Geography Teaching Today

The Egan Review: Generic Skills

• Inclusive visioning
• Project management
• Leadership in sustainable communities
• Breakthrough thinking
• Making it happen
• Stakeholder management
• Analysis - evaluation
• Communication
• Conflict resolution

Consider the importance of geography at Key Stage 3 and GCSE for providing a basis for developing these generic skills.

Which do we do well? Which could we do better? Which of these sit more comfortably within other subject areas? Even where that is the case, to what extent does the engagement with learners' communities mean that it still contributes to geographical education?

Can you identify a learning sequence (KS3 or GCSE) where you could enhance the skills development in geography? Are there omissions we should consider?

As an extension, you could consider how this compares with the QCA Framework for personal, learning and thinking skills 11-19 in England which lists six groups of skills:

• Team workers
• Self-managers
• Independent enquirers
• Reflective learners
• Creative thinkers
• Effective participators

Source: QCA

Specifically for Key Stage 3, it is necessary to relate these to the key processes (geographical enquiry) in the programme of study.

Careers: Sustainable Communities in Practice

See Sustainable communities in action - some real life examples of the principles of sustainable communities being put into practice.

See Skills in action - some real life examples of sustainable communities skills put into practice.

How does your scheme of work make explicit references to occupations using skills for sustainable communities?

See Different perspectives - why different people and organisations should be interested in sustainable communities.

If it is appropriate to initiate discussion about geography and sustainable communities with your school's careers service this document may help: ASC (April 2007) Young people and sustainable communities careers research.