Everyday geographies: commuting

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time producing an entry for a writing competition, which required a piece of descriptive writing linked the Fens and travelling, and encounters with nature and wildlife. I can't remember the exact rubric, but it was about travelling.

I decided to write about a journey that I have made over 2000 times.... from home to work and back again.

It took me weeks to write on and off, and at the end I didn't think it was quite good enough to enter, so never used it - imposter syndrome again perhaps. It's sat on my hard drive for a couple of years and perhaps now is time to just put it out there... I'm quite pleased with some elements of it.

B1145-A1065-A47-A1122-A10 by Alan Parkinson

This piece also acts as an example of quotidian geography. This is something that is the daily experience for many, although a growing number have never had a job, or are currently out of work.

Some travel to work or school the same way each day - some by train, others by bike or scooter (electric or otherwise), walking, in the car, even by boat in some cases.

It also models the act of "noticing" and "more than human encounters". I talk about buildings, the drainage of the Fens, the animals and birds that I notice, and the changing seasons. There were other things I could include: the names of more of the woods and copses, the rivers over which I pass including chalk streams and major rivers.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license

Comments

Explore the world with the Go Jetters

Really useful post and resource for those teaching Primary Geography . A new set of characters called the Go Jetters who teach young people about key geographical ideas. Geography helps children to make sense of their world. Very young children are naturally curious, and they love to actively explore the world around them, noticing all kinds of detail. That’s why they need to develop geographical vocabulary like the names of places, people and things, and the words needed to describe and locate them. It helps to think of children as little geographers – they each have their own world of private geographies - the places they name for themselves with meanings that only they understand: the dens where they hide out with their friends, special meeting places in the school playground. Whether they’re playing in the back garden, or splashing through a muddy puddle on the way to school, children are intrepid explorers making new (to them) discoveries about the world every sing...

Making Space for Sand

Making Space for Sand is a project I was made aware of recently. The ‘Building Community Resilience on a Dynamic Coastline by Making Space for Sand’ project (also known as Making Space for Sand or MS4S) is one of 25 national projects funded by DEFRA as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme (FCRIP). The programme will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate. The project website has an excellent section outlining the formation of Sand Dunes, particularly within the located context of Cornwall. Sand Dunes are an important part of the coastal defences in the locations where they are found. I am particularly familiar with the dunes on the North Norfolk Coast at places like Holkham. I've previously carried out fieldwork on those dunes with both GCSE and 'A' level students, and also Atkins has provided GIS support and created some visualisations of future landscapes.

Landscape in a Box - more student examples

Thanks to Jack Marsh for sending me some examples of 'landscapes in a box '. Landscapes in a box is one of the ideas that seems to have gone down the best of the things that I've shared over the years. The basic idea is to create a landscape within a box, perhaps a burger box (but could also be a shoe box) This was featured in 'Teaching Geography' in 2009. Jack used the activity with his groups, and has sent me three excellent images of contrasting images from the students: an Antarctic scene, New York's Central Park, and Paris... Outstanding work !! If you've used Landscape in a Box, why not share your students' work too...

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