How do students learn geographical knowledge?

‘Remembering is a big part of learning. . .I remember things that interest me…

Often I remember facts but also how I feel about issues like Sao Paulo’.

Year 9 student

Topics on this page:

What is geographical learning?

Learning geography is not simply about accumulating facts (factual knowledge); it is about developing an understanding of geographical concepts and ideas (conceptual knowledge). It is also about procedural knowledge which is developing competence in geographical practices, such as using maps, GIS, and undertaking fieldwork and carrying out geographical enquiries.

In A Different View (2009) the Geographical Association uses the metaphor of learning a language to explain how geographical learning operates in practice. To learn geography students need both vocabulary (core knowledge) and grammar (concepts).

Languages require vocabulary to speak the language, but is not enough on its own. Grammar is also essential, as it allows us to construct meaning. ‘The grammar of geography is its ‘big ideas’ which help learners to organise and attach significance to the vocabulary’. These big ideas enable learners to generalise, relate facts to one another, and think geographically.

Why is learning subject knowledge important?

Learning knowledge is important because if we want our students to learn how to think critically they must have something to think about. Willingham (2006) says:

‘It’s true that knowledge gives students something to think about, but a reading of the research literature from cognitive science shows that knowledge does much more just help students hone their thinking skills: it actually makes learning easier. Knowledge is not only cumulative, it grows exponentially. Those with a rich base of factual knowledge find it easier to learn more — the rich get richer. In addition, factual knowledge enhances cognitive processes like problem solving and reasoning. The richer the knowledge base, the more smoothly and effectively these cognitive processes — the very ones that teachers target — operate. So, the more knowledge students accumulate, the smarter they become.’

Refer to What is geographical subject knowledge? to find out more.

Students’ existing geographical knowledge?

Margaret Roberts reminds us that ‘students arrive in geography classrooms not as “empty buckets” but with personal geographies shaped by their direct and indirect experiences and by the cultural contexts in which they are growing up. The knowledge students bring to school can be used not only as a starting point (for further learning) but as a significant contribution to the geography curriculum.’ (2023, p 27.)

Find out more about personal geographies in Geography for young peop le.

Students are influenced by a wide range of prior knowledge that they have developed in different contexts. This includes knowledge from their geographical studies, as well as insights gained from other school subjects, personal experiences, and learning outside of school.

Building geographical knowledge

Geographical learning occurs when a student stores geographical knowledge in their long-term memory and uses it to understand the world. Students retrieve the relevant knowledge into their working memory as needed, for example when solving a problem

Refer to Geography learning and memory for further information about memory.

The lowest level of learning is the retention and retrieval (memorisation) of facts and their recall. However, real learning of geographical information is more than ‘one off’ memorisation of facts. It requires students to engage with new geographical ideas and store them in memory.

Gradually students build up their substantive knowledge of geographical facts and information about the world. Their minds connect new information with pre-existing knowledge, making new ideas meaningful and forming geographical schemas. They build connections within their geographical schemas and consolidate learning so that the ideas are permanent and accessible when needed.

Refer to Making connections for learning for further information about schema.

As students progress through the geography curriculum their geographical knowledge is built layer upon layer alongside growing competence in geographical practice. Learning occurs as a result of reflecting on and thinking about new geographical knowledge and making connections to prior knowledge. They apply geographical ideas to different places, topics, issues and environments.

The essential background knowledge stored in long-term memory enables students to apply geographical ideas and to think geographically. When students truly comprehend a geographical concept they are able to describe it in their own words. Once they have mastered this, the next stage of learning is the ability to apply the concept in a new situation.

Knowledge or understanding?

Students can know something in geography without truly understanding it. They may accumulate factual knowledge and be able to recall and recite it without comprehension. True understanding occurs when they can relate new information to what they already know, describe it in their own words and apply it in a new context.

To make sense of geography students must be actively involved in their learning. They must make sense of it for themselves and connect new information and ideas with their existing knowledge and understanding. It cannot just be ‘delivered’ for them to ‘receive’.

As students develop intellectually they begin to generalise and understand more abstract ideas. These include key geographical concepts, such as place, space and environment, as well as generalisations, models and theories.

As their geographical knowledge deepens, students start identifying similarities and differences and are able to make comparisons between places and processes. They learn to think and work like geographers engaging with more complex geographical ideas and gradually consolidating their understanding of the subject discipline.

When students have reached this stage, they are said to have achieved deep geographical understanding which differs from shallow knowledge which consists of a series of isolated geographical facts and terms that can be recited without real comprehension.

Refer to Making connections for learning for further information about ‘deep’ and ‘shallow’ understanding.

High-level learning in geography is demonstrated by the ability to synthesise i.e. to put parts together to form a whole, or build a structure, pattern or new theory. Such students can also evaluate and make judgements about the value of ideas.

Students can also participate in the process of constructing geographical knowledge. Refer to Roberts (2023a) who suggests three ways in which they can do this: through fieldwork; classroom investigations and argumentation.

Different rates of learning

Geography, unlike mathematics or languages, is not a subject that students learn in a linear fashion. A student may progress at different rates in various aspects of the subject; for example, they might develop a strong understanding of human processes while struggling with interpreting spatial distributions and patterns. Their progress may seem slow in some lessons, yet in others, they may make significant leaps in knowledge and understanding.

In a typical Key Stage 3 class you can expect students to make uneven progress. The sense that students make of new geographical information will depend on the connections they make. This varies considerably between individuals because each student brings different prior knowledge, life experiences, and perspectives on the world, all of which shape how they think about and interpret geographical concepts.

Maturation and conceptual development

Students’ progress in learning is closely linked to their maturation and conceptual development as well as their experiences. During Key Stage 3 most students transition from being concrete thinkers to become formal operational thinkers. This shift enables them to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems.

Only when they have reached this stage of conceptual development can students apply their understanding of abstract concepts to different situations and reason from general principles. When faced with problem solving in geographical contexts they begin to see multiple potential solutions and think deductively, drawing valid inferences from the world about them.

As well as conceptual development, students mature in the affective domain. As a result, they become more sensitive to differing viewpoints, engage in rational discussions, diagnose issues and responses, and understand that solutions often require compromise.

Using students’ knowledge as a resource in geography

It is important for teachers to value the knowledge and lived experience of all members of the classroom as part of the construction of knowledge. And the prior knowledge and experiences of students serve as an important resource in the geography classroom.

These experiences can be shared and discussed with the whole class, allowing students to explain what they know to their peers. For example, many schools have students who have experienced migration either by moving to a different town within the UK or relocating from another country. Their first-hand experiences can be a rich resource in geography lessons, offering unique insights into geographical topics.

Read Sinclair, D. (2022) ‘How getting your students to teach can increase their success and support decolonising your classroom’, Decolonising Geography blog and ‘Pedagogies for diverse classrooms: why should geography matter to me?’, Teaching Geography, Autumn 2022.

Read Roberts (2023) ‘How can students’ knowledge be used as a resource in the geography classroom?’, pp. 31-3, which includes several examples of practice.

Reading

Geographical Association (2009) ‘A Different View’, The GA Manifesto.
Roberts, M. (2023b) Geography Through Enquiry: Approaches to teaching and learning in the secondary school, Second edition, Sheffield: Geographical Association.
Roberts, M. (2023a) ‘Powerful pedagogies for the school geography curriculum’, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 32, 1, pp. 69–84.
Willingham, D. (2006) ‘How Knowledge Helps‘, American Educator.