Geography and the Global Dimension
Introduction
'Listen to a news broadcast or open a newspaper and you cannot fail to be struck by the relevance of geography. This practical discipline enables us to understand change, conflict and key issues which impact on our lives today and which will affect our futures tomorrow.'
- David Bell, 'The value and importance of geography', in Teaching Geography, Spring 2005
This course looks at geography's contribution to learning about the global dimension. In many ways we might expect geography to be at the core of any work that includes a global dimension because human geography is all about people and places and how we live in the world today. However experience has shown us that this is not always the case.
The global dimension remains underdeveloped in the majority of schools surveyed. Frequently, insufficient connections are made between the wider curriculum and the geography curriculum to reinforce pupils’ understanding of issues such as global citizenship, diversity, human rights and sustainable development. - OFSTED 2008
Course units
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Start local and think global How can we expect pupils to think about global connections if they are unable to value their own small part of the earth? |
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Start global and think local What informs our global perspective and how can books prompt memories to help us think about what we value? |
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The 'big ideas' behind geography and the global dimension What is geography all about? And what is the relationship between geography and the global dimension? |
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Living geography Exploring the term 'living geography' and how it can make the subject more relevant to your pupils. |
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Planning and resourcing Planning for global learning and how to teach about the unfamiliar using the rainforest as an example. |
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Case study one: Project Amazonas How one teacher used the book The Great Snake to inspire learning about the Amazon Rainforest. |
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Case study two: One Hen Exploring sustainable development with the book One Hen and helping pupils view themselves as global citizens. |
Background
In 2010-11 the Geographical Association and the Development Education Centre for South Yorkshire (DECSY) worked together on the Geography and the Global Dimension Project with funding from DfID and in collaboration with six teachers from Sheffield and Rotherham.
During the development phase we engaged in critical and reflective discussion on themes such as climate change, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), water, food and trade justice. We are currently working with six new teachers to refine our ideas and produce more case studies.
These course units were created by the project leader, Wendy North, to share the discussions and outcomes of the first phase of the project with a wider audience.
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