Planning your coherent 11-16 geography curriculum

Overall Verdict: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Why this book?
As someone interested in the ‘big picture’ of geography curriculum, this was a book that I knew I had to add to the collection. In this book, David Gardner synthesises an incredible array of books, journal articles, and other resources to provide a comprehensive tool kit for geography curriculum making. Throughout the nine chapters, David reminds us that curriculum making cannot be reduced to a checklist, a manual or a handbook and thus challenges the reader to continuously reflect on their own context and experiences and ensure that this remains at the heart of their curriculum.

For both new and experienced teachers, this will be a book to be returned to; to dip in and out of depending on progress with curriculum design and the tools needed at various points. Terms that we frequently hear thrown around departmental offices are discussed in depth through a uniquely geographical lens: disciplinary knowledge, progression, curriculum coherence. To help us grapple with these concepts in our geography classroom, the book seamlessly interweaves theory and practice- including an invaluable set of examples from a range of contrasting schools.

Finally, a particular strength of this book is the further activities given throughout. These activities provide plenty of ideas for departmental meetings, for ECT mentor meetings and for individual teacher reflection. Each purchase of the book provides access to a wealth of online materials that include fantastic summaries- for example, of geography’s key concepts that could be given as pre-reading ahead of discussion.

Three key takeaways:
1.     Curriculum making is a process that will never be finished. This is particularly the case in geography where the subject matter is constantly evolving, where the subject content is potentially infinite and where gaining a synoptic understanding of the subject is thus not easy. We need to view this as an exciting challenge to be grappled with- not one to overwhelm us!

2.     There is no ‘right answer’ or ‘correct’ geography curriculum and we must remember this when looking at the work of others.

3.     Our geography curriculum is likely to be the very best it can be when we can explain what we’re teaching and why- before explaining why we’re teaching it at that point in time.