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Geography is the integrated study of the Earths
places, peoples, environments and societies. Listen to the news or open
a newspaper and you cannot fail to be struck by the relevance of
geography. Geography is a practical discipline that enables children to
understand change, conflict and key issues which impact on our lives
today and which will affect our futures tomorrow. It is important that
children learn about the world they live in and on which they depend.
Our children are the adults of tomorrow who need to understand the
management of risk, appreciate diversity, are aware of environmental
issues, promote sustainability and respect human rights. To create
children who are active and well rounded citizens there is no more
relevant subject than geography.
At
Sunninghill we agree with David Bell (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of
Schools) who said ‘Geography should have a leading role to play in
preparing young people to face their responsibilities and develop a
critical understanding of the rapidly changing world in which they
live.’
The aim of
geography at Sunninghill is to equip pupils with the skills and the
desire to ask questions and find out about the world for themselves.
At
Sunninghill we strive to ensure that geography is relevant, stimulating
and interesting. The learning environment that we encourage is one in
which the learner is responsible for the learning and construction of
knowledge, through cooperative situations, open-ended questioning,
discussion and discovery learning set in meaningful contexts.
Within
geography we encourage initiative, with children asking their own
questions and finding answers. Pupils should look for evidence rather
than receiving knowledge passively and link concepts to real life
situations. The curriculum is developing to encourage enquiry and an
increased use of fieldwork and outdoor learning as part of the learning
experience. Learning is not done to people, it is done by them. |