Zoom log in time: 9:15am

Course start time: 9:30am

Course finish time: 12:30pm

The National Curriculum states that “A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.” And that “Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.” In order to gain that depth of knowledge and understanding and to inspire curiosity, the children need to be shown the links between different aspects of geography – the golden threads if you like.

Within the National Curriculum there are various substantive concepts that run throughout. These are the ‘big ideas’ that we want children to focus on in order to identify and make links between different aspects of geography.

It refers to these concepts:

o       Place and Location

o       Human Features

o       Physical features

o       Fieldwork

But whilst these substantive concepts are extremely important, there are further concepts that can be explored which will already be running through your curriculum. For example, the concepts of ‘settlement’, ‘biomes’ or ‘transport’. We can use these concepts to teach geography in a way that brings it to life and supports pupils with building on learning year on year.

During the session, we will consider:

•       How well you understand and know the geographical concepts within your curriculum

•       How these concepts can be built into existing geography topics

Standards for Teachers’ Professional Development Statement

This course is underpinned by rigorous scholarship and supported by continual development and support. It meets the DfE’s Standards for Teachers’ Professional Development in the following ways:

•       This professional development course has a focus on improving and evaluating pupil outcomes;

•       It is underpinned by robust evidence and expertise, and is clear on intended outcomes and objectives;

•       There is an expectation of collaboration and there will be expert challenge;

•       The course is part of a CPD programme designed to equip staff with the knowledge and skills required to effectively implement within their school, and sustain improvements over time.

•       A different approach to teaching geography that is concept driven