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MAKING SENSE OF GEOGRAPHY IN COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

MAKING SENSE OF GEOGRAPHY IN COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN. Professor Simon Catling. ‘Populist’ geography texts for younger children. A long-standing personal/professional interest

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MAKING SENSE OF GEOGRAPHY IN COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

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  1. Westminster Institute of Education MAKING SENSE OF GEOGRAPHY IN COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Professor Simon Catling

  2. ‘Populist’ geography texts for younger children • A long-standing personal/professional interest • Types of books about geography that you can buy in chain and independent bookshops in the Children’s section from the Geography shelves. • Have collected some 70 such books, over last 20 years • Currently examining 30 books from 1996-2005 • Such books are bought after very little consideration in the shop Westminster Institute of Education

  3. YOUR TASK • To provide a quick, personal response to the book in front of you • Please make legible notes using the form provided • Add no additional notes after time given to respond • Return form to Simon Westminster Institute of Education

  4. What do you find on the shelves? (1) • Books titled ‘Geography’ and books about the ‘World’ and the ‘Earth’ • Books that take you ‘round the World’ to countries, fully or selectively • Books that focus on the physical or natural environment • Books that focus on people in places and/or daily life around the World Westminster Institute of Education

  5. What do you find on the shelves? (2) • Books that are highly illustrated, with photographs and/or colour pictures - scenic • Books that use globes and world maps (80%+), and continental maps • Books that are descriptive: tell you about, outline, show what like and what happens • You learn about: places and environments, human and physical features, some natural processes, aspects of people’ lives, economic activity, leisure, cultural differences Westminster Institute of Education

  6. Some emerging images of geography (1) • Geography is interested in the World • Geography as a systematic study of the natural and human environments • Geography as the study of countries and regions of the World • Geography uses maps • Geography has a limited interest in environmental matters and concerns • Geography as knowing about the World and as having some sense of how it works Westminster Institute of Education

  7. Some emerging images of geography (2) • Geography looks to the national and global scale, rarely locally • Geography is not that up-to-date, eg with GIS, GPS, aerial/satellite photos • Geography seems not to use investigative approaches, even exploring the internet • Geography avoids contentious matters and challenging topics • Geography does not want to tell anyone what it is about or how it studies what it does • Newer and developing geographies….???? Westminster Institute of Education

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