Geography Homework
The Importance of Geography in Education
The cultivation of a geographical friendliness in education is important for many reasons. Geography is the science of space and place on Earth’s surface. It studies the significance of places, the variation of different places, and the connections between places—across space and time. Immediately, a broad study of geography arouses interest towards various life’s aspects on the planet. When one studies geography, one gets to study about society, civilization, culture, and its effect on the world. Geography helps us understand the physical characteristics of the Earth and also how human activities influence these characteristics. But simple learning of concrete facts of geography without recognizing its inter-relationship with various dynamic processes of Earth is quite misleading. Today’s children will be tomorrow’s citizens. Through education, children are taught many fundamental values and practice of good citizenship. Knowledge about places and the environment is a prerequisite for any citizen in this world. Also, it is the understanding of the relationship of our and others’ society and the natural environment. That is why education to develop further skills such as personal accountability, critical thinking, consensus building, and even the ability to approach problems with an open mind is so important. Last but not least, education on a geographical perspective encourages lifelong learning. It means to establish the understanding, desire, and capacity for the continual acquisition of knowledge. It does not only signify an improved quality of life but also fosters self-development and self-improvement. Some of the students, especially those who are brought up in places where it is relatively remote from the mainstream of modern social and technological development, may feel that learning about geography may be just a learning of far away places connected to the rest of the world. Through education, people are imbued with that which is new, dynamic, exciting, and are made aware of what people have learned, discovered, invented, and where they have yet to explore. The understanding of the world we live in and the personal development through living is a lifelong objective. As the world becomes smaller – with the rapid expanding and inter-linking of transport and communication networks, it is also becoming essential for young people to have an understanding of other people and places around the world. Although some other subjects as well lend to this type of educational perspective, yet the value of geography as an important subject can never be minimized. It is because geography is both a natural and social science and the knowledge of the inter-relationship of phenomena in these fields is a concrete need for any responsible citizen in today’s world. The introduction of any education discipline varies from the teaching of concrete facts of the subject matter and the portrayal of a professional practice. However, research indicates that effective educational process also results from the introduction of new and innovative pedagogic strategies. As recommended by many researchers, the promotion of geographical thinking skills, the use of information technology, and the delivery of “education for citizenship” in the school curriculum are areas that need to be emphasized for the development of the subject.
Firstly, geography gives the students the opportunity to study all those topics that affect the world; this includes the environment, physical and human landscapes, globalization and multicultural societies – so making geography a relevant and useful subject to study. What is more, it is constantly changing and being updated, with so many new discoveries being made all the time – from new planets and stars in the universe to new species and habitats on our planet. As a result, studying geography offers students the opportunity to consider and explore these contemporary and current issues and learn about our ever-changing and dynamic world. In addition, geography is a subject that is now not only taught widely in schools and colleges but also at university as a named degree course and geography graduates are amongst the most employable. This is partly because of the wide and relevant range of transferable skills that geography teaches; including how to use and analyze maps, how to carry out research and investigate complex issues, how to work and think logically and independently and how to present and communicate findings both in writing and orally. Another important reason why geography is a core subject is that it is interdisciplinary and brings together knowledge from many different fields and combines them to give an overall understanding of the world. For example, geography integrates and borrows from the natural sciences and environmental sciences such as chemistry and biology, from the social science and from the humanities – and so shares many geographical techniques and employs a variety of approaches for scientific investigation. This encourages both breadth of study and the opportunity to specialize – so geography allows students to choose from a vast choice of heritage, physical, human, environmental topics throughout their geography studies at GCSE, A level and beyond. Also, the knowledge, skills and understanding that is learnt as part of practicing geography can also be fully exploited and developed further through geography fieldwork. A Level and GCSE syllabuses make provision for students to carry out geographical investigations in the field and again, geography graduates often point to fieldwork experience as one of the most valuable assets of geography. Today, there are numerous geography-specific trips and excursions that are offered nationwide by specialist tailored field study companies. These visits not only enhance studying geography through interactive studies but perhaps most importantly, provide opportunities for geographers to appreciate and develop an understanding of the beautiful world that we live in through practical application of their geographical knowledge. This will allow students to learn the manners and customs of local people, appreciate cultural and sociological diversities and also witness some of the planet’s most magnificent physical geographical features such as glaciers, mountains and coastlines.
In studying the key topics of geography, the focus of study is on the movement, region, and the spatial organization of the geographical place. Firstly, we will discuss the movement. The movement is a big area of study that focuses on different phenomena that occur on the surface of the earth including human actions and activities. A large focus of the study of geography’s movement topic is on migration, trade, and the connection between different areas of the world. It seeks to establish how and why people, information and goods move. In today’s society, with the advent of technology, many geographers are interested in studying how the movement of information and ideas is facilitated through the use of technological advances such as the internet and telecommunication. Secondly, we will see the region. In geography, region is a subject that links very closely to the spatial organization, with which we will discuss soon. As such, a region can be formed either from the earth’s physical features or from the human activity while spatially. There are 3 main different types of regions which are formal region, functional region, and perceptual region. The formal region are areas that have officially recognised boundaries such as countries whilst the functional region are areas that have interconnectedness mainly through transportation, for example the catching area of an airport. Despite the movement and the region, students need to understand the last key topic that is spatial organization. The spatial organization topic aims to understand how different places and things are arranged and laid out on the earth. This is a very general topic and simple study of geography will often begin with this so that students can understand the basis of all geographical elements. Throughout the study of geographical spatial organization, the emphasis will be on learning how to use maps, charts and diagrams.
There are a number of resources available to help students who are struggling with their geography homework. The Student Resources section within the textbook’s companion website contains a wealth of information and interactive activities. Students can use the Map and Visual Resources that come with the textbook, or explore specific topics with weblinks provided by the authors. The Homework Help Club is run by staff and aims to provide a quiet, supportive and encouraging atmosphere where all students can come to complete their homework. The club is open to all students from years 7 – 13 and runs Monday to Friday from 3:15pm – 4pm. Google is increasingly viewed as a valuable aid to successful student learning, with 98% of students at university using it to – in the main – supplement their studies. Google Scholar allows students to search for scholarly articles and students can set up their own lists with Google My Maps. YouTube is a platform increasingly viewed as full of educational value, a view shared by many schools and universities sharing content specifically tailored to students wanting to learn more. As well as using the tools and resources mentioned above, the most resourceful source of support is within the geography department itself. From discussions with teachers and other students, to making use of departmental resources, there are many ways to find the help needed. Students can make use of the Knowledge Organisers provided and the wide range of revision guides and textbooks available in the Learning Resource Centre. By working collaboratively with others in study groups or with the support of a class teacher during the Homework Help Club, students can improve their understanding of geography and make the most of the study resources available. These resources should not only be viewed as homework support – the benefits of independent research tasks and wide reading around the subject help to form well-rounded and successful students. By making use of the resources for geographical study available it opens up the opportunity not only to improve grades but to develop a deeper understanding of the world around us. Therefore, it is important to provide the right support and foster the relationship between students and their learning process through the resources available.
In conclusion, it can therefore be said that geography is a very important subject in the curriculum. It should, however, not be overlooked and should be given a similar rank as mathematics, English, and the sciences. This is a subject that takes into account the past, the present, and the future. It gives an explanation to our world and it makes us look at the world in a different way. It also provides a ground for discovery and an opportunity for exploration of the ever-changing planet. The skills that are found in the subject could be transferred to the analysis of business and global policies. Students are able to learn about different cultures and environments and are also taught about sustainability and the importance of the protection of global resources. We can only hope that the relatively steady rise in students taking up the subject in college and graduating in the same will continue. As the National Geographic 2000 has noted, the deficit of skilled workers with a strong geographical background has been a problem for some time now, but the situation has even been made worse with the ever-increasing involvement of geographical information fields in business, government, and industry. The continued marking down of the course among other aesthetics subjects such as history will only contribute to the situation. However, with support and encouragement from the education bodies and societies as a whole, geography could very well be the ‘next big thing’ in the education world. This will happen if students do take it up as a subject and pursue it into college. The future is therefore in our hands, our educators, and also in the goodwill of the relevant authorities. Can you imagine a situation where persons planning and bringing about incredible changes to our world are totally ignorant of how and why such a change may have to be effected? This is why careful thought must be given to the continued encouragement and betterment of the subject both at national and individual levels. Even as we conclude, geography is there to be learned and experienced. It will develop our knowledge and our skills. It will allow individuals to ask questions and to find their own answers. The benefits of geographical study far outstrip the immediate academic ones. It should therefore feature no doubt as a special place in the field of education. This subject will shape and inform one’s own perception and reaction to the world. Through the study of geography, it is interesting to note that almost every individual can become an ‘armchair’ geographer as our world is such a fantastically interesting place. If we change even one bit of it, we will learn things that we never thought we’d have done. The words of the great National Geographic — ‘Geography is a subject which holds the key to our future’ — are more relevant now than it was in the past and will no doubt be so in the future. I am sure that if this world will have the right proportion of fervent geographers, it is safe to say that the future will be well anchored.
