The power and purpose of geography

Geography has seen numbers at both GCSE and A level strengthen significantly this year. Increasingly, the value of the subject is being recognised, its relevance acknowledged and its capacity for addressing current and future global challenges, appreciated. This promotional document from the RGS-IBG helps raise awareness of the value of the subject for teachers, students, parents and employers.

The 'Going places with Geography' summary produced by the RGS-IBG is a powerful reminder of the value and contribution the study of Geography can make. Not only does it summarise the key capabilities and capacities the subject develops in students, but it presents people in real-world employment scenarios who studied geography and value its continuing contribution it offers to their current work situation. It can be found here

One of the key attributes of the subject is Geography's reliance on effective use of number and statistics to quantify and analyse data to inform students' understanding of place and process. That geography graduates are seen to be numerate and steeped in quantitative as well as qualitative description and analysis is one of the key strengths of their training. The new GCSE and A levels have further emphasized the importance of effective and confident use of number to provide veracity and robustness in data analysis.

When students begin an A level course in geography, they arrive with a range of competencies where number and statistics are concerned. For this reason, Tutor2u has produced a free downloadable numeracy diagnostic sheet of 15 Questions (with Answers) of increasing challenge, covering the essential numeracy and statistical elements that students will be required to be familiar with by the end of the course. Fully adaptable to add (or change) the questions (and the preferred solution-strategy for answers), the sheet can be used in a number of ways to help support and strengthen your students' confidence in handling number:

a) use as a diagnostic at the start of the course to see how far students can confidently (and accurately) go. Target your specific advice and support to students based upon the results you see.

b) Repeat the questions later in the course and let students see how more numerate they have become

c) Use as a class exercise to go through and illustrate the importance of reading questions carefully, identifying preferred solutions when there is more than one way to tackle a question, and guide less confident students through the process

d) Use with your department team to help those teachers who, themselves, may be lacking confidence in the use of number and statistics to build up their own capacity

e) Use as a template to design your own numeracy worksheets (homework sheets) to help students appreciate their developing competence and ability to use number as an essential and valued quality of geographers

You can do an instant download of the free A level Geography Initial Numeracy Assessment here