Geographical Association

Children's happiness and well-being are currently the focus of a major national debate. This think piece explores a small aspect of this discussion – how geography education can help to promote deep-seated and lasting happiness. The author, Stephen Scoffham, is a Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University.

• Introduction
• Key ideas
• Suggested activities
• Bibliography
• Web links
• Primary Geography Handbook Extracts
  
  

Over the past few decades there has been an increasing interest in the emotional aspects of education. One of the key developments was the theory of multiple intelligences, which was proposed by Howard Gardner in the 1980s. Gardner argued that human intelligence was much more complex than had hitherto been believed. As well as recognising traditional forms of thought such as language and mathematics, Gardner drew attention to the way that we understand ourselves and each other – our intra-personal and inter-personal intelligences.

This thinking has prepared the ground for a more full-blown exposition of the idea of emotional intelligence, popularised by Daniel Goleman in the 1990s and reflected in twenty first century government policy initiatives such as Every Child Matters and the SEAL project. Findings from neuroscience which indicate that the emotional and cognitive parts of the brains are intricately connected have added weight to the argument. More recently the major reviews of the primary curriculum conducted separately by Sir Jim Rose and Professor Robin Alexander have both highlighted the role of well-being. It appears that despite the reservations of those who believe that education has strayed too far into the affective domain (Ecclestone and Hayes, 2009), a concern for children's happiness is likely to have an important role in future educational thinking.

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There are a number of key ideas which underpin thinking about happiness and well-being and the way it relates to primary geography.

Image 2: Smiles

Health

Happiness in its widest sense is intimately connected with our health and quality of life. In 1946 the World Health Organisation set down a marker when it defined health as 'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease and infirmity' (WHO 1946). Subsequent commentators have drawn attention to the importance to our health of our relationship with nature and the environment. This is of special relevance to geographers. Fostering a sense of 'awe and wonder at the beauty of the world' is one of the four aims of the geography National Curriculum.

Hope

The natural world also impacts on our happiness in another way. Dave Hicks (2002) reports on a small scale research study with a group of 12 global educators. He identifies ten sources of hope and optimism, one of which is the natural world. This was seen as 'a source of beauty, wonder and inspiration which ever renews itself and ever refreshes the heart and mind' (p75). However, hope can also come from learning about other people's experiences, especially from cultures which give new insights into our own. Again, this is something which geographers do as they develop global perspectives and international understanding.

Place attachment

There is a fascinating literature exploring the way in which our sense of belonging and identity are linked to places. In their autobiographies authors as diverse as Laurie Lee, Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf all recall the impact of the environment on their childhood. From a psychological point of view there are suggestions that the way we relate to our surroundings, both human and inanimate, is one of the keys to understanding child development (Turnbull 2003). Additionally, Chawla (1992) has proposed a developmental sequence of the type of places which emerge as significant as children grow older and mature. Thus the common sense understanding that the places where children play, live and go to school contribute to their physical and mental health is re-enforced by the literature. This connection, the interaction between people and places, stands at the heart of geography. It was explored recently by the Geographical Association in an important project called 'Valuing Places'.

Broaden and build theory

Image 3: Child Painting

One important new theory from the realm of positive psychology has been developed by Barbara Fredrickson (2007). Fredrickson cites evidence gathered from twenty years of experiments which shows that when people are in a positive frame of mind their thought patterns tend to be more flexible, creative, and integrative. Negative emotions, by contrast, narrow people's perspectives and shorten their attention span. It follows that when we are in a positive frame of mind we are more outgoing and more likely to want to explore the world.

Not only is this rewarding in its own right, it also extends our knowledge and skills. Thus positivity helps us both to broaden our behaviour repertoire and build our capacities for the future. The implication for geographers is that positive states are an essential prerequisite to developing pupils' enduring interest in other people, places and cultures.

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Use these activities either as free-standing sessions with PGCE students or as a sequence which develops ideas about geography and happiness.

You may also download these activities in Word or as a PDF.

1. Emotional maps

Encourage students to think about their thoughts and feelings about the different parts of the campus and its surroundings. One way of doing this is to devise an 'emotional' map. Give students a blank map of the site and ask them to classify their reactions to different places using words such as 'happy', 'sad', 'frightened' and 'excited'. Once they have written down their ideas they might colour code their results into positive and negative responses. You could also discuss the reasons for their reactions and ways in which the environment could be improved. This activity works equally well with children and has the advantage of allowing the teacher to talk with them about some of their hopes and fears.

2. My Special Place

Image 4: Resting Area

Ask the students to think back to their childhood and to select a place which was special to them for one reason or another. What was it that made it special? Their answers will probably fall into one of three categories (a) memories of being happy there (b) memories of loved ones or, less frequently, (c) the intrinsic qualities of the place. Discuss their responses and go on to consider how children's literature often features places that have a particular meaning and significance. You might get the students to select a story of their own to bring to the next session. They could then use their story at the next appropriate opportunity when they are working with children in school.

3. Special places worldwide

People have always recognised that some places are particularly special. The seven wonders of the ancient world are particularly famous (only the pyramids still survive). What places would students select for their seven modern wonders? This exercise is ideal for ICT research and subsequent PowerPoint presentations. It also works well with upper juniors. Extend the work by finding out about the World Heritage Sites designed by UNESCO. Conclude by discussing how recognising human achievements helps to promote a sense of happiness and well-being.

4. Quality of life

What are the factors which contribute to quality of life? Talk with the students about the different things which make them happy. Does money always lead to happiness? Find out about people's lives in different parts of the world. Look too in atlases for maps showing quality of life around the world. The United Nations Human Development Index is a key indicator. The index is compiled from data about income (GNP), education (school enrolment) and health (life expectancy). You can see a map which uses this index on the WorldMapper site. You might also make comparisons with the world happiness map produced by researchers at the University of Leicester.

5. Children's Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed on the 10 December 1948, is an enduring international commitment to human rights. The rights include the right to have a name, the right to be cared for, the right to think what you like and the right to meet people and make friends. Ask students to make a list of the things that they would put in their personal declaration of children's rights and why.

6. Thinking about the Future

The choices we make today will have an impact in the years to come. Ask students what they think the world might be like in 2050. You might distinguish between (a) what they think is probable (b) what they hope will happen and (c) what they fear will happen. Are they generally optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Do they think children would have the same perspective? If possible get students to collect data from the groups they teach in school to make comparisons. Extend the discussion to consider different ways of teaching children about environmental issues, stressing the need to balance realism with optimism.

7. Earth in Space

One way of promoting the serenity which comes with happiness is to step outside of our everyday cares and worries and to think of the infinity of space. One astronaut, Edgar Mitchell, describes how when he looked back at the Earth from millions of miles it looked like 'a sparkling blue and white jewel... laced with slowly swirling veils of white... like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery.' Another, Michael Collins, recalls how he looked back at our fragile home, 'a tiny outpost suspended in the black infinity'. Introduce students to these and other portraits (there are some excellent videos on YouTube) and discuss the remarkable story of the Earth's evolution. The whole of human history hardly registers on a geological time frame.

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Alcock, K. (2004) 'Making Geography Fun' in Scoffham, S. (Ed) Primary Geography Handbook, Sheffield: Geographical Association.
Bonnett, M. (2004) Retrieving Nature: Education for a post-humanist age, Oxford: Blackwell.
Chawla, L (1992) 'Childhood Place Attachments' in Altman, I. & Low, S. (Eds.) Place Attachment, London: Plenum.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997) Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention, London: HarperPerennial.
Ecclestone, K. & Hayes, D. (2009) The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education, London: Routledge.
Fredrickson, B. (2007) 'The Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions' in Huppert et al (Eds) The Science of Well-being, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Download full article.
Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York: Basic Books.
Goleman, D. (1996) Emotional Intelligence, London: Bloomsbury.
Hicks, D. (2002) Lessons for the Future, Oxford: Trafford.
Hoult, S. and Ellis, S. (2008) 'Feel Good, Learn Well' in Teaching Geography, 33, 3, pp. 143-146.
Layard, R. & Dunn, J. (2009) A Good Childhood: Searching for values in a competitive age, London: Penguin.
Noddings, N. (2003) Happiness and Education, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Potter, C. and Scoffham, S. (2006) 'Emotional Maps' in Primary Geographer, 60, pp. 20-21.
Seligman. M. (2003) Authentic Happiness, London: Brealey.
Scoffham, S (1998) 'Places, Attachment and Identity' in Scoffham, S. (Ed) Primary Sources: Research findings in primary geography, Sheffield: Geographical Association.
Spencer, C. (2005) 'Place Attachment, Place Identity and the Development of the Child's Self Identity: Searching the literature to develop a hypothesis' in International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education 14, 4, pp. 305-9.
Tanner, J. (2004) 'Geography and the Emotions' in Scoffham, S. (Ed) Primary Geography Handbook, Sheffield: Geographical Association
Tanner, J. (2009) 'Special Places: Place attachment and children's happiness' in Primary Geographer, 68, pp. 5-8.
Titman, W. (1994) Special People, Special Places, Godalming: WWF/Learning through Landscapes.
Turner, O. (2003) 'Emotion, false belief and the psychology of intuition' in Corrigall, J. & Wilkinson, H. (Eds) Revolutionary Connections, London: Karnac.
UNICEF (2007) Child Poverty in Perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries, innocent Report Card 7, 2007, Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Witt, S. (2009) 'We are Happy Geographers' in Primary Geographer, 68, pp. 21-24.
World Health Organisation (WHO) (1946) Constitution, Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Image Credits

Image 1: let it fall, let it fall, let it fall... by lepiaf.geo. Licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Image 2: Smiles - 35 used by kind permission from the Children at Risk Foundation (CARF). Permission must be sought before reusing this image for any purposes.

Image 3: Child Painting © Banana Stock

Image 4: Resting Area by Michel Filion. Licensed under a Creative Commons license.


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Valuing Places
Map Of World Happiness
Earth from Space
Oxfam Education
Save the Children
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UNICEF
World Health Organization
Earth from Space videos on YouTube
Human Development Map

Here are two extracts from the Primary Geography Handbook that expand on some of the themes explored in this Think Piece.

Download: Chapter 1 - Young geographers (pp. 15 - 19)
Download: Chapter 3 - Geography and the emotions (pp. 35 - 39)


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(Updated 20.08.09)