy and relationshipswith pupilspost-project

Participantswere asked to self-evaluate their confidence levels in contemporary subjectknowledge andunderstanding for areasof geography across thecurriculumat thebeginningandtheendoftheprojectevaluationperiodRespondentsscored1forhighconfidenceand5forlowconfidenceCalculationofthedifferenceinscorebetweenthebaselinescoreandpost-project surveyscoreforeachtopicgaveanindicationoftheimpactofthecourseonteachersrsquoconfidence in their levelsof subject knowledgewith a scoreof 10 representingonewholeconfidenceshift(egfromlsquounconfidentrsquoorlsquoquiteunconfidentrsquotolsquoconfidentrsquo)TheresultsofthebaselinesurveyareshowninFigure3 andtheresultsoftheshifteffectmeasuredpost-projectareshowninFigure4


Figure 2Primaryteachersrsquomeanself-efficacyshift

ImpactofLGAcourseonclassroompedagogyandrelationshipsScoresindicatethedifferencebetweenteachersrsquopre-andpost-courseself-assessedefficacyin

relationtoeachofthestatementsusinga10-pointscale(1=nothing5=someinfluence10=agreatdeal)calculatedasameanofallteachersrsquoscores


Figure 3 Primary teachersrsquo subject knowledge confidence by national curriculum topic(baseline)

Cumulativeforeachtopicteachersrsquoself-scoreoflevelofsubjectknowledgeandunderstandingShortbarlength=lowconfidence(score=1)longbarlength=highconfidence(score=5)


Figure 4Overallshiftinprimaryteachersrsquoconfidenceofsubjectknowledge

Differenceinthemeanprimaryteachersrsquoconfidenceself-scorefornationalcurriculumtopicsbetweenthebaselinesurveyandpost-projectsurvey(10=onewholeconfidenceshift)

Thedataindicatemarkedimprovementinteachersrsquoconfidenceintheirsubjectknowledgeacrossalltopics ofthenewcurriculumTeachersrsquoconfidenceinknowledgeofallnationalcurriculumtopicsimprovedbybetweenoneandthreemeasuresofconfidence


The post-project questionnaire included an open-response question asking lsquoHow hastheLGAprojecthelpedyouasateacherrsquo Themostfrequentresponsesbyprimaryteacherswerelsquoupdating subject knowledgersquo (2)lsquolinking ideas across geographyrsquo (2) andlsquosharing goodpracticersquo(2)Thereweresinglementionsoflsquotheimportanceofgeographyasasubjectrsquolsquoimprovedconfidenceofsubjectknowledgersquoandlsquoimprovedunderstandingofprogressingeographyrsquo

Primary pupil outcomes

Thepost-coursequestionnaireincludedanopen-responsequestionaskinglsquoHowhastheLGAprojecthelpedyourpupilsrsquogeographicalknowledgeskillsandunderstandingrsquoPrimaryteachersreportedthatthesehadimprovedthroughprovisionoflsquomoreoutdoorexperiencesrsquolsquoincreasedpupilenthusiasmengagementrsquoandlsquoexperienceofwiderskillsrsquoSinglementionswerealsonotedforlsquoimprovedchallengersquoandlsquonewtopicsrsquo

Evidencewasalsogatheredfromadiscussionwitha focusgroupofpupilsfromyears2to5MostofthepupilsunderstoodthegeographyinthecontextofatopicratherthanitbeingtaughtasadiscretesubjectbutitwasclearfromtheirincorporationofgeographicallanguageintheirdescriptionsofactivitiesthattheywerebeginningtodevelopadistinctgeographicalperspectiveonthetopicsOneyear5pupilwasabletooutlinethegeographyinartdescribingthepaintingsofTurneraslsquolandscapesrsquoandforatopiconchangingtheenvironmentthepupilmentionedadebateonthedifferentwaysthelandisusedinrainforestsThepupilscouldnameoceansandcontinentsanddescribeimportantskillsformakingamapThepupilswereabletorecallandclearlyoutlineexamplesofgeographicaltopicsandactivitiestheyhadcompletedduringtheyearwhichincludedarangeofactivitiesthatcanbedirectlytracedtotheLGAcourseforexampleusingaballoontocreateaglobe(year4)andusingtheschoolrsquosoutsideareatomakeamap(year5)

Primary school system outcomes

In response to theopenquestion lsquoHowhas the LGAproject helped your schoolrsquo primaryteachersmentionedlsquoschoolstafftrainingingeographyrsquo(4)lsquousingnewresourcesrsquo(3)lsquointroducednewschemesofworkrsquo(2)lsquointroducednewteachingideasrsquo(2)andlsquolinkstosecondaryschoolsdiscussion with secondary teachersrsquo (2)The question of how the LGA project has helpeddevelopawarenessofothersrsquoworkandofotherteachersandschoolsgavethreecommentsonlsquosharingideasrsquoandonenotinghowtheprojecthadexposedavarietyofteachingmethods

Avisittoaprimaryschoolenabledanassessmentoftheimpactonthekeystage2humanitiescoordinator and more widely around the school Based on learning gained from the LGAcoursethecoordinatorhaddevelopedaschoolgeographypolicythatemphasizespurposeandprogressioningeographyForexampleitincludesthestatementlsquoThereshouldbeafairbalancebetweencoregeographyandsenseofthegeographyallowingchildrentounderstandthesizescaleandplaceoffeatureswhilstrelatingtothevariousareasempatheticallyrsquoObservationofworkcompletedbydifferentclassesacrosstheschoolandofdisplaysonthewallsinclassroomsindicatethatthispolicyandthese ideasonhowtoteachgeography intermsofcontentkeyconceptsandactivitieshavebeeneffectivelydisseminatedthroughouttheschool

ThedeputyheadoftheschoolhighlightedfourkeyeffectsoftheLGAprojectontheschoolthe coordinator has become a strong advocate for geography enthusing and inspiring otherteachers thecoordinator isnowable to lead in-service trainingexpressingaclearvisionofgeographyteachingteachersaremuchmoreconfidentaboutwhatmakesagoodgeographicallearning experience and they are planning geographymore confidently into topicwork and


all teachers and most pupils are now incorporating more geographical language skills andunderstandingintheirtopics

Thecoordinator fromadifferentprimaryschoolreportedthatparticipation intheLGAhadstimulatedthedevelopmentofaschoolcurriculummapforgeographyPreviouslygeographyhadbeenlsquohiddenrsquowithinothersubjectssuchashistoryorliteracyThecurriculummapwastoindicatehowgeographycouldbe integrated intothecurriculumratherthantaughtasalsquoticklistrsquoorlsquoassumedteachingrsquoPreviouslygeographywasconsideredaspartoftheschoolgardenactivitiesbecausethegarden isanlsquoenvironmentrsquowithoutanyclearthinkingandreferencetokeygeographicallearningContentandactivitiesfromtheLGAactivitieswerefedintoplanningconversationswithotherteachersndashwhohavenowtakenonamuchstrongersenseofownershipforincorporatinggeographyintheirplanningandteachingForexampleayear6topiconthelocalareawhichpreviouslywasalocalhistoryprojectnowincorporatesfieldworktolookatlanduseandenvironmentalqualitywithanenquiryintohowthelocalareamightbeimproved

Project impact Secondary schools

Secondary teacher outcomes

ForsecondaryschoolteachersthesamplecomprisedmostlyteacherswithadegreebackgroundingeographywithanevenmixofBScandBAdegreesndashsuggestingdifferentsubjectexpertisendashandafewteacherswithdegreesincognatesubjects(eggeology)Themajorityofteachershadbetweensixandeightyearsofservicewiththeleastbeingtwoyearsandthemosthaving25yearsofservice

TheprioritiesforaspectsofgeographyteachingbeforeandaftertheprojectareshowninFigure5OveralltheresultsindicatethattheLGAprovidedhighlevelsofsupportforteachersinmostaspectswithareasonablebalancebetweenteachersrsquoperceivedneedatthebeginningandattheendofthecourseThemostnoticeabledifferenceisinhowthecourseprovidedsupporttolearnfromothercolleaguesandschoolsAttheoutsetofthecoursethiswasnotastronglyperceivedneedbutattheendofthecoursetheteachersclearlyconsideredthisaspecttobeofsignificantvalue

Thebaselinedatafromthesenseofself-efficacysurveyrevealedamixedpictureofteachersrsquoopinionsabouthowtheyworkintheclassroomandwiththeirpupilsThescoresshowalsquorawrangersquofrom4to10therangeofmeanscoresfortheaspectsisfrom52to74withanoverallmeanscoreof68Thepost-projectsurveyshowsanoverallpositiveshift(withameanof72)towardsahigherviewofeffectivenessintheclassroomandaslightnarrowingofthevariationofteachersrsquoviews

Thegreatestpositiveshiftwas inteachersrsquoviewsof theirability tocraftgoodquestionsforpupils(shifteffect=10)followedbyashiftinviewsontheirabilitytoprovideappropriatechallengesforpupils(Figure6)Fiveaspectshadashifteffectof07twoaneffectof05andtwohadsmallnegativeshiftsAsthesenegativeshiftsareminorwedonotperceivethisresulttobesignificantitmaysimplyreflectare-balancingofpriorities

For secondary teachersrsquo subject knowledge confidence the baseline data revealed therespondentshadconfidenceformosttopicswithslightvariationsbetweenteachers(Figure7)OverallteachersweregenerallylesssureabouttheirlevelofknowledgeandunderstandingofphysicalgeographyplaceknowledgeofRussiaandtheMiddleEastandknowledgeofGIS


Figure 5Supportforaspectsofgeographyteaching(secondary)

SecondaryteacherprioritiesandprovisionbytheLGAcourseindicatedbyweightedscores


Figure 6Secondaryteachersrsquomeanself-efficacyshift




Figure 7Secondarysubjectknowledgeconfidencebynationalcurriculumtopic(baseline)



Thepost-projectsurveydataindicatesimprovedteachersrsquoconfidenceintheirsubjectknowledgeacrossalltopicswithanoverallaverageconfidenceshifteffectof04(Figure8)Ashifteffectof05orgreaterhasoccurredforsevenofthethirteenphysicalgeographytopics

Figure 8Overallshiftinteacherconfidenceofsubjectknowledge(secondary)

Differenceinthemeansecondaryteachersrsquoconfidenceself-scorefornationalcurriculumtopicsbetweenthebaselinesurveyandtheprojectevaluation(10=onewholeconfidenceshift)


The baseline survey revealed that teacherswere generally neutral or positively confident intheirknowledgeofhumangeographytopicswiththeexceptionofthemanagementofmineralresourcesHowever thepost-project surveydata indicates improved teachersrsquo confidence intheirknowledgeofthistopicwithameanshifteffectofmorethanoneconfidencelevelAnothersignificantshifteffectisshowninteachersrsquoconfidenceoftheirknowledgeofhowphysicalandhumanprocessescombinetoproduceuniquelandscapes(shifteffect=10)

Teachers remain somewhat neutral in their confidence about knowledge of Russia andtheMiddle East neitherofwhich had featured significantly inworkshops at the timeof theevaluationTherehasbeenamedium-sizedeffect(04ndash06)onimprovingknowledgeconfidenceinthetopicsofSouthAsiaEastSouthEastAsiaandEuropeWithinthecategoryoflsquomappingandfieldworkrsquoteachersrsquoknowledgeoflsquousingGISrsquoshowsapositiveshifteffectof06withlsquofieldworktechniquesrsquomovingalmostonewholeconfidencelevelmostlikelyattributabletotheresidentialfieldwork

OveralltheshifteffectforsecondaryteacherswasmuchsmallerthanthatoftheirprimarycolleaguesThisistobeexpectedastheprimaryteacherswerestartingfromabaselineoflittlegeographicalknowledgeandlowconfidenceincontrasttosecondaryteacherswithdegreesingeography(orarelatedsubject)andmediumtohighconfidencelevels

Thepost-projectquestionnaire includedanopen-responsequestionaskinglsquoHowhastheLGAprojecthelpedyouasateacherrsquoForsecondaryteachersthemostfrequentmentionswerelsquoupdatingsubjectknowledgersquo(4)andlsquonewteachingideasrsquo(4)followedbylsquosharinggoodpractice(3)lsquounderstandingthevalueoffieldworkrsquo (2)andlsquodevelopedamorereflectivereviewofmyteachingrsquoOtherbenefitsmentionedincludedlsquolinkingofgeographicalideasrsquolsquoknowledgeofonlineresourcesrsquolsquodevelopmentofenquiryskillsrsquolsquobetterunderstandingofthenationalcurriculumrsquoandlsquoimprovedknowledgeofresourcesrsquo

Duringvisitstoschoolstwosecondaryteacherstookpartinasemi-structuredinterview Oneteacherwasarelativelylsquoyoungcareerrsquoteacherhavingbeenteachingforafewyearswhiletheotherwasanexperiencedteacherof25yearsBothteachersdiscussedimprovedsubjectknowledge and being more confident about what they were teaching especially in physicalgeographyBothteachersalsomentionedthattheLGAhadprovidedbetterteachingmaterialespeciallyatA level thattheycoulduse intheclassroomBothteachersvaluedthepersonalconnectionsestablishedwithuniversity-levelteachingappreciatingtheimportanceofengagingwithcontemporarygeographicalideasOneteachercommentedlsquoithelpedmefeelasthoughIcouldmaketheAleveltopicsmorerelevantandcutting-edgersquo

TheyoungcareerteacheralsomentionedhowtheLGAhadraisedawarenessofgeographicalvocabularylsquotodemonstrateitsmeaningintheclassroomratherthanjustusingwordsrsquoInthisrespecttheLGAhadchangedanddevelopedtheteachingstyleofthisteacherShealsoindicatedhowimprovedconfidencewithsubjectknowledgehadhelpedherassessmentofstudentsrsquoworkatGCSEbecauseshewasbetterabletoidentifywhatmakesaresponsegeographicallsquobeyondfactsrsquo

Secondary pupil outcomes

In response to the survey question asking lsquoHow has the LGA project helped your pupilsrsquogeographicalknowledgeskillsandunderstandingrsquosecondaryteacherscitedlsquomoreinterestingrelevanttopicsandinformationrsquo(3)lsquoimprovedpupilenthusiasmrsquo(2)lsquomoreimprovedfieldworkrsquo(3)lsquoimprovedaccuracyofsubjectknowledgersquo(2)lsquomoremapskillsrsquo(1)lsquoimprovedknowledgeofglaciationrsquo (1)lsquoawarenessof timescales in geographyrsquolsquoimprovedchallengersquo (1) andlsquoimproved


GISskillsrsquo (1)Theseteachersassumedthatthe increasedmotivationofpupilswould leadtoimprovedgeographicallearningoutcomes

Evidencewasobtainedfromadiscussionwith afocusgroup comprisingfouryear7pupilsand two pupils from both years 9 and 10The pupils commented that they had noticed anincreaseinactiveteachingapproachesandindependentlearningTheteachersseemedtolsquoknowtheirstuff rsquoandaftersometeachingatthestartofatopictheywouldallowstudentstoworkthrough activities and tasks and find information and answers to questionsThey also hadmorefieldworkopportunitiesincorporatedintotheirworkandlearningthisyearwhichtheyconsideredvaluableforlearningAllthepupilsenjoyedgeographyandtheyear10pupilswereconsideringstudyingthesubjectatAlevel

TheinterviewwithanHoDindicatedadirectimpactonpupiloutcomes

TheLGAinputhasbeenmostbeneficialforextendedessaysthatstudentshavedoneinbothkey stages incorporating independent researchThis the studentshave found very interestingandsignificantas it showsgeography inactionvery topical right uptotheverypresent theimmediacy

Asecondcommentpertainedtopupilsrsquounderstandingoftheprocessofscientificenquiryandthewayinwhichresearchisproduced

Our students can become too cynical too quickly to lsquonewrsquo scientific ideas and advancesEmphasizingtostudentstherouteofscientificenquiryacademicpeerassessmentscrutinyoftheevidenceandthatonlythenwilluniversitiesacceptfindingsThishasgivenourstudentsademonstrationofthescrutinyandfairprocessthatgeographicalresearchhasto undergobeforeitbecomesmainstream

FinallytheHoDrevealedthatnewconnectionshadledtosomepupilsbeingtakenonavisittothelocaluniversitywhichhadlsquoraisedtheiraspirationsrsquowithrespecttohighereducation

Secondary school system outcomes

Thepost-coursequestionnaireincludedanopen-responsequestionaskinglsquoHowhastheLGAprojecthelpedyourdepartmentrsquoThemostfrequentresponse(7)fromsecondaryteacherswasthatithadhelpedthemtodevelopnewschemesofworkandorintroducenewtopicsintotheirexisting curriculum Some respondentsmentioned specific topics ndash including climate changeglaciationandGISndashandtheintroductionoffieldworkAssociatedwiththesewerementionsoflsquomappingthenationalcurriculumrsquo(1)lsquosubjectknowledgeupdateinthedepartmentrsquo(3)lsquothedevelopmentofnewteachingideasrsquo(2)thedevelopmentoflsquogeographicalpedagogicalcontentknowledgersquo(1)andlsquonewresourcesrsquo(1)

In response to the question lsquoIn what ways has the LGA project helped you developawarenessofotherworkandofotherteachersanddepartmentsrsquo themostfrequentresponsewaslsquodiscussionwithotherteachersrsquo(8)followedbylsquosharingideasrsquo(4)lsquoschoollinksrsquo(3)andtheassociatedlsquosharing resourcesrsquo (1)Otherbenefitsmentionedwerelsquoreflectionon the schemeof workrsquolsquoan understanding of the restriction of exam specificationsrsquo andlsquosupport for non-specialistsrsquo

During visits to two schools the HoDs took part in a semi-structured interviewOneHoDcommentedthatthedepartmentwasinneedofimprovementinsubjectknowledgeandconfidencetoteachtoahigher levelTheLGAhadprovidedthis levelofsubjectknowledgeforthewholedepartmentInbothschoolsinformationandideasfromsessionswerefedbackduringweeklydepartmentalmeetingswhichincludedadiscussiononwherethelsquonewrsquosubject


knowledge and approachesmightbestbe applied in the curriculumUsing thisdepartmentallsquocascadersquoapproachensuredthewholedepartmentbenefitedfromtheLGAcourseTheLGAworkhadstronglyinfluencedtheintroductionoftwonewfieldtripsndashonetoalocalurbanareaandtheothertoacoastallocationAnumberofteachingapproachesdiscussedatLGAsessionshad been incorporated into the departmental work particularly highlighting geographicalvocabulary andmore independent learning activitiesTheonedepartmentwas introducingAlevelgeographyinthenextacademicyearandfelttheLGAcoursehadprovidedconsiderableinputintotheplanningandconfidenceoftheteacherstoteachAlevelgeographyOveralltheHoDfelttheLGAhadhelpedthewholedepartmenttobecomebettergeographersandhadlsquore-generatedaninterestinthesubjectwithfocusanddirectionrsquo

InthesecondschoolvisitedtheHoDalsonotedthattheLGAhadhelpedthedepartmentestablishlinkswithuniversitiesandwithotherschoolsinLondon

FormeitissomuchbettertoestablishdevelopbuildconsolidateandreviewfromanorganizationliketheLGAspeakingandliaisingface-to-facewithpeopleasmallishgroupwith sharedinterestssimilarmotivationsThatgroupdynamichelps buildandmaintainaworthwhilesystem

Conclusions

In conclusionwe can surmise that an alliance of schools and university lecturers (includingteachereducators)hadsignificantbenefitsforteacherspupilsschoolsanduniversitiesTeacherswereabletocontinuelearningintheirowndisciplineexpandingandupdatingtheirknowledgeandmethodsrefreshingtheirideasandgainingaccesstonewresourcesTheywerestimulatedtoenhanceexistingschemesofworkdevelopnewschemesofworkandtryoutnewmethodsin the classroom In some cases teachers learnt about an aspect of geography (like soils orglaciation)thatwasentirelynewtothemorinwhichtheypreviouslyhadlittleconfidence

TheLGAbenefitedpupilsbecausetheirteachersintroducedthemtonewvocabularynewresourcesnewideasnewmethodsandcurrentdataProjectteacherswereinspiredandtheirideas refreshedmaking their teachingmoreenthusedand interesting forpupilsTheschoolndashuniversityconnectionshadotherspin-offsforpupilsincludingabetterunderstandingofwhereknowledgecomesfromandhowitisproducedaswellasvisitingauniversityBothincreasedpupilsrsquoaspirationswithrespecttofurthereducation

TheprofileofgeographyasasubjecthasbeenraisedintheschoolsparticipatingintheLGAInprimaryschoolsthiswasevidentingeographicaldisplaysaroundtheschool ingeography-basedthemedaysinthere-balancingofteachingtoincludemuchstrongergeographicalcontentinthecurriculumandinthegeographicalvocabularyusedbyteachersandpupilsalikeAkeydifferenceisthatteachersunderstandwhatgeographyisandhowtomakeitapparenttopupilsInsecondaryschoolsaraisedprofile forgeography isrecognizedthroughtheextensionandstrengtheningoffieldworkexperiencesthe introductionofcontemporarythemesandtopicsintoschemesofworkagreateremphasisoninter-relationaldimensionsofgeographyandfreshapproachestoteachingthesubject

Finally therewereclearbenefits touniversitieswhoparticipated in theLGAOpeningadialoguewithteachersgivestheminsightintoeducationinschoolsOnlythroughteacherndashlecturerdialogue can commonaims andobjectives for the curriculumpossiblybe achievedThiswaylecturerscancontributetoimprovingthepreparednessofthestudentstheyreceivesomethingtheyareclearlyconcernedaboutInthelongrunwesuggestthatincreasedcollaborationwouldsmooththetransitionfromschooltouniversityforstudentsasthegapwouldnotbesolarge


Acknowledgements

WewouldliketothanktheGLAandtheDepartmentforEducationforprovidingthefinancialsupportwithoutwhichtheLGAcouldnothavebegunInparticularwearegratefultoCatherineKnivettattheGLAforheradviceandguidanceandTrijntjeYtsmaattheIOEforheradministrativeroleThesupportingroleofthethreeuniversitydepartments(UCLKingrsquosCollegeandQueenMaryUniversity)wascriticaltotheestablishmentandsuccessoftheLGANotonlywastheinputfromuniversitylecturersanessentialingredientbuttheenthusiasmtoworkwithschoolscoming fromsenior facultymembersndash includingProfessorNickCliffordDrSimonCarrDrJanAxmacherandDrStephenTaylorndashwas imperativeaswastheadviceofProfessorDavidLambertFinallytheenthusiasmanddedicationofthegeographyteachersinparticipatingschoolshavebeencommendable

Note

1 InDecember2014theIOEbecameaschoolofUniversityCollegeLondonandisnowcalledtheUCLInstituteofEducation

Notes on the contributors

Alex Standish is a Senior Lecturer in Geography Education at UCL Institute of Education UniversityCollegeLondonwhereheleadstheSecondaryGeographyPostgraduateCertificateinEducationteachessupervisesdoctoral degrees and runs theLGAA former teacher andAssociateProfessor atWesternConnecticutStateUniversityhehasprovidedcurriculumsupporttotheDepartmentforEducationtheGLAandtoschoolsHeisauthoroftwobooksincludingThe False Promise of Global Learning

DuncanHawleyisageographyeducatorHecurrentlyworksontheinternationalGeoCapabilitiescurriculumleadership project teaches part-time in a small independent school runs professional developmentworkshopsingeographyandgeoscienceeducationandisaconsultanttotheGeographicalAssociationHeisexternalexaminertotwomajorteachertrainingcoursesinEnglandandhasbeenpresentedwiththeGeographicalAssociationrsquosAwardforExcellence2012From2004to2012DuncanwasSecondaryPGCEProgrammeDirectoratSwanseaMetropolitanUniversity

TessaWillyiscurrentlyaLecturerofEducationatUCLInstituteofEducationUniversityCollegeLondonworkingonthePrimaryandInternationalPGCEandcoordinatingthePrimaryTuitionFeeRouteofSchoolDirect ShehastaughtinsecondaryandprimaryschoolsinboththeUKandabroadandhasbeenworkinginteachereducationforthepasttenyearsTessaisamemberoftheGeographicalAssociationEditorialBoardforthePrimary Geographyjournalandisalsoontheirmainpublicationsboard

References

BennettsT (2005) lsquoThe links between understanding progression and assessment in the secondarygeographycurriculumrsquoGeography 90(2)152ndash70

BernsteinB(2000)Pedagogy Symbolic Control and Identity Theory research and critique2ndedLondonTaylorampFrancis

BrandomR(2000)Articulating Reasons An introduction to inferentialismCambridgeMAHarvardUniversityPress

DepartmentforEducation(DfE)(2010)The Importance of Teaching The Schools White Paper 2010Onlinewwwgovukgovernmentpublicationsthe-importance-of-teaching-the-schools-white-paper-2010(accessed20January2016)

DerryJ(2014)Vygotsky Philosophy and educationLondonWileyBlackwellEcclestoneKandHayesD(2008)The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic EducationAbingdonRoutledgeGreaterLondonAuthority(2014)London Schools Excellence Fund Self-evaluation toolkitLondonGLA


LambertD (2011)lsquoReviewing thecase forgeographyand theldquoknowledge turnrdquo in theEnglishnationalcurriculumrsquoThe Curriculum Journal22(2)243ndash64

LondonGeographyAlliance(LGA)OnlinewwwlondongeographyorgMarsdenW(1997)lsquoOntakingthegeographyoutofgeographicaleducationSomehistoricalpointers in

geographyrsquoGeography82(3)241ndash52NaishMRawlingEandHartC(1987)The Contribution of a Curriculum Project to 16ndash19 EducationHarlow

LongmanPhenixP(1964)Realms of MeaningNewYorkMcGraw-HillPringR(2013)The Life and Death of Secondary Education for AllDream or realityLondonRoutledgeRawlingE(2001)Changing the Subject The impact of national policy on school geography 1980ndash2000Sheffield

GeographicalAssociationStandishA(2007)lsquoGeographyusedtobeaboutmapsrsquoInWhelanR(ed)The Corruption of the Curriculum

LondonTheInstitutefortheStudyofCivilSociety28ndash57ndashndash(2009)Global Perspectives in the Geography Curriculum Reviewing the moral case for geographyAbingdon

Routledgendashndash(2012)The False Promise of Global Learning Why education needs boundaries LondonContinuumTschannen-Moran M andWoolfolk HoyA (2001) lsquoTeacher efficacy Capturing an elusive constructrsquo

Teaching and Teacher Education17(7)783ndash805WhelanR(2007)(ed)The Corruption of the CurriculumLondonTheInstitutefortheStudyofCivilSocietyWinchC(2013)lsquoCurriculumdesignandepistemicassentrsquoJournal of Philosophy of Education47(1)128ndash46YoungM(2008)Bringing Knowledge Back In From the social constructivism to social realism in the sociology of

educationLondonRoutledgendashndash(2014)lsquoTheprogressivecaseforasubject-basedcurriculumrsquoInYoungMLambertDRobertsMand

RobertsC(eds)Knowledge and the Future SchoolLondonBloomsbury89ndash110YoungMandMullerJ(2016)Curriculum and Specialization of Knowledge Studies in the sociology of education

AbingdonRoutledge

Related articles published in the London Review of Education

In this issue

ThispaperwaspublishedinaspecialfeatureoneducationinLondoneditedbyTamjidMujtabaTheotherarticlesinthefeatureareasfollows(linksunavailableattimeofpublication)

BrownCTaylorCandPonambalumL(2016)lsquoUsingdesign-basedresearchtoimprovethelessonstudyapproachtoprofessionaldevelopmentinCamden(London)rsquoLondon Review of Education14(2)4ndash24

Cajic-SeigneurMandHodgsonA(2016)lsquoAlternativeeducationalprovisioninanareaofdeprivationinLondonrsquoLondon Review of Education14(2)25ndash37

JerrimJandWynessG(2106)lsquoBenchmarkingLondoninthePISArankingsrsquoLondon Review of Education14(2)38ndash65

MujtabaT(2016)EditoriallsquoEducationinLondonChallengesandopportunitiesforyoungpeoplersquoLondon Review of Education14(2)66ndash82

MujtabaT and Reiss M (2016)lsquoGirls in the UK have similar reasons to boys for intending to studymathematics post-16 thanks to the support and encouragement they receiversquo London Review of Education14(2)1ndash3

WrightP(2016)lsquoSocialjusticeinthemathematicsclassroomrsquoLondon Review of Education14(2)104ndash18


period has alsowitnessed the steady erosion of subject-specific support for schools in theformofexpertisechannelledthroughlocaleducationauthoritieswhosepowerandinfluencehavebeencurtailedbyastreamofgovernmentpolicyCombinedthesetwofactorshaveleftsome schools lacking the foundations to develop a knowledge-based curriculum and manyteacherswithouttherequisitegeographicalknowledgeneededtoprovidepupilswitharoundedgeographicaleducationItisforthesereasonsthatwedecidedtoputforwardaproposalforaLondonGeographyAlliance(LGA)comprisingschoolsuniversitygeographydepartmentsandtheInstituteofEducationUniversityofLondon(IOE)1Theapplicationwassuccessfulandtheproject received funding of approximately pound150000 over a two-year period commencing inJanuary2014

The evolving policy context

FormuchofthemodernhistoryofstateeducationtheaimsofschoolsanduniversitieswerecloselyalignedwithuniversitiesinvolvedintheschoolcurriculumGeographersattheturnofthenineteenthcenturysuchasHalfordMackindermadetheircasefortheintellectualbasisofthesubjectasbeingapplicabletobothschoolsanduniversitiesalikeTheGeographicalAssociationforteacherswasfoundedin1893byacademicgeographerswhoplayedaroleinestablishingthecurriculumforsecondaryschoolsWithreferencetoschoolgeographypriorto1970EleanorRawlingrecalls the influenceof lecturersupontheschoolcurriculumlsquoThecloserelationshipwithschoolgeographymeantthattherewereconsiderableeffortstodisseminatethenewideastosecondaryschoolsrsquo(200122)

FollowingtheestablishmentoftheindependentSchoolsCouncilin1964the1970sheraldedaperiodofcurriculuminnovationIngeographytherewerethreeprojectsthathadwidespreadimpacton the schoolcurriculumGeography for theYoungSchoolLeaverGeography14ndash18andGeography16ndash19TheseprojectsreflectedaperiodinwhichtheaimsofeducationwerebroadeningtowardssocialandpersonaldevelopmentTheGeography16ndash19projectforinstancesoughttoopenupthelsquoaffectivedomainrsquoofeducationwithanemphasisonvaluesandattitudesingeography(Naishet al19877)DespitethespecificnatureofeachprojecttheirnewpedagogicapproachhadinfluencebeyondthetargetpopulationsuggestsRawlinglsquoTheemphasiswasonmovingschoolgeographyawayfromregionalanddescriptiveworkandfocusingonmoreactivelearningstylesandmorerelevantthematiccontentrsquoThisincludedmorelsquohumanisticqualitativeandissues-basedapproachesrsquo(200124)

Thebroadeningoftheaimsofeducationcontinuedinthe1980swithagrowingemphasisonpre-vocationalskillsinthecurriculumItwasduringthisdecadethatcentralgovernmentbecamedirectlyinvolvedwiththeschoolcurriculumculminatingwiththelaunchofthenationalcurriculumin1988ReplacingtheSchoolsCouncilweretheSchoolCurriculumDevelopmentCommittee(1984ndash8)andlatertheNationalCurriculumCouncil(1988ndash93)Bothwerelsquoessentiallycreatedtoallowgovernmenttoexercisefirmercentralcontroloverthecurriculumandassessmentrsquo(Rawling200124)Thegrowthofgovernmentinfluenceovertheschoolcurriculumhasbeenparalleledbyasteadyerosionofthecurricularlinksbetweenschoolsanduniversities

UnderNewLabour(1997ndash2010)schoolsweretreatedasasiteforvariousinterventionsintheformofcitizenshipeducationsocialandemotionallearningenvironmentandsustainabilityeducationandglobaleducation(Whelan2007EcclestoneandHayes2008Standish2012)TheQualificationsandCurriculumAuthority(1997ndash2010)wasthenewgovernmentbodyappointedwithresponsibilityforthecurriculumTheQCAworkedincollaborationwithanumberofnon-governmentalorganizationstopursueitsnewaimsforthecurriculumForgeographyOxfam












Project activity









Questionnaires



Teacher interviews

























































































Conclusions






Acknowledgements


Note






References

















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue



















Project activity









Questionnaires



Teacher interviews

























































































Conclusions






Acknowledgements


Note






References

















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue










Questionnaires



Teacher interviews

























































































Conclusions






Acknowledgements


Note






References

















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue


























































































Conclusions






Acknowledgements


Note






References

















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue









Acknowledgements


Note






References

















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue



















AbingdonRoutledge


In this issue








the london geography alliance: re-connecting the school … · 2018. 1. 23. · a period of...

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