The Value of Using Concepts in Curriculum Making
CPD: Organising a KS3 Geography Curriculum (by Kate Stockings), topic 1.2.1
The Value of Using Concepts in Curriculum Making
Geography is a conceptual discipline and one that offers a unique way of seeing the world.
Defining a concept
- Different authors use different language when discussing concepts.
- A ‘concept’ is a fairly general term and one that is often not explicitly defined in the literature.
Standish & Cuthbert (2017)
- In this course, the definition of a concept is taken from Standish & Cuthbert (2017):
- ‘When we learn a new concept it often changes the way we see the known world or transforms our everyday concepts because it is through concepts that we think and interpret.’ (p.5)
Lambert 2004
- Lambert (2004) made the distinction between geography’s vocabulary and its grammar.
- The former is facts, features and place names.
- The latter is the concepts and theories that help us make sense of those places.
Jackson (2004)
- In his seminal article titled ‘Thinking Geographically’, Jackson (2004) argues that ‘thinking geographically provides a language, a set of concepts and ideas that can help us see the connections between places and scales that others frequently miss’ (p.203).
Standish, 2014
- Geography is not differentiated by its content as many other disciplines study climate, vegetation, and people. Yet, geographers have a unique approach to the study of the Earth (Standish, 2014).
Test yourself on The Value of Using Concepts in Curriculum Making
What does the use of key concepts guard against?