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Past Themes - Teachers' TV
John Cook, a Primary PGCE Lecturer at the Institute of Education, provides a review of the digital television channel Teachers' TV.
At the foot of the page is an opportunity for all KS3 geography teachers to participate in the Teachers' TV Programme Review Project.
To find out more about Teachers' TV visit their website.
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So it’s been up and running since the beginning of the summer term with daily broadcasts and a website of archived programmes and features. Go to the Teachers’ TV site and take a look for yourself, you should find it useful but if not, let them know.
They are keen to find out what teachers want and would be interested in any comments on programmes or ideas for future broadcasting you may have. |
So what does Teacher’s TV do to support good geography teaching? Well, a search for ‘geography’ comes up with 24 results ranging from previously shown BBC and Channel 4 schools’ programmes to those more recently produced for Teachers’ TV.
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One good example of an in-house production is the ‘Settlement’ part of an ‘Invaders and Settlement’ theme which shows how a teacher with a KS2 class skilfully plans and teaches a fieldwork lesson and the follow-up activities. It’s good stuff and the questioning and enthusiasm of both staff and children is a delight.
The learning and its outcomes are rightly applauded by the ‘resident experts’, a teacher trainer and school inspector. This is a very useful programme for INSET purposes and especially for trainee teachers or those newly qualified who may have had little geography input in their training.
‘Weather Around The World’ offers good video snippets, which would transfer well to the interactive whiteboard. The resource review focuses on using the Atmosphere, Climate and Environment website for KS2 teaching and using some Barnaby Bear materials for KS1.
‘Primary Showcase’ rounds up what resources are available from some of the national broadcasters. I’ll let you make up your own mind about the quality of the studio discussion having taken part in this programme myself. Whatever you decide, it was all in a good cause!
I regularly use clips from ‘Water, A Thirsty World’ (a great documentary style issues-lead programme) and ‘Riverflight’ (where else can you get such stunning aerial views of the course of a river?) in my teacher training sessions.
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The Secondary programmes follow a similar format and include a resource review of the Global Eye website and the ‘Pashion for Fashion’ pack published by RISC. In this programme David Lambert joins the presenter to look at and discuss the merits of several KS3/4 geography programmes.
In ‘Making Geography Popular’ the Geography Department of Harlington Upper School give a good overview of what has been successful for them in developing standards and an interest and enthusiasm for the subject in their school.
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Teachers’ TV is not quite the ‘world tour’ yet but does have some very useful materials for geography educators at all levels. It is up to us to push for, promote and perhaps become more involved ourselves in programmes that continue to develop the cause for even stronger geography teaching in our schools.
John Cook
October 2005
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| Geography Programme Review Project |
Teachers’ TV in conjunction with the Institute of Education and the Geographical Association are conducting a Geography Programme Review to find out how the current suite of Key Stage 3 programmes contributes to your CPD. If you’d like to participate in the Review Project complete this questionnaire and send it to Clare Brooks.
Updated 20.10.05
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