This presentation introduces the main ideas behind the GeoCapabilities 3 project and the initial research undertaken with teachers. It considers powerful disciplinary knowledge and the teaching of migration.

1. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
http://www.geocapabilities.org
Social Justice In Geography Teaching
Through Powerful Knowledge
Karl Donert, EUROGEO
Luc Zwartjes, Sint-Lodewijkscollege
eurogeomail@yahoo.co.uk
GeoCapabilities
3

2. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Defining Capabilities
• Based on development economics (Amartya
Sen and Martha Nussbaum)
• About functional capabilities
• - freedoms, such as the ability to live to old age,
engage in economic transactions, or participate in
political activities
• agency – individuals having the ability to make real
choices in their life
• Education … geography education makes a
distinctive contribution

3. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Phase 1
Developed the concept of ‘Geocapabilities’… EU/US geography teacher
educators. Identified the potential of GeoCapabilities as a conceptual
tool for teachers which could enhance the quality of geography teaching.
Constructed a viable theoretical framework to build on…
Phase 2
Applied GeoCapabilities theory/ framework to teaching Geography …
devised tools for teachers to understand and apply GeoCapabilities in
their professional development and practice.
Created an open access online ‘course’ for teachers including ‘vignettes’
of geographical information and how they could inform ‘curriculum
making’.
Three phases of GeoCapabilities

4. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Phase 3
• Develops and extends previous work
• GeoCapabilities 3 seeks to examine ways in which school
geography contributes to developing the capabilities young
people need to live a life that they value
• Examine the practical application of a GeoCapabilities approach,
in schools situated in areas with challenging socio-economic
circumstances
• ‘High need’ communities – where academic achievement is
often sacrificed in terms of pastoral needs of pupils
• Address what this means in geography classrooms
GeoCapabilities

5. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3

6. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
1. Human capability is deprived or diminished without deep
descriptive ‘world knowledge’ that enables individuals to
extend and deepen their thinking beyond the immediate
‘everyday’ experience
2. Geographical knowledge enables students to appreciate
how places, both near and far, have come to be and how
they might become as a result of the interaction of people
with the physical and built environment.
3. Geographical knowledge is not only descriptive. It is also
explanatory and relational, incorporating perspectives that
‘hold the world together’: place and space, local and global,
people and environment, physical and human.
Lambert , 2014: p.10
GeoCapabilities

7. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Student
Experiences
Geography:
the subject
Teacher
Choices
Underpinned
by Key
Concepts
Thinking
Geographically
Which
learning
activity ?
Does this take
the learner
beyond what
they already
know ?
http://www.geography.org.uk/cpdevents/curriculum/curriculummaking/
https://youtu.be/anrkR4Qty7I
Curriculum Making

8. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• Evidence-based - Abstract/ theoretical
• Part of a system of thought - dynamic and
evolving (open to challenge)
• Sometimes counter-intuitive (not ‘everyday’
knowledge)
• Based in disciplines (like Geography)
thought of as a ‘future 3’ curriculum (F1 – backward
looking/ static, F 2 – not disciplinary, everyday, too
flexible, F3 – changing, but ‘disciplined’)
What is Powerful Knowledge? PDK

9. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
GeoCapabilities 3: purpose
• to develop a set of pedagogical principles to
underpin the practical application of PDK in
teaching and learning geography
• to share these outcomes with teachers
working in more challenging school contexts

10. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
GeoCapabilities 3: purpose
Decided to examine teaching about Migration
1. Research teachers’ understanding
2. Identify the challenges they feel they face in
teaching such knowledge
3. Compare teacher views with a research-led
view of migration studies
4. Co-construct a geography curriculum
5. See in what ways teachers’ thinking changes
over the project

11. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Migration – what should be
taught?
What do you think we
should teach about
migration in schools?
You could consider:
Concepts and content
Key skills
Resources
Age groups and progression

12. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Why Migration?
• theme in school geography across different countries
• strong social justice themes within the content
• a strong presence in news media – a current ‘hot’ topic.
What new perspectives in academic geography research:
o Changing policy debates
o New foci: e.g Gulf States and SE Asia
o Challenging misconceptions and stereotypes
o Migration as part of broader studies into mobilities
o Border studies
o New methodological approaches: more qualitative e.g
ethnographies, personal narratives, case-study approaches.

13. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
GeoCapabilities 3: methodology
• semi-structured interviews with geography teachers (from
12 schools across 5 countries)
Interviews related to :
• current curriculum content - what were they already teaching
about migration,
• the challenges of teaching about migration,
• what aspects of teaching about migration specifically
interested the teachers,
• why they felt learning about migration was important and
• did they think students were interested in learning about
migration
two extra workshops were held with Czech and French teachers
Presentation of research and academic paper

14. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• Migration a topic in the geography curriculum in all
participating countries
• Mostly a smaller part of large teaching units such as
population, urbanisation, globalisation, regional
studies or multi-cultural issues
• In France it is a theme on its own in the geography
curriculum
• In some countries, such as the Netherlands, France
and Belgium, there is a stronger tradition in the use of
textbooks than in England and the Czech Republic
Research Outcomes

15. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Specific topics to be taught (mentioned by a majority of
teachers) included:
• international migration flows; push and pull model;
• migration and its influence on population growth,
• composition, distribution and diversity;
• EU policies and migration; forced migration, refugees;
• urbanisation (in the majority world ) and big cities;
• migrants in society (integration, representation,
remittances)
Research Outcomes

16. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Specific skills related to teaching migration
included:
• working with maps, flows and data
• the use of different (media) sources
representing different perspectives on
migration
• migration stories
Research Outcomes

17. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Teaching of migration in the participating schools
is underpinned by four concepts associated with
social justice:
1. agency,
2. distributive justice
3. relational justice
4. mutuality and (mis) recognition
Research Outcomes

18. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• ‘someone who acts and brings about change,
and whose achievements can be judged in
terms of their own values and objectives,
whether or not we assess them in terms of
some external criteria as well.’ (Sen 1999)
• both individual and/or collective ability to act
independently and exercise free choice
Research Outcomes: Agency

19. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• Teachers under pressure to get exam results
“We use the textbook in a quite traditional way,
there is a lot of pressure and lack of time to
develop our own teaching materials.
We really would like to do some more of that and
link the teaching on migration better to the
background of our students and their
neighbourhoods.” (NL)
Research Outcomes: Agency

20. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• Teachers concerned about how to deal with
their own attitudes and values in the context of
teaching a controversial topic
“In your role as a teacher you have to be so
politically neutral. The kids are always itching to
know what you think and I think it’s a very dicey
situation to find yourself in….” (UK)
Research Outcomes: Agency

21. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
SOLUTION – what teachers do
• Teachers deal with distant places
• Avoid discussion and debate
BUT FEEL THEY NEED TO
• Help break down basic stereotypes about
migrants and migration
• Encourage students to reflect more critically
Research Outcomes: Agency

22. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
• Where to get good reliable information
“The biggest problem is in finding actual data and
information on what is happening with migrant workers
or temporary asylum seekers in the EU. What is the
success of integration, what is the success rate of
returning rejected asylum seekers? Students sometimes
find it difficult to break down the basic stereotypes that
come from families and the lack of specific information.
Part of my teaching is more about disinformation and
their function in society.” (CZ)
Research Outcomes: Agency

23. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• A society where material and non-material
goods, including education, are distributed
fairly to members of a society (Gewirtz 1998)
- students lack opportunities to access
information other than that presented in school….
for example, access to ICT to support more
independent learning is restricted. (NL, UK)
Outcomes: Distributive justice

24. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
- textbooks give over-simplified messages about
‘poor neighbourhoods, lack of safety, and lack
of social cohesion in relation to its (migrant)
inhabitants’ (NL, UK)
- teaching migration is from a more ‘quantitative
approach’ (FR)
- migration is so complex some students really
struggle to understand even basic concepts
(NL, CZ, UK, BE)
Outcomes: Distributive justice

25. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• ‘human relationships at the core of human life’
(Giraud et al. 2013)
- students lack cultural capital in relation to
migrants and migration (FR, UK)
“They don’t have exposure to different groups of
people and places, even the positive things about
migration.” …. “and they have no awareness of
how different cultures affect the music they listen
to and their daily life” (UK)
Outcomes: Relational justice

26. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
“The issue is how to deal with the stereotyping of
migrants in a class with migrant students” (NL)
- teaching about migration in a relational
context could build greater levels of
understanding and empathy with the complex
choices and decisions many migrants are
forced to make
Outcomes: Relational justice

27. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• refers to the ways in which individuals and
groups are mutually dependent on each other
in a socially just society
• balance the rights and responsibilities of the
individual with those of communities
Real challenge to mutuality are the negative
attitudes and values the students bring with
them from home to school
Outcomes: Mutuality

28. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
“I’ve been really uncomfortable with some of the views
the kids are expressing, even from those from recent
migrant families themselves – it’s bizarre and I don’t get
it, particularly as they live in London. I think they must be
getting these views from their parents.
Views like – ‘there’s not enough jobs, we should send
them home….there’s not enough hospital beds, we
should send them home’ and I’ll ask ‘who’s home is
this?” (UK)
Outcomes: Relational justice

29. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• tension between listening to students whilst
challenging their misconceptions
“…. for the sake of their opinion, you must be careful…
when there are problems (prejudice): some pupils can be
very aggressive when you confront them with other
opinions.” (BE)
Teachers say ‘how to teach a controversial issue in
these challenging circumstances’?
Outcomes: Relational justice

30. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Teachers see migration as an important topic in
geography education - helps students to learn to
think geographically
They want to help students to better understand
the benefits migration brings to places and the
ways in which migrant communities contribute
economically and culturally to the place-making
process
Conclusions

31. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
A collaborative approach to curriculum making
Teachers working with academic geographers
with expertise in migration studies, to develop,
edit and refine the migration aspect of the school
geography curriculum
Bridge the school-university divide
Aim to engage students to think for themselves
Rooted in Powerful Disciplinary Knowledge
Conclusions

32. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
• print and online toolkit
• target geography teachers working in schools
in challenging circumstances
• supporting them in adopting a GeoCapabilities
approach for social justice
• with resources, materials, training and case
studies
GeoCapabilities 3 toolkit

33. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
http://www.geocapabilities.org
What kind of toolkit?

34. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web site reflects the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.geocapabilities.org
GeoCapabilities 3
Our thanks especially to David Mitchell (UCL),
Tine Beneker (Utrecht), Martin Hanus (Prague),
Caroline Leininger (Paris Diderot)
Final Words