Geography in the Early Years

Joanna Birch, Joy Palmer

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9780415320702
• eBook ISBN: 9781134360116
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This completely revised and updated second edition of Geography in the Early Years presents a lively and comprehensive overview of teaching and learning in geography.

Theoretical aspects of early years teaching in geography are complemented by up-to-date research findings and illustrated with discussion, a wealth of case studies, and suggestions for the development and implementation of sound geographical work in practice.

In a practitioner-friendly style, this book provides:

• an examination of the essence of geography in terms of children's conceptions of the physical environment
• a detailed description of geography in the national curriculum and of the place and nature of environmental education within early years teaching
• guidelines for taking a whole school approach in policy, planning and organisation of geographical learning
• examples of initial teacher training and continuing professional developments.

This highly accessible, illuminating book will be immensely helpful to teachers, student teachers, policy-makers and all other providers of education for children aged three to seven years.

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Chapter 1
The young child in the geographical world

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INTRODUCTION

While the content of the National Curriculum for Schools in England underpins and guides the structure of the forthcoming text, this volume also discusses general principles of teaching and learning in geographical education that are transferable and applicable to all ‘early years’ children of nursery and school age. It is relevant to teachers, student teachers, policymakers and all other providers of education for children aged 3 and 4 to 7 years; that is, the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 in the language of the National Curriculum.

We consider it to be both a difficult and inappropriate task to pursue any discussion of learning experiences relating to the subject matter of geography in the early years of schooling without making reference to the cross-curricular theme of education for sustainable development, closely allied to the area of learning which many know as environmental education. These two curriculum components are to a large extent inextricably linked in the work of nursery, reception and early primary classes; therefore, their inter-relationships are considered, and practical examples throughout the book take account of teaching and learning across the whole spectrum of geography and what might be termed ‘environmental geography’.

The chief aim of this volume is to provide a text which is interesting, illuminative and, above all, helpful to teachers who are going about the complex task of developing worthwhile geographical education for children in nursery, reception, and Years 1 and 2 in primary school.

Essentially it sets about providing an overview of some of the more theoretical aspects of early years learning in geography, illuminated by up-todate research findings; and illustrates these with discussion, case studies and suggestions for the development and implementation of sound geographical work in practice. It is intended, therefore, to be a judicious mix of theory and practice, enlivened throughout by practical examples deriving from a wide range of schools, classrooms and other educational settings.

Beyond a consideration of theoretical perspectives on learning and links between the subject matter of geography and education for sustainable development/environmental education, the text considers the critical topics of policy-making, organisation and planning, assessment and recordkeeping, resources and activities for training and continuing professional development.

While geography in the early years of schooling is inevitably planned at the level of whole-school policy and approach, and implemented with class or year groups, the individual child is also inevitably at the heart of the learning process. Each child has a unique relationship with the world in which he or she is growing up: a relationship based on feelings, experiences and interactions with people, places, objects and events. It is hoped that this focus on ‘the young child in the geographical world’ extends beyond the heading for the book’s opening chapter, and permeates readers’ reflections on the text in its entirety.

It seems, therefore, only appropriate that the opening words of text set the scene by focusing on what young learners actually do think about aspects of our geographical world.

VIEWS OF THE WORLD

Stanley, from the north- east of England, aged 4

Researcher We’re going to look at pictures of a special place – what can we see?

Stanley Trees and water.

Researcher Good boy. What do we call a place where there’s lots and lots of trees?

Stanley A rain forest.

Researcher How do you know that?

Stanley Because my mummy tells me.

Researcher Your mummy tells you.Good. Yes, that’s a rain forest. A tropical rain forest in a country a long way away. So, Stanley, what do you know about rain forests?

Stanley It’s got snakes and jaguars and . . . I’ve been to a rain forest.

Researcher You’ve been to a rain forest?

Stanley Yes. I’ve seen snakes and rattlesnakes and nice green trees.

Researcher Where did you go to a rain forest?

Stanley In Spain.

Researcher In Spain. Your mummy’s told you about them. So you know about some of the animals in the forest?

Stanley Yes.

Researcher Have you seen rain forests in books?

Stanley Yes. I’ve got a rain forest book.

Researcher Let’s look at some of the animals who live in a rain forest. Let’s see if you know these rain forest animals. What dowe have here?

Stanley Gorilla, and jaguar. Don’t know.

Researcher Very good. This one’s called a cheetah.

Stanley Cheetah.

Researcher And that one’s called an orang-utan. And that one’s called a chimpanzee. Do you think people live in rain forests?

Stanley Some people live in rain forests who’s in charge of it.

Researcher Sometimes people come and cut down the trees. Is that a good idea or a bad idea?

Stanley A bad idea.

Researcher Right, Stanley, it’s a bad idea. Why shouldn’t we cut rain forests down?

Stanley Because we won’t be able to see the flowers, because the trees will fall on top of the flowers.

Researcher Why else is it wrong to cut down all the trees in the forest?

Stanley Because we won’t see the flowers any more. The flowers get pulled off the branches, and then they go a different colour if you leave them on the park, on the grass.

Researcher So we should look after rain forests, shouldn’t we?

Stanley Yes.

Researcher Forests are important in the world. Do you know why forests are so important?

Stanley Because there’s nice things in there and good things. . . .

Researcher Let’s look at one more place.This isn’t a rain forest – what do we have here?

Stanley North Pole, that is.

Researcher North Pole! Very good. What’s this?

Stanley Ice.

Researcher Ice and snow. If the weather at the North Pole got hot, what would happen to all the snow at the North Pole?

Stanley It would just melt.

Researcher Well done. Do you know where the snow would go to? What would happen to it?

Stanley It would just go and be gone for ever.

Researcher Do you know where it would go? Would it just disappear?

Stanley Yes. . . .

Researcher Good boy. So we’ve got some beautiful places in our world, rain forests and the North Pole, and beautiful places with flowers. And we have to take care of them, don’t we?

Stanley Yes.

Researcher Sometimespeople spoiltheworldby throwingrubbish alloverit.

Stanley Yes, throwing rubbish all over the flowers and all on the floor to make it dirty.

Researcher Is that wrong?

Stanley Uh-huh.

Researcher What should we do with the rubbish?

Stanley Just throw it in the bin.

Researcher Do you know where rubbish goes when it’s in the bin?

Stanley The bin men put it in their big truck.

Researcher They do, and the truck takes it away. Do you know where the truck takes it?

Stanley To their place.

Researcher And do you know what happens to it? Can you guess?

Stanley They put it into a black bin, and then give it to another binman.

Researcher Can you think of any other ways we can take care of our beautifulworld?

Stanley From not cutting down the trees.

Researcher Not cutting down the trees, that’s right.

Stanley Not spoiling the flowers, not treading on the flowers, not going on to the grass and treading all on the flowers.

Researcher That’s right. Why should we look after our world?

Stanley Yes, it’s a very beautiful world.

Researcher Do you take care of our world?

Stanley Yes, I do.

Researcher How could we help other people to know that they must take care of the world?

Stanley But bad people kill elephants because of their tusks.

Researcher So . . . do you think we should ever kill animals?

Stanley No, we should look after them.

Researcher Because they’re part of our world, aren’t they?

Stanley But bull fights aren’t very nice, are they?

Researcher No.

Stanley Yes, because they try and kill all the bulls, don’t they?

Researcher That’s right.

Stanley They tease them.

Researcher That’s right. And we shouldn’t tease animals, should we?

Stanley No, because that’s naughty, isn’t it?

Researcher Do you think that when you grow up you will always want to take care of the world?

Stanley Yes.When I grow up, I’m going to be an animal doctor.

Researcher Right.That’s a very good thing to want to be. So you’re going to work very hard at school?

Stanley Yes. I have to go to London to learn about it.

Researcher Do you?

Stanley Uh-huh.

Researcher Right. So when you grow up, you’re going to go to London. . . .

Stanley Uh-huh.

Researcher . . . and learn more about animals, because you want to learn how to look after them.

Stanley Yes.

Daniel, from the USA, aged 4

Researcher So . . . do you have any idea where those places may be?

Daniel I think that’s Hawaii.

Researcher It’s like Hawaii, isn’t it? Good boy, Daniel.What can you see on the picture?

Daniel Trees and bushes . . .

Researcher Well done.

Daniel And a river.

Researcher Lots of trees. This is a place called a forest. It’s called a tropical rain forest.

Daniel That’s . . . is that a tropical rain forest?

Researcher Yes – do you know about them?

Daniel ’Cos I’ve seen Ronald McDonald, and he’s in a tropical rain forest.

Researcher Who’s been in a tropical rain forest?

Daniel Ronald McDonald.

Researcher Who’s that?

Daniel He’s a guy . . . and it’s a place where you can go and get happy meals . . .

Researcher Right. So you’ve seen pictures of a tropical rain forest there. In McDonald’s?

Daniel Yes.

Researcher Good boy. So . . . do you know what it’s like in the forest,Daniel?

Daniel Uh-huh. Sometimes you can see tigers.

Researcher Good boy. What else might you see there?

Daniel And lions . . . and, and . . . and frogs that are coloured. And . . . toucan.

Researcher Great.

Daniel Tree frogs.

Researcher You’re an expert.

Daniel Fox.

Researcher Have you seen all these things in pictures in McDonald’s?

Daniel Yes.

Researcher That’s wonderful. Well, I have one or two pictures of things which live in the forest.

Daniel That’s, um . . . that’s an orang-utan.

Researcher Well done!

Daniel That . . . those are chimpanzees.

Researcher Daniel, you’re an expert.

Daniel That is um . . . a . . . called a cheetah.

Researcher OK. And one of the big problems in rain forests is that people sometimes cut the trees down.

Daniel Yeah – they shouldn’t do that.

Researcher Good boy. Do you know why they do it?

Daniel Because they need wood to build their houses.

Researcher Excellent, Daniel.

Daniel And firewood for them.

Researcher And do you know what else they do with the wood they cut down?

Daniel They make stuff out of it.

Researcher Right. Why is it a real bad idea to cut the trees down?

Daniel Because then the rain forest just becomes awhole all dead place.

Researcher Well done, Daniel. That is right. So what would happen to the animals?

Daniel They’d die.

Researcher And the people who live there?

Daniel They’d die too. . . .

Researcher Andmy other place we have . . .

Daniel Ugh!

Researcher This place. Now that’s not like a rain forest, is it?

Daniel That is . . . um . . . er . . ....

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Illustrations
• The authors
• Editor’s preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 The young child in the geographical world
• Chapter 2 Geographical and environmental education
• Chapter 3 Policy, planning and organisation
• Chapter 4 Policy into practice
• Chapter 5 Training and professional development
• Chapter 6 Resources
• Postscript
• References