The Importance of Geography
The study of geography stimulates an interest in and a sense of wonder about places. It helps young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It builds on pupils' own experiences to investigate places at all scales, from the personal to the global.
Geographical enquiry encourages questioning, investigation and critical thinking about issues affecting the world and people's lives, now and in the future. Fieldwork is an essential element of this. Pupils learn to think spatially and use maps, visual images and new technologies, including geographical information systems (GIS), to obtain, present and analyse information. Geography inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.
Key Concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of geography. Pupils need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge, skills and understanding.
- Place
- Understanding the physical and human characteristics of real places.
- Developing 'geographical imaginations' of places.
- Space
- Understanding the interactions between places and the networks created by flows of information, people and goods.
- Knowing where places and landscapes are located, why they are there, the patterns and distributions they create, how and why these are changing and the implications for people.
- Scale
- Appreciating different scales; from personal and local to national, international and global.
- Making links between scales to develop understanding of geographical ideas.
- Interdependence
- Exploring the social, economic, environmental and political connections between places.
- Understanding the significance of interdependence in change, at all scales.
- Physical and human processes
- Understanding how sequences of events and activities in the physical and human worlds lead to change in places, landscapes and societies.
- Environmental interaction and sustainable development
- Understanding that the physical and human dimensions of the environment are interrelated and together influence environmental change.
- Exploring sustainable development and its impact on environmental interaction and climate change.
- Cultural understanding and diversity
- Appreciating the differences and similarities between people, places, environments and cultures to inform their understanding of societies and economies.
- Appreciating how people's values and attitudes differ and may influence social, environmental, economic and political issues, and developing their own values and attitudes about such issues.
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