year 9 pupils conceptions of geography nick hopwood geography teacher educators conference, brighton...

Year 9 Pupils’ Conceptions of Geography

Nick Hopwood

Geography Teacher Educators’ Conference, Brighton 27-29 January 2006

Definition

Pupils’ conceptions of geography are those ideas, beliefs, and opinions that are brought to bear when they experience, talk about, and think about school

geography.

They may be descriptive or evaluative in nature. They need not be geographical or specific to geography.


MethodologySchool A:

Bart & Lisa

School B:Matt & Sara

School C:Jenie & Ryan

Three 14-week fieldwork

phases

Observation

Interaction

Interview

Documents

Concept mapping

Geographical questions

Supplied photo elicitation

Self-directed photography

Four non classroom-based

techniques



BartDescriptive


Evaluative

Geography is about a variety of different things

Everything in geography relates to land

Geographers ask questions: Where? Why? What

opinions?

Not about the future

Learning and knowledge are important

I appreciate activities and experiences that help me

learn

Learning why things happen is interesting

There is no point learning about the future


LisaDescriptive


Evaluative

Geography is about people-environment relationships

Geographers study different opinions

Geography is about what might happen

Geography is green and environmentally friendly

I like studying how people affect the environment and I think environmental issues

are important

Geography is important because it helps people - with knowledge (holiday destinations), skills (map

reading), and planning (futures)


Population board gameThe task: Pupils had studied fertility and were asked to create a

board game that explained either the UK’s ageing population structure or Tanzania’s wide-based population pyramid


I liked doing the game because it made learning fun

My game explains why there are so few children in the UK

Learning fertility rates isn’t that good because they change.

My game is about Tanzania and it’s all about how people affect the environment: more babies means more buildings which means more trees are cut down and more cities built

I’m interested in these things

Bart Lisa


Migration timeline (1)The task: Pupils had studied push and pull factors which cause migration. They were shown an example of a migration timeline

on a sheet, and were asked to construct their own version. It could be fictional or based on a real life migration


Bart and Lisa interpreted this task in strikingly different ways

The meaning of these experiences to Bart and Lisa only became apparent through interviews with them

afterwards


Migration timeline (1)Bart: “I did this one because it would be more helpful if it had

actually been a real event, if it had actually happened… We were doing the holocaust in history so I put that in there, it was

facts from history that explained why they moved.”


Born into a Jewish family

1930 1932

Hitler came to power

Hitler did not like the Jews

After years of racist comments, decided to move

Moved to Britain for freedom

The Brits were not anti-Jewish so they stayed

Got a good job and healthcare

$


Migration timeline (1)Lisa: “This is showing what could happen to someone from

another country, if they were poorer what can actually happen… it’s relevant to geography because it can show you what might

happen and how it might work out.”


1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960

Steph’s ancestors moved*

Steph’s mum gets a cleaning job and her dad gets a good job at an airport

Steph was born

They move to a three bed house in Middlesex

Steph’s twin brothers were born

*From the Dominican Republic to the UK. Her family had quite a bit of money (well they were richer than most people and they wanted better jobs)