“Are you sitting comfortably.....??”Writing (& Reading) the Earth

2010Im

age by Psychogeographer under CC license

Alan ParkinsonGeographical Association

Who am I ?2005: Magic Realism: Virtual Geography and Online Communities2006: Google Earth: a Users guide2007: Getting beyond “cut and paste”2008: Turn on... tune in... Geography !”2009: A Different View – GA Manifesto2010: TODAY !

Mapcrunch...

LiteracyGeography

Writing the earth

Secondary Curriculum Development Leader @ Geographical Association

“Language provides the medium for learning geography in every

classroom and should therefore be a major consideration in the planning

and preparation of lessons.”Graham Butt, University of Birmingham

Originally contained in 2nd edition of Balderstone and Lambert (2010)

What does it mean to be literate in geography ?

How can we support the developing of literacy in

geography ?

How can literacy be embedded into our planning ?

Word CloudsWordle / TagxedoClassroom walls

Which texts have you chosen to use with students ?

Kansas City Library , Car ParkTitles chosen by local people...

10.10.1050 years since

first publication of...

“The Weirdstone of Brisingamen”

DARTS

Directed Activities Relating to Text

Produce a code: How to be a responsible tourist

Either: 1. Storyboard for an in-flight video 2. Instruction sheet to be located in

the seat pocket 3. Version aimed at younger travellers e.g. informative cartoons, poster

John Davitt’s RAG: Literacy version...Excel / App / Google Gadget

Functional SkillsNew in 2010 for

England

We live in a society where the image is becoming the dominant means of communication, and where once we used pictures to

illustrate our written texts, increasingly we are using written text to illustrate the pictures.

Most of us engage with moving image texts more than any other form of text in any given day, so the development of literacy skills in young people should recognise that fact.

What links all of these texts is that they are all a form of narrative, so when we develop literacy skills in young people

what we are developing is the set of skills which will enable them to engage critically with the range of narratives which are

in the world, and to be able to construct their own effective narratives.

Bill Boyd, Literacy Adviser, Scotland

“The Met Office admitted this week thatits promise of a barbecue summer was wrong, explaining that it was very difficultto predict what will happen in threemonths time. Meanwhile, they remainabsolutely convinced that they know precisely what the weather will be like a century from now.”

Jeremy Clarkson – August 2009

So what should we do in school geography?

Involve young people in:• Reading imaginative/emotional responses – poetry,

novels, nature writing (also film)• Expressing personal responses – creative writing• Drawing on own experiences of being in the world

e.g. walking, sailing, windsurfing, sightseeing • Doing fieldwork that includes time for reflection,

wonder and creativity as well as other strategies• Undertaking cross-disciplinary approaches e.g. with

English (Philip Pullman – Noel Jenkins).

Homework: Fiction writing Write the opening of a story which is set in

Kenya. In this you should:· introduce a main character -write in first person

narrative style· include reference to factual geographical

information which you have researched, using technical vocabulary

· encourage the reader to want to read on· design a front cover & title

“Teacher talk dominates classrooms and controls the

process by which communication takes place, by deciding what kind

of talk is permissible, by whom and for how long.”Margaret Roberts

Poetry and PlaceMark Jones

Teaching Geography – Autumn 2010

Severn Song

Why get involved with writing about place ? Eleanor Rawling

• Developments in cultural geography – less detachment more involvement of self, body and place

• New popular interest in outdoors and active recreation (running, hiking, coasteering, cycling, photography, triathlon) especially amongst the young

• Nature writing and nature TV – Mabey, Macfarlane, Cocker, Deakin.

• Nature/culture debates, CountryFile etc.• Openings in National Curriculum –developing geographical

imaginations

UWE PGCE English and geography 2009-2010

Acrostic

Continuum of poetry / geography

Word Map of the County

http://bit.ly/98dX6e

“The traditional Glasgow lifestyle, with its high consumption of

alcohol, tobacco, fried food, sugar and salt, is notoriously the least

healthy in Europe.”

Thomas Cook guide

Closer to home...Moving about Norfolk can be fun. I am used to having people point as I go by. Most shout, "Hey, look, it's a Cosworth!" but in Norfolk they shout, "Hey, look, it's a car!“Everywhere else people want to know how fast it goes, but in Norfolk they asked how good it was at ploughingThey spend millions telling us that it is foolish to smoke, but not a penny telling us not to go to Norfolk - unless you like orgies and the ritual slaying of farmyard animals.The next time some friends get married in Norfolk, I'll send a telegram. Except it won't get there because they haven't heard of the telephone yet. Or paper. Or ink.

Jeremy Clarkson

Digital Storytelling

“I know only one thing about the technologies that await us in the future. We will find ways to tell

stories with them.” Jason Ohler

Daily Telegraph – December 2009

National Literacy Trust report...http://www.literacytrust.org.uk

• Young people with a blog (61%) as well as young people with a profile on a social networking site (56%) also displayed greater confidence, believing themselves to be good writers. Blog owners and young people with a social networking profile were also more prolific writers than their counterparts. They held more positive attitudes towards writing and computer use, and viewed writers more favourably

What if they had

a profile?

Home Profile Inbox Friends Settings Logout Search Q

View photos

Info Photos Boxes

What’s on your mind?

Share

Name

Information

Friends

10hrs ago

View videos

Older posts

Wall

Recent Activity

Ads

Groups

Add a picture here

Add personal information here

Who would they be friends with?

Last status update here

What would they be typing now?

What have they been doing on

Facebook?

Two interactions with friends

What groups are they in?

What ads would be

targeted to them?

Home Profile Inbox Friends Settings Logout Search Q

View photos

Info Photos Boxes

What’s on your mind?

Share

Name

Information

Friends

10hrs ago

View videos

Older posts

Wall

Recent Activity

Ads

Groups

Home Profile Inbox Friends Settings Logout Search Q

View photos

Info Photos Boxes

I'm being walked on again

Share

Snowdon

Information

Friends

Glyders Tryfan

I’m feeling on top of the world!!! 10hrs ago

View videos

Older posts

Wall

Recent Activity

Hey Snowdon, thanks for the add how's things going over there ??

Yeah, I know, I am fed up of seeing that train!

Ads

Groups

Llyn Ogwen

I'm Snowdon, a mountain in North Wales. I’m 1,085 metres high. I’ve even got a nature reserve around me!!!

The Snowdon Wildlife Reserve.

By Zoe

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What happened to the American dream???

What are you doing?

Update

Home

Sergio

Home

Following Followers Tweets

100 89 100

@Sergio

Direct Messages

Favourites

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RSS Feed

140

Just had to send 200 dollars home to Alamos today. Really need a job.

On the look out for a new job. Any ideas?

Just dropped a tray of dishes and got fired.

Working long hours in the restaurant tonight

MoreBy Tristan

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Surrounded by sea

What are you doing?

Update

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Iceland

Home

Following Followers Tweets

100 89 100

@Iceland

Direct Messages

Favourites

Mexico Q

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140

I am a European country

I am located in the northern hemisphere

You can find me on a plate boundary

I’m an island

More

By Jon

Travel Writing

Activity from “Look at it this Way”With thanks to Gary Dawson

Rory’s Story Cubes

Stickybits

The final chapter...

Thanks for reading...