Writing the earth

2010
Image by Psychogeographer under CC license
“Are you sitting comfortably.....??”Writing (& Reading) the Earth

Alan ParkinsonGeographical Association

Who am I ?
2005: Magic Realism: Virtual Geography and Online Communities
2006: Google Earth: a Users guide
2007: Getting beyond “cut and paste”
2008: Turn on... tune in... Geography !”
2009: A Different View – GA Manifesto
2010: TODAY !

Mapcrunch...

Literacy
Geography
Secondary Curriculum Development Leader @ Geographical Association
Writing the earth

“Language provides the medium for learning geography in every classroom and should therefore be a major consideration in the planning and preparation of lessons.”Graham Butt, University of Birmingham
Originally contained in 2nd edition of Balderstone and Lambert (2010)

What does it mean to be literate in geography ?How can we support the developing ofliteracy in geography ?How can literacy be embedded into our planning ?

Word CloudsWordle / TagxedoClassroom walls

Which texts have you chosen to use with students ?

Kansas City Library , Car Park
Titles chosen by local people...

10.10.1050 years since first publication of...“The Weirdstone of Brisingamen”

DARTSDirected Activities Relating to Text

Produce a code: How to be a responsible tourist
Either:
1. Storyboard for an in-flight video
2. Instruction sheet to be located in
the seat pocket
3. Version aimed at younger travellers
e.g. informative cartoons, poster

John Davitt’s RAG: Literacy version...Excel / App / Google Gadget

Functional SkillsNew in 2010 for England

We live in a society where the image is becoming the dominant means of communication, and where once we used pictures to illustrate our written texts, increasingly we are using written text to illustrate the pictures.Most of us engage with moving image texts more than any other form of text in any given day, so the development of literacy skills in young people should recognise that fact.What links all of these texts is that they are all a form of narrative, so when we develop literacy skills in young people what we are developing is the set of skills which will enable them to engage critically with the range of narratives which are in the world, and to be able to construct their own effective narratives.Bill Boyd, Literacy Adviser, Scotland

“The Met Office admitted this week that
its promise of a barbecue summer was
wrong, explaining that it was very difficult
to predict what will happen in three
months time. Meanwhile, they remain
absolutely convinced that they know
precisely what the weather will be like a
century from now.”
Jeremy Clarkson – August 2009

So what should we do in school geography?
Involve young people in:
Reading imaginative/emotional responses – poetry, novels, nature writing (also film)
Expressing personal responses – creative writing
Drawing on own experiences of being in the world e.g. walking, sailing, windsurfing, sightseeing
Doing fieldwork that includes time for reflection, wonder and creativity as well as other strategies
Undertaking cross-disciplinary approaches e.g. with English (Philip Pullman – Noel Jenkins).

Homework: Fiction writing
Write the opening of a story which is set in Kenya. In this you should:
introduce a main character -write in first person narrative style
include reference to factual geographical information which you have researched, using technical vocabulary
encourage the reader to want to read on
design a front cover & title

“Teacher talk dominates classrooms and controls the process by which communication takes place, by deciding what kind of talk is permissible, by whom and for how long.”Margaret Roberts

Poetry and PlaceMark JonesTeaching Geography – Autumn 2010

Severn Song

Why get involved with writing about place ? Eleanor Rawling
Developments in cultural geography – less detachment more involvement of self, body and place
New popular interest in outdoors and active recreation (running, hiking, coasteering, cycling, photography, triathlon) especially amongst the young
Nature writing and nature TV – Mabey, Macfarlane, Cocker, Deakin.
Nature/culture debates, CountryFile etc.
Openings in National Curriculum –developing geographical imaginations

UWE PGCE English and geography 2009-2010
Acrostic

Continuum of poetry / geography

Word Map of the County

http://bit.ly/98dX6e

“The traditional Glasgow lifestyle, with its high consumption of alcohol, tobacco, fried food, sugar and salt, is notoriously the least healthy in Europe.” Thomas Cook guide

Closer to home...
Moving about Norfolk can be fun. I am used to having people point as I go by. Most shout, "Hey, look, it's a Cosworth!" but in Norfolk they shout, "Hey, look, it's a car!“
Everywhere else people want to know how fast it goes, but in Norfolk they asked how good it was at ploughing
They spend millions telling us that it is foolish to smoke, but not a penny telling us not to go to Norfolk - unless you like orgies and the ritual slaying of farmyard animals.
The next time some friends get married in Norfolk, I'll send a telegram. Except it won't get there because they haven't heard of the telephone yet. Or paper. Or ink.
Jeremy Clarkson

Digital Storytelling
“I know only one thing about the technologies that await us in the future. We will find ways to tell stories with them.” Jason Ohler

Daily Telegraph – December 2009

National Literacy Trust report...http://www.literacytrust.org.uk
Young people with a blog (61%) as well as young people with a profile on a social networking site (56%) also displayed greater confidence, believing themselves to be good writers. Blog owners and young people with a social networking profile were also more prolific writers than their counterparts. They held more positive attitudes towards writing and computer use, and viewed writers more favourably

What if they had
a profile?

Search
Q
Home
Profile
Inbox
Friends
Settings
Logout
Last status update here
Name
10hrs ago
Add a picture here
Info
Photos
Boxes
Wall
Ads
What would they be typing now?
What’s on your mind?
Share
View photos
View videos
What have they been doing on Facebook?
Recent Activity
Add personal information here
Information
Two interactions with friends
What ads would be targeted to them?
Who would they be friends with?
Groups
Friends
What groups are they in?
Older posts

Search
Q
Home
Profile
Inbox
Friends
Settings
Logout
Name
10hrs ago
Info
Photos
Boxes
Wall
Ads
What’s on your mind?
Share
View photos
View videos
Recent Activity
Information
Groups
Friends
Older posts

Q
Search
Home
Profile
Inbox
Friends
Settings
Logout
Snowdon
I’m feeling on top of the world!!! 10hrs ago
Info
Photos
Boxes
Wall
Ads
I'm being walked on again 
Share
View photos
View videos
Recent Activity
Information
I'm Snowdon, a mountain in North Wales. I’m 1,085 metres high. I’ve even got a nature reserve around me!!!
Hey Snowdon, thanks for the add how's things going over there ??
Groups
Friends
The Snowdon Wildlife Reserve.
Yeah, I know, I am fed up of seeing that train!
Llyn Ogwen
Glyders
Tryfan
Older posts
By Zoe

Home
Profile
Find People
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What are you doing?
140
What happened to the American dream??? 
Sergio
100
89
100
Following
Followers
Tweets
Update
Home
Home
Just had to send 200 dollars home to Alamos today. Really need a job.
@Sergio
Direct Messages
On the look out for a new job. Any ideas?
Favourites
Search
Q
Just dropped a tray of dishes and got fired.
RSS Feed
Working long hours in the restaurant tonight 
By Tristan
More

Home
Profile
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What are you doing?
140
Iceland
Surrounded by sea
100
89
100
Following
Followers
Tweets
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Home
Home
I am a European country
@Iceland
Direct Messages
I am located in the northern hemisphere
Favourites
Mexico
Q
You can find me on a plate boundary
RSS Feed
I’m an island
By Jon
More

Travel Writing

Activity from “Look at it this Way”With thanks to Gary Dawson

Rory’s Story Cubes

Stickybits

The final chapter...

Thanks for reading...

http://cultcha.blogspot.com	21
http://livinggeography.blogspot.com	15
http://lookatlandscapes.blogspot.com	12
http://geographysupport.blogspot.com	8
http://livinggeography.blogspot.co.uk	2
http://livinggeography.blogspot.de	2
http://cultcha.blogspot.co.uk	1
http://lookatlandscapes.blogspot.co.uk	1

Writing the earth

by GeoBlogs on Oct 25, 2010

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Writing the earth — Presentation Transcript