This article aims to explore the use of micro-scale geographic concepts as a tool for giving students the opportunity to explore their own personal geographies and enhance the connection between secondary and tertiary geography education.
The issues surrounding this article are centred on the academic argument that geography is a subject that has a lag time between academic and school disciplines. Lambert states that “school geography has become somewhat stuck” and a discipline that is far removed from developments in academia (2011). Goudie has called for a rapprochement between schools and universities, stating that a lack of academic contact is de-skilling both students and teachers. Lambert is also concerned that subjects like geography are vulnerable to becoming “fossilised” and therefore irrelevant to most students. In an ever-changing, fast-paced globalised world in which distance decay is reduced, how do we make geography relevant and real in the classroom? Indeed, as Biddulph argues, “what is the purpose of education in this globalised, unequal, fast-changing world” unless it is relevant and topical for today’s students?
“The extraordinariness of ordinary life offers a unique insight into the relations between people and place” (Holloway and Hubbard 16).
The issues, as far as these academics are concerned, are clear. A change needs to occur, but in what guise? Although consumption has become a focus for academic geography, this shift in focus has not yet trickled down to classroom practices. It is of vital importance that students feel a connection between the geographic concepts and theories they are taught and their own lives. The importance of young people’s geography has long been argued by academics. In the social constructivist theory of knowledge, Bruner encourages teachers to support students to discover principles for themselves through active learning (1983). This article would argue that the macro geographies of “out there” places that are so often taught in classrooms swallow the curriculum and do not always allow such connections to be made. Often, the geography presented can seem far removed from students’ lived experiences and create a disconnect. The Geographical Association has long been an advocate for making school geography relevant to students by involving them in curriculum-making and by focusing on their own lived experiences. Their projects aim to respond to the challenges schools can face in the task of preparing young people for a future characterised by rapid economic, political, social, cultural and technological change.
“Place is a space with meaning” (Tuan).
NLCS follows the IB philosophy centred around fostering critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and global-mindedness. This aligns seamlessly with the argument for adopting micro-scale geography. When exploring a geographical concept such as interconnection, “the open-ended nature of this global issue means that independent learning should be employed” (Standish). Therefore, a focus on these micro-scale geographic concepts that can be adapted is the use of consumption and commodities. Angus, Cook and Evans have written persuasively about getting “students to think through their connections with the lives of distant others through simple acts of consumption and the responsibilities which they might have” (2010). Through this ontology, students are asked to see themselves as a node in a network rather than a passive bystander. Many geographers believe that teaching places as “grand narratives” cloaks the cartographies of power that need revealing (Massey 2005). The study of “place and places is necessarily complex, messy and always open to question” (Cresswell 2010), so let it be so! After all, place is a space with meaning (Tuan). We need to allow students to apply meaning using their own lived experiences as active consumers to ensure that power geometries are not hidden but made tangible and accessible to young people whose future depends on their understanding of these layers of interconnection. In agreement with Allen, I would also argue that “viewing globalisation ‘out there’ and beyond our control is dangerous; it could lead to classrooms within which globalisation is imagined as an uncontrollable force that no one can influence” (124).
In one such example, Cook et al. encouraged university students to write about everyday objects in the first person and follow their commodity chains to unveil a complex network of social, economic, environmental and political issues attached. Such pedagogic techniques can open a complex and often hidden world of conceptual understanding for our students, far surpassing that of simplistic, broad-sweeping curricula.
Exploring geography at smaller scales can, in fact, make the world feel bigger.
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Biddulph, M. (2014) What kind of curriculum do we really want? Teaching Geography, 39 (1) pp 6-9
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Georgia Ward is Assistant Principal (Head of House) at North London Collegiate School Dubai. With a strong foundation in geography education and pastoral leadership, she has previously held the roles of Head of Geography and Deputy Head of Sixth Form, both of which reflect her commitment to academic excellence and pastoral care.
She holds a Master’s degree in Geography Education from University College London (UCL) and is currently completing the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership at UCL. Her passion for global education is reflected in her international teaching experience, having previously taught at The British School in Tokyo. Georgia brings a rich and diverse perspective to her leadership and teaching, drawing on both academic research and real-world experience to inform her practice.
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