Regional Vs Systematic Geography
CPD: Organising a KS3 Geography Curriculum (by Kate Stockings), topic 1.1.2
Regional Vs Systematic Geography
This is one way of considering the content in your curriculum and is the work of Alex Standish.
Definitions
- Standish defines systematic geography as the study of one geographical ‘layer’ of the earth’s surface and how it works and is different from other layers.
- Regional geography is the study of how all the different layers interact within one bounded area.
Mixing the two
- The two do not have to be mutually exclusive within a curriculum. You may study different regions and embed systematic geography within this.
- Equally, you might take a systematic approach but use multiple detailed case studies to contextualise to different regions.
Popular approach
- The most popular approach is a mixture of the two, which Standish (2017, 2018) argues is the approach that should be taken in terms of school geography.
Test yourself on Regional Vs Systematic Geography
When sequencing your content, what is one of the key things you should consider for KS3 students?