How I teach Regenerating Places
Written January 2024
The love it or hate it topic… Although, from what I see, this topic receives a lot more hate / ‘negative press’ than positive. For me, this is by far the hardest of the Edexcel A-Level Geography topics to get your head around and, for the first few years, I would finish teaching the topic wanting to rip up every resource I had and start again!
However, several years later, I have finally reached a method of delivery that I’m happy with and, importantly, sort of enjoy. So, how do I teach this topic? It’s important to say right from the outset that this is just one approach and way one and by no means the ‘right way’… Paul Logue has previously blogged about his approach here- a recommended read.
Starting with EQ1 4A.1
I start the topic with a first lesson covering 4A.1 which serves as a basic introduction to the topic. Whilst this content could be taught at any point in a curriculum sequence, I find the simplistic nature of the content (e.g. the definitions of 4A.1a and the discussion of 4A.1b and c) works well as an introduction lesson.
After this initial lesson however, I leave EQ1 behind for a while and progress through most of EQ2 in order. Over the next few lessons, we’ll cover 4A.4 and 4A.5 in the order of the spec.
Progressing through EQ2 4A.4 and 4A.5
Using the M4 corridor and Leicester alongside the San Francisco Bay area and The Rust Belt, we discuss why some areas are more successful than others (4A.4ab) before considering the different priorities for regeneration (4A.4c). Whilst teaching this content, I introduce students to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Whilst it is not explicitly named on the spec here, I use it to demonstrate the impact of deindustrialisation on Leicester and ensure that students are confident in what it measures and how. Given so many students choose human topic NEAs, this proves essential knowledge. Students work through this GEO resource pack from the GA independently at home before we discuss it in class.
When discussing place attachment and people’s experience of place (4A.5ab) this summary from the RGS proves invaluable. As we move onto 4A.5c, students are asked to complete this GEO lesson on the London Riots independently before we discuss in depth in class.
4A.6 is left for now and returned to upon covering the local and contrasting place studies of EQ1- at the end of the topic.
Starting EQ3: 4A.7 and 4A.8
The linear order of the spec that was followed for most of EQ2 is followed to teach 4A.7abc. Reflecting my love of A3 summary sheets, at this point we take some lesson time to pause and think about what we’ve learnt so far- summarising key points under each of the key ideas from the spec (turned into questions)- before moving onto transport infrastructure (4A.7a) and government policy (4A.7bc).
When discussing government policy, we explore the idea of Levelling Up and think critically about this government policy. Similarly to the IMD, although it is not explicitly named, I find it incredibly useful knowledge for students to have and refer back to across the Regenerating Places topic. We talk about what Levelling Up is before thinking critically about each of the ‘12 missions to Level Up the UK’ by 2030’. Students are given the 12 ‘missions’ in a card sort format and asked to do the following tasks:
1. Rank the statements in order of ‘most achievable’ to ‘least achievable’. Be ready to justify your decisions.
2. Rank the statement in order of ‘most measurable’ to ‘least measurable’. Be ready to justify your decisions.
3. Rank the statements in order of ‘most likely to impact lower income groups’ to ‘least likely to impact lower income groups’ Be ready to justify your decisions.
Between each task, we discuss their various rankings as a class and unpack their thinking. Rich discussion ensues and it’s a real example of encouraging complex geographical thinking explicitly in the classroom.
Teaching of 4A.8a, b, and c follows but is light-touch at this point- more of an introduction to the ideas as opposed to detailed coverage. This is because we’ll come back to talk about 4A.8b and 4A.8c numerous times throughout the place studies that are to come. The same is true of the ideas of 4A.9 and so having briefly taught these ideas, I leave the spec behind and begin three in-depth place studies that each cover various elements of the content of EQ3 and EQ4 in depth.
Place studies for EQ3 and EQ4
It took me years to have the confidence to leave the linear order of the spec behind and take a different approach from here on but it’s an approach that I’ve found works for me. We start with a study of projects in Cornwall. Having always worked in London schools, the rural environment of Cornwall feels like a different world for many of the students I’ve taught and the majority have never been there. So, to set the scene, I use the Simon Reeve Cornwall documentary- watching the first section together and completing these questions as we do. After a few lessons, students watch the 2023 episode at home that highlights the seasonality of employment in Cornwall.
From here, we look at numerous regeneration projects in Cornwall. Through studying the Eden Project, the Superfast Broadband project, Newquay Aerohub, Newquay Airport and Lobbs Farm Shop much of the content around the management and success of regeneration is explored. By now, students are used to my A3 summary sheets that ask them to summarise their notes under the spec points and I use them again here to ensure that students are clear in what we studied and how it relates to the questions they might be asked.
From rural Cornwall we head to the Olympic Park- an environment much closer to home and one that we likely visit on a fieldtrip. Again, a GEO lesson is used to introduce the case study before much of EQ3 and EQ4 is covered through the teaching of the regeneration project, consideration of why it was needed and exploration of the extent to which it has been a success. If time allows, I will unpack this academic paper to allow students to experience of reading a journal article and see what university life might be like. Of the other articles out there, this is a personal must-use.
Whilst studying the Olympic Park, gentrification arises as a concept and an issue. This is another example of something not explicitly on the spec that I think is essential to acknowledge and explicitly teach. This lecture on the RGS Schools website is really useful here- it can be done in class or watched independently by students.
For some, these in-depth examples (along with smaller examples through the topic) would be sufficient to cover what is needed. Personally, I like to do a third to ensure that students have plenty to draw on for the 20 mark evaluate essays. The third place study I do is Brent Cross- a case study I blogged about and shared resources for here.
Following these three place studies, it’s back to EQ1 to complete our local and contrasting place case studies. By now though students have a really firm understanding of the topic and are (usually!) able to talk about how places change over time, and differ from each other, with clarity and nuance. This is, for me, the main advantage of this approach. In contrast to when I used to go in the order of the spec, coming back to EQ1 at the end makes teaching it much easier. Of course, I have to remember to teach 4A.6abc here, having skipped over it before but it’s logical to cover it whilst exploring these case studies.
And so there we have it, my approach that took far too long to work out but that finally, I think, works for me!