Essential Primary Geography Education: A Powerful Tool for Democracy
Table of Contents
by Benjamin Mallon
Introduction
Geography education is recognised as a vehicle for learners to make sense of the world around them (Lambert, 2018) and to explore and participate in solutions to address global challenges (Dolan 2020). Indeed, there is an increasing argument that geography education has an important role in contributing towards democratic education and the wider practices of democracy (Gaudelli and Heilman, 2009; Williams, 2004).
Particularly at primary school level, geographical enquiry is a signature pedagogy for geography teaching (e.g. Usher & Mallon, 2023), being question-driven, involving the interrogation of evidence, requiring learners to think geographically, and including a component of reflection (Roberts, 2013). This blogpost considers the potential of Primary Geography Education (and specifically geographical enquiry) within the Irish context to support democratic education, through the lens of the DEMOCRAT Project RDC Framework.
A Framework for Responsible Democratic Competences
As an output from the DEMOCRAT Project, a recently developed Responsible Democratic Competence framework (2024), presents four central competences (with attendant dimensions of knowledge, skills and attitudes): participation and solidarity; deliberation; judgement; democratic resilience. This article considers how this framework of Responsible Democratic Citizenship might work alongside a framework of Geographical Enquiry (and broader geography education practice), to support the promotion of both Education for Democracy and Geography Education.
The article will look at each of the four aspects of the RDC Framework alongside different phases of Geographical Enquiry, will consider points of potential synergy between these frameworks, before suggesting a series of reflective questions for those seeking to promote democratic education through their geography education practice.
Solidarity and Participation
This aspect of the RDC Framework, ‘Solidarity and Participation’ considers competence connected to educational and societal participation, but also a sense of solidarity with those who might be excluded or marginalised. In short, the key concerns regarding this competency centre around ensuring learners’ voices are heard within the education process and beyond, and that learners are encouraged and supported to enhance the voices of others.
An ongoing content analysis of the Irish school curriculum being undertaken by Dublin City University as part of the DEMOCRAT Project has revealed several aspects of the curriculum where democracy is either directly or indirectly addressed. Across the primary and post-primary geography curriculum there is no direct reference to ‘democracy’, however there are multiple components of the curricula at both levels which have the potential to make an important contribution to Education for Democracy. Given the focus of this article on Primary Geography Education, the analysis suggests that ‘Solidarity and Participation’ is supported by this level of the curriculum:
Geography encourages children to appreciate the interdependence of individuals, groups and communities. It promotes an understanding of, and respect for, the cultures and ways of life of peoples throughout the world and it fosters an informed sense of individual and community responsibility for environmental care. (Government of Ireland, 1999, p. 6)
Simon Catling (2017) and others have recognised the importance of ensuring that children and young people are afforded the opportunity to express opinions in geographical matters affecting them. In the broader educational field, the work of Laura Lundy (2007) has provided a very valuable framework for considering how such expression of views maybe supported: the provision of space for the sharing of ideas and perspectives, the scaffolding of voice, the engagement with audiences, and the pursuit of action, as influence.
The Irish Primary Geography Curriculum is again roundly supportive of such ideas, and suggests that teachers may observe: “the participation of the child in efforts to enhance the environment and to solve environmental problems” (Government of Ireland, 1999, p.93).
Within the context of geographical enquiry, a key aspect of the enquiry framework would be that learners are given the opportunity to develop their own enquiry questions, in response to geographical issues which affect them (e.g. Dolan, 2020). The pedagogical approaches and classroom strategies which frame the remainder of the geographical enquiry should support learners to develop their voice in relation to perspectives on geographical information and within geographical decision making, and to bring in their own unique understandings and perspectives (e.g. Martin, 2005).
Furthermore, there are significant opportunities for learners to engage with a wider audience in the presentation of their findings, and where possible to undertake influential action as a result of, or even as part of a geographical enquiry. These actions may themselves serve to contribute to addressing existing social inequalities (Usher and Moynihan, 2022).
The competence of ‘Solidarity and Participation’ not only deals with each learners’ individual participation. It considers how learners can be supported to engage with the voices of others, and foster the inclusion of others within decision making processes. Again, the Irish Primary Geography Curriculum offers potential in this regard:
By exploring the lives of people in the locality and wider contexts, children should come to value the contribution of people from a diversity of cultural, ethnic, social and religious backgrounds. (Government of Ireland, 1999, p. 7)
At the most basic level, this competence could be supported by ensuring the values of inclusion are central within the primary geography education classroom, with learners encouraged to ensure that all classmates are included within the classroom, and within the learning activities which support geographical enquiry. Beyond these individual relationships, there is also an opportunity for geographical enquiry to consider how different groups of people might hold different perspectives on an issue (e.g. stakeholder groups), might be affected by issues in different ways (for example, dependent on aspects of identity or geographical location) (e.g. Usher, 2021), or indeed may be affected by potential solutions to issues in different (and potentially inequitable) ways.
There might also be the question of which groups are included (or excluded) from decision making processes – an issue which young people themselves may be very aware of in light of common experience.
With regard to the competence of participation and solidarity, some reflective questions for teachers facilitating geographical enquiry might be:
Am I ensuring that all members of my group/class are having the opportunity to meaningfully be involved in each aspect of this geographical enquiry, including the selection or framing of key enquiry questions? Do learners have the opportunity to share their own experiences and perspectives on geographical issues? Am I providing learners with the opportunity to engage with multiple perspectives on an issue, and to consider how different groups may experience or perceive an issue differently?
Does my teaching underpin the values of inclusion and provide learners with the skills to facilitate inclusive decision making? Do learners have the opportunity to consider how different groups may be affected by the impact of possible solutions? How might geographical enquiry be framed in a manner which offers the opportunity to contribute towards addressing social inequalities?
Deliberation
The second competence within the RDC framework is ‘deliberation’. This concerns the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes which support the participation in the exchange of ideas, managing conflict, towards collective decision making. Again, the Irish Primary Geography Curriculum holds space for the development of this competence, particularly in the ‘Environmental awareness and care’ strand:
The strand Environmental awareness and care provides opportunities for the child to develop and apply knowledge and skills so as to contribute in a meaningful way to the discussion and resolution of environmental issues. (Government of Ireland, p. 9)
Indeed, effective primary geography education can provide an important space for debate (Catling, 2003). Where geography education focuses on sustainability issues in particular, debate and argumentation are recognised as valuable pedagogical approaches (Yli-Panula et al., 2019). Of particular importance concerning geographical enquiry, this competence supports decision-making, including in relation to real world issues (Dolan, 2020).
With regard to the competence of ‘deliberation’, some reflective questions for teachers facilitating geographical enquiry might be: Does my teaching allow learners to recognise that views and perspectives (including their own) are influenced by values, preferences and interests? Does my teaching support the development of communication skills to allow learners to both articulate their own views and listen to views of others? Are learners given space to enter into dialogue, to engage with the perspectives of others and to change their minds when presented with evidence or compelling argument? Do I provide support for learners to explore democratic means of decision making?
Critical Judgement
The competence of ‘Critical Judgement’ focuses on individuals ability to make well-reasoned judgements, through the critical consideration of information and knowledge. Such a focus can be seen as a key geographical skill on the Irish Primary Geography Curriculum:
The recording, communication and interpretation of spatial information through the use of maps, plans, diagrams, photographs, models, globes and other means is a further and very distinctive skill to be developed in the geography curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999, p. 10)
The interrogation of information can be undertaken in junior primary classrooms (Willey and Catling, 2018), and research into primary geography education demonstrates the increasing range of geographical information (including within the digital realm) which learners have access to and may contend with in their geography lessons. Usher and Mallon (2022) noted the potential of geography education to support mapping skills and visual literacy, and in doing so highlight the potential of the subject to support learners in their assessment of data and their ability to judge reliability.
With regard to the competence of ‘Judgement’, some reflective questions for teachers facilitating geographical enquiry might be: Do I support learners to understand the different ways in which geographical information can be represented? Do I provide learners with opportunities to consider the veracity of a range of different types of information? Do I support learners to explore how different points of view may shape how information is presented?
Democratic resilience
Democratic resilience concerns the capability of individuals or communities to “withstand and adapt to challenges, crises, or adverse situations without compromising their fundamental values or goals” (DEMOCRAT RDC Framework, 2024). Regarding democratic rules, norms and values, human rights are recognised as an increasingly important framework around which democratic education is supported. Yli-Panula et al. (2019) suggest that geography education can support learners’ understanding of their rights and responsibilities, with both Catling (2003) and Hammond (2020) recognising that geography education can support learners’ knowledge and experience of rights. Such a rights framework offers potential particularly when addressing complex or contested issues, such as those put forward by the Irish Primary Geography Curriculum:
The strand Environmental awareness and care provides opportunities for the child to develop and apply knowledge and skills so as to contribute in a meaningful way to the discussion and resolution of environmental issues. These issues will range from matters of local concern to global environmental problems (Government of Ireland, 1999, p. 9)
Indeed, through a focus on real-world issues (Usher, 2020), there are plentiful opportunities for geography education (and geographical enquiry) to support learners to find out about their rights, to experience their rights and in some situations, to take action to address particular issues.
Finally, in relation to the competence of ‘Democratic Resilience’, some reflective questions for teachers might include: Do learners understand their rights? Do learners experience those rights in the classroom and school? Do learners understand situations where rights are breached or at risk? Does my teaching support learners to engage with complex and controversial issues? Do learners have the opportunity to explore a range of solutions to such issues, and participate in decision making processes regarding such matters?
Summary
This blogpost has sought to provide a reflection on the spaces within the Irish Primary Geography Curriculum which might support the enactment of the DEMOCRAT RDC Framework, and the associated competences which can underpin democratic education. All four aspects of the framework are supported to some extent with the curriculum, and a widening body of research suggests that geography education can be a valuable site for the development of democratic competencies. The Irish Primary Curriculum is currently in a phase of reform – it has hoped that the new curriculum remains equally supportive of the knowledge, skills and attitudes which represent democratic education.
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