The nature of geography
Defining geography
From earliest times people have sought to explore, describe and understand the world in which they live. This quest is at the heart of geography and is reflected in the origins of the subject's name in the Greek words ge (the earth) and grapho (I write).
Geography is the study of the Earth, its inhabitants and the inter-relationships between them in the context of place, space and environment. It seeks to describe and explain the natural and human features found in the numerous environments on the Earth, it celebrates the rich diversity of peoples living in these places and it explores the social, economic and cultural activities in which they engage. A major concern of all geographical studies is the interrelationship of natural and human features and the lives of people, the relationship of humanity to environments at a variety of levels from the local to the global.
Geography draws upon a wide range of other disciplines and it encompasses a very broad field of knowledge and investigation. Aspects of the physical sciences such as geology, chemistry and biology and of the social sciences such as history, economics and sociology complement and enrich the geographer's attempts to describe and understand the world. Geography also relies upon mathematical and other skills. This diversity of perspectives is one of the key attributes of the subject.
Geography brings its own unique perspective to bear on the study of environments and peoples. It may be said to be concerned with three major themes: place, space and environment. It also offers us a distinctive set of skills and tools with which to explore and document the world, particularly those associated with mapping and other forms of graphicacy.
Place, space and environment
Place
Geography is concerned with the nature of places and geographers explore and describe the peoples and features (natural and human) which give places their distinctive character. The character of a place is defined by the people and communities who live there, their interactions and lifestyles, the features that they construct, the elements of the natural environment and the inter-relationships between all of these aspects. Geography reveals these characteristics to us and seeks to explain how they may have come about and how or why they may be changing.
An understanding of these essential characteristics enables us to recognise the similarities and differences between places, to appreciate the unique identity of places well known to us and to imagine what it might be like to live in other places beyond our direct experience.
Space
Geography is also concerned with concepts of space and place. The study of spatial patterns involves exploring how natural and human features are distributed on the Earth and how and why they relate to each other. Some of these relationships, such as those between mountains, rivers and seas, are readily observed. Other spatial patterns, such as the relationships between places and patterns of human activities which are found there, may be less obvious but equally important to our understanding of the world in which we live.
Environment
Geography has always been concerned with the inter-relationship of humans and the Earth. At first, geographers tended to concentrate on explaining how physical and natural environments determined aspects of the lives of people, for example how climate influenced homes and clothing. They also examined the ways in which humans used the Earth's resources.
Subsequently, geographers have become increasingly concerned with the effect of human activity on the Earth. They were among the first to alert us to the potentially serious impact of our actions on the environment, not only in natural environments but in towns and other built environments and in local, regional and global contexts. The interdependence of peoples and their environments is a major theme of geography.
Consequently, geography is concerned with fostering an informed appreciation of environments, a sense of personal and community responsibility for environmental care and the notion of people as custodians of the Earth for future generations.
Geographical skills
Geography also incorporates a distinctive set of skills which allow us to explore and understand the Earth's environments.
An important characteristic of geographical work is that a great deal of it takes place outside. Fieldwork, in which scientific investigative methods are applied to features and processes in the environment, is an essential aspect of geography. Geographers observe, measure and collect data, make predictions, test hypotheses and draw conclusions about the places, events and phenomena which they see.
However, one of the most distinctive geographical skills involves the representation of spatial, locational and other geographical information in plans, maps, models and other forms of graphical presentation. Traditionally, this aspect of geography was referred to as mapping, but it encompasses much more than the use of maps. Geographical information may be presented in several forms such as models, graphs, photographs, satellite and remotely sensed images and charts. It may also be presented through electronic means. Graphicacy refers to the recording and communication of information using techniques that do not rely primarily on verbal or numerical means.
Geography in a childcentred curriculum
An activity-based and broadly balanced geography curriculum that reflects the diversity of the subject outlined above can make an important contribution to the education of the child because it helps to answer some of his/her real needs. The Introduction, Aims and Broad objectives for geography outlined in the curriculum provide more specific detail on the nature of the subject and on its contribution to the child's development in the primary school.
Among its most important contributions to the education of the child, geography
- answers the child's need to explore and understand the world around him/her
- equips the child with a range of skills and concepts enabling him/her to explore and record natural and human features and interactions in local and wider contexts in a systematic way
- helps the child to develop a sense of his/her own place and thus contributes to the child's selfidentity
- fosters the child's sense of local, regional, national, European and global citizenship
- develops an empathy with others and an appreciation of peoples from a diversity of cultural, ethnic, social and religious backgrounds
- develops a sense of individual and community responsibility for environments.
It should also be noted that these aspirations cannot be achieved in isolation. Geography should be viewed as having a distinct but complementary role together with history and science within SESE in contributing to the wider child-centred curriculum. Because it involves the study of people and their actions in local and wider communities geography provides an important basis for the development of the child's sense of community membership and citizenship. Social, personal and health education (SPHE) and geography will play a close and complementary role in this aspect of the child's development.