Geography in Primary ITE

Developing Students’ Locational Knowledge

What does this mean ?

The phrase ‘locational knowledge’ identifies people’s capacity to know where places are, both in our everyday places and places regionally, nationally, and globally. The term ‘mental map’ is also used to refer to this framework for locational information which we carry in our heads and use to find our way in familiar places without using a map or asking directions, as well as being able to locate in our head-help ‘maps’ places mentioned in the news or by others, accurately or approximately nationally and around the world.

For student teachers to be able to help children in key stages 1 and 2 develop their locational knowledge and mental mapping skills, they too should have an effectively developed locational knowledge framework of their familiar places and of the world. This requires they:

· understand the terms ‘locational knowledge’ and ‘mental map’, and know of ways to help children develop their own mental maps of their neighbourhood and city/region and of their country, continent and the world, so that they can recall, name and locate on maps specified/studied places, human and physical features and events;

· more specifically, know of and can locate selected places and features on the Earth, including its continents and oceans, and some of its major islands; know of and can locate the countries of the United Kingdom (and that it is a federal nation), their capitals, its surrounding seas, its key physical features (eg rivers, mountains, headlands), its key urban, agricultural and tourist centres, places in the news, and its main regions; know of and can locate the countries of Europe and their capitals, those of other continents including South, central and North America, and their major rivers, mountains, plains, lakes, islands, and places of importance and interest (such as oil production sites, tourist centres, ports, and sites in the news); and know of and can locate the key biomes, climate and vegetation zones and key lines of latitude and longitude and the time zones of the Earth.

The National Curriculum Geography Key Stage 1 and 2 programmes of study state that pupils should be able to locate places of global significance. This requires the use of maps to locate features and areas on the Earth, however their significance is decided. Developing locational knowledge requires building the skills to use, and developing familiarity with, maps.

What does best practice look like? [Ofsted best practice]

Children exhibited good locational knowledge when:

· they are engaged in investigations in their school’s grounds and local area, using ground and aerial photographs with maps to locate features, and drawing maps, as integral in their studies, facilitating their discussion of locations, links and area;

· young children can recognise maps of the British Isles, with its countries, and the basic features on the world map, its continents and oceans;

· their studies of topics and places are set in real places, enabling them to develop their knowledge of places nationally, in Europe and globally using globes and atlas maps, helping them to be able to name and locate major events and places and key map features, such as the Equator;

· children use a ‘Barnaby Bear’ style toy to photograph and track sites and routes and share this experience and their knowledge, including their maps, with other children;

· teachers have an informed locational knowledge, and are able to help children locate places locally, nationally and globally using globes, atlases and maps;

· teachers ensure up-to-date appropriate maps, atlases and globes, and web-based and other IT map sources, are regularly accessible for children to search and use;

· children’s knowledge of the world is noted as an aspect of their attainment.

How to develop best practice?

Key to developing children’s local and world locational frameworks are active, investigative and practical approaches. This approach should be the case with student teachers.

· Which places are significant? Both locally or globally discuss what the term ‘significant’ means and why and how it can be applied to places, features and locatable events. Propose and consider examples and justify or contend why these are significant.

· We often draw sketch maps to show locations and routes. Consider how we know what to include and how we relate sites and routes. Try drawing an area, such as the campus or around home. What is included and what not? Why is this? Consider the extent of your local ‘mental map’ and how you might enhance it and make it more useful. What would you do to achieve this?

· In investigating a local area, use street maps, Google Earth and maps, OS maps and other sources to view and explore the area, and to identify who knows what about the area, and how this knowledge was acquired. Mark a suitable map with features, sites, events and places of interest/value/fear. How shared are these? Why are they included? Can a shared ‘map’ be agreed? On what grounds?

· Being required to know where significant features and places are nationally and globally, examine a variety of sources to identify candidates. Make lists, and justify your significance for what is included. What criteria are or can be used personally or to agree a shared list. Map them. Make a case for all adults and/or children to know the names and locations of these features and places.

· When undertaking studies of other places and aspects of human/physical geography nationally and globally, check the locations of places encountered using globes and wall and atlas maps. It is useful to have access to a detailed world atlas. Check what such places look like on Google Earth. Keep track of these features and places on a suitable globe and map in the classroom. From time to time consider how well everyone knows these locations and how they enhance personal knowledge of the world.

· Use school globes and atlas maps for younger and older children to consider what is included on them and why. On what grounds were they selected? What differences are there between different atlases and why might this be so? Do some places and features stand out more than others, and if so, why? What does this say about cartographers’/publishers’ views about what is significant to include on globes and atlases?

Resources [These can be hyperlinks]

Catling (2002) Placing Places, Sheffield: Geographical Association.

Catling, S (2013) Learning about places in the World, in Scoffham (ed) Teaching Geography Creatively, London: Routledge.

Catling, S and Taylor L (2006) Thinking about geographical significance, Primary Geographer, 61, 35-38.

Taylor, L and Catling S (2006) Geographical significance: A useful concept? Teaching Geography 31 (3), 122-125

The Geographical Associations’ journal Primary Geography (Primary Geographer until 2010) contains several articles relevant to children developing locational knowledge: 2009-12.

Copies of at least one publisher’s school atlases for KS1/2 should be used with students:

Collins www.collins.com/primary/geography

Oxford university Press www.oup.com/oxed/primary/geography

Philips www.octopusbooks.co.uk/philips-maps

Web sources:

Encarta World Atlas en.softonic.com/download-encarta-world-atlas-2012

Google Earth www,google.com/earth

Google maps www.maps.google.co.uk

National Geographic map machine ionalgeographic.com/education/mapping/interactive-map/?ar_a=1

Ordnance Survey mapping www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/education-and-research/index.html

OS Mapzone www.mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone

Oxfam Mapping Our World www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/mappingourworld

Worldmapper www.worldmapper.org

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