The term procedural knowledge is often used to describe the knowledge and skills required ‘to do geography’ and carry out geographical practices. The knowledge and skills used are about doing, finding out, making, thinking, analysing and applying. If students are to develop a deep understanding of geography, they need to practise it themselves.

The term geographical practice is used to cover all of the skills, competencies, methods and ways of thinking that are integral to the study of geography as a discipline. Geographical practice is working ‘like a geographer’. It is how geographers find out and make sense of the world.

Geographical practice includes the skills of thinking and argumentation and the methods and approaches of geographical enquiry as well as more practical techniques such as using maps and GIS. It involves applying our conceptual understanding of the discipline and thinking geographically to analyse problems, make decisions and argue a case.

Geographical practice includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods involve taking measurements and using digital data, hypothesis testing and statistical analysis. Qualitative includes techniques such as interviews, using case studies or analysing images and text.

Practices become geographical when they are applied to geographical topics and develop new geographical knowledge.

Start by looking at these topics about geographical practice.