This section of the Web site provides a summary of the work done by teachers and the case study report they developed.
It includes examples of the Story Maps created by the teachers in teaching migration.
Download a pdf summary of the GeoCapabilities 3 case studies project report
Context
In total, six academic institutions participated in the GeoCapabilities 3 project. Each of the project partners collaborated with associate lower and upper secondary level schools to address the goals of the project.
Specifically the purpose was to develop a series of learning opportunities with innovative teaching ideas to trial the suitability of the GeoCapability approach with their school students. All 13 participating associate schools face various long-term challenging circumstances. These circumstances involve: location of the region (periphery), economy (higher levels of population poverty; structural changes – e.g., decline of industrial (textile, mining) areas etc.), and society and demography (changing demographics; migrant population; socio-economic deprivation etc.). Obviously, in most of the cases schools face a combination of these challenges.
Case studies
Each of the partners, together with his/her associate schools, carried out a case study consisting of planning, teaching and evaluation of lessons on migration to develop social justice. The GeoCapabilities approach was used in all phases.
Planning
Based on the case studies carried out, it can be concluded that there are tools which help teachers to start thinking in an innovative way about their own teaching. These were especially the creating of vignettes; deliberating with curriculum artefacts; discussion with academic geographers and geography educators; sharing ideas with other teachers (nationally and internationally); and the process of getting familiar with the key concepts of the GeoCapabilities approach (PDK, capability, Maude’s typology, curriculum making). However, teachers found they needed time to engage fully with these tools in their lesson planning.
When planning lessons innovatively, it is critical to consider the individual settings of each school and teacher (particularly when being in the challenging circumstances). The teacher’s open-mindedness and willingness to think critically about new curriculum content and teaching and learning approaches, are preconditions for successfully adopting a GeoCapabilities approach.
When planning lessons innovatively, it is critical to consider the individual settings of each school and teacher (particularly when being in the challenging circumstances). The teacher’s open-mindedness and willingness to think critically about new curriculum content and teaching and learning approaches, are preconditions for successfully adopting a GeoCapabilities approach.