Random post

I just saw this music video (reload) by Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash. I found it very geographical, and think that for a fun break in a physical geography lesson, it could be very stimulating, especially in getting pupils to think about geography in a day-to-day context. For example, how music videos can open peoples eyes up to the world (volcanoes, waterfalls, etc). Music; the new teaching tool!

Of course the video is fictional mostly, but still a good contemporary resource!

Part 4: The role of children in migration and of migration in children's lives (Children’s Geographies).

Child migration is the migration of children, without their parents, to another country or region. However, much literature emphasizes that the migration of children within their own country is part of a sub-branch of child migration (Skelton, 2009). For example, war time children being sent from London to the North of the UK. In many cases child migration has often been forced; linking to child care and child labor.  

Child migration in a geographical context looks at how children are temporally and spatially separated from the rest of society. In addition, the scale in which children are moved is of interest, looking at the factors that drive child movement and location choice. For example, village areas, class systems, etc (Anon, 2009).

Wartime Child Emigration – 1940-1944

The follow information was provided by the (BBC, 2013).

Overview

Figure 1: Children on board a ship to New Zealand

Child emigration has taken place since the first British colonies of the 17th century. During the Blitz in World War Two, thousands of British children were evacuated to safety in countries such as Canada and Australia.

Did you know?

• The Children's Overseas Reception Board was established to help families send their children abroad to safety during the war.
• After the war, over 3,000 children were sent to Australia under government-approved schemes - many subsequently returned.
• The migrated children were referred to as 'the seeds of empire'.
• 'If you want to go, put your hand up' was the instruction used to select children for emigration from institutions such as the Dr Barnardo's Homes

BBC (2013) ‘Child Migration’ [online] available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/bloodlines/migration.shtml?entry=wartime_child_emigration&theme=migration> [30/087/13]

Australia Case study:

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Aboriginal Australian children were removed from their families and placed in institutions and foster homes, in what became known as the Stolen Generations.

Over 7000 children migrated to Australia under assisted child migration schemes. The vast majority of children were migrated from the UK, with a small number from Malta. Child migrants were adopted or brought up in children's homes, institutions, orphanages or foster care. Many of these children experienced neglect and abuse while in institutional care.

In November 2009 Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd formally apologized to "Forgotten Australians" and child migrants on behalf of the nation. "Forgotten Australians" is a term the Australian Senate has used to describe children who were brought up in orphanages, children's homes, institutions or foster care in Australia. Child migrants are a specific group of "Forgotten Australians" (Read, 1981).

Referencing:

• Anon (2009) ‘Independent child migration’. CMRN main themes. Child migration Research Network.
• Read, P (1981) ‘The Stolen Generations: The Removal of Aboriginal children in New South Wales 1883 to 1969.’ Department of Aboriginal Affairs (New South Wales government). 

Children and World War Two:

Children were massively affected by World War Two. Nearly two million children were evacuated from their homes at the start of World War Two; children had to endure rationing, gas mask lessons, living with strangers etc. Children accounted for one in ten of the deaths during the Blitz of London from 1940 to 1941.

World War Two was the first war when Britain itself was the target of frequent attacks by the enemy. With the success of the Battle of Britain and the suspension of ‘Operation Sealion’, the only way Germany could get at mainland Britain was to bomb it. This occurred during the Blitz and seemed to reinforce the government’s decision to introduce evacuation at the start of the war. On August 31st, 1939, the government issued the order “Evacuate Forthwith” and ‘Operation Pied Piper’ was started the very next day

The impact of evacuation on children depended to an extent on which social strata you were in at the time. Parents who had access to money invariably made their own arrangements. Children at private schools based in the cities tended to move out to manor houses in the countryside where children at that school could be, in the main, kept together. But 1.9 million children gathered at rail stations in early September not knowing where they were going nor if they would be split from brothers and sisters who had gathered with them.

‘Operation Pied Piper’ was a huge undertaking. Six cities had been deemed vulnerable to German bombing – memories of Guernica were still fresh – and in London alone there were 1,589 assembly points for children to gather at before they were moved on. Those children who were evacuated were given a stamped postcard to send from their billet address to inform their parents where they were.

‘Operation Pied Piper’ planned to move 3.5 million children in three days. In the event, the 1.9 million who were evacuated was a remarkable achievement though some children stayed with their parents as evacuation was not compulsory.

With such numbers involved, it was to be expected that some children would have a smooth passage to their reception area while some would not. Anglesey expected 625 children to arrive and 2,468 did. Pwllheli, North Wales, was not allocated any evacuees – and 400 turned up. Children already experiencing a stressful situation were put in an even more difficult situation. Elsewhere, children who had been used to being in school in the same class were spilt up.

What impact this had on the children involved was never overly studied at the time as the government simply wanted to herald evacuation as an overwhelming success. That some children continued their education in pubs, church halls or anywhere else there was the space to accommodate them was seen as the accepted face of a requirement that had been foist on the government.

The clash of cultures experienced by many children must have also been difficult. The children from the cities had been tarred by a reputation that was undeserved – but many of those in rural England expected children to be riddled with parasites and to engage in anti-social behavior. Such was the perception at the time.

KS2 worksheets, but can be redesigned to cater for older years!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/evacuation/teachers_resources.shtml

Potential Questions:

1. Why were locations such as Wales chosen for evacuation?
2. What are the potential consequences of over child population in small villages?
3. Critically discuss the impacts of social class in child migration.

Good Reference Site:

http://www.childmigrantstrust.com/our-work/child-migration-history

http://www.childmigration.net/

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4090030.pdf

Part 3: Children’s Access to Green (open) space (Children’s Geographies).

As outlined above in ‘Part 1,’ one of the new areas of children’s geography is how do children/youths access and use of outdoor space. I have attached a few maps from a piece of my own coursework at university to act as a teaching resource. Use the maps, and get pupils to identify areas of high child density, in comparison to green open space. Hand out a map of Coventry so pupils are able to comment of specific areas. Get pupils to think about:

1. Why is outdoor space for children important?
2. What are the positives and negatives of living near open green open space?
3. Why do children use outdoor space? Justify your answer.
4. What patterns do the maps show?
5. What areas have most access to green open space, and which do not?
6. What kind of housing is found in city centres/the inner city?
7. What is one of the limitations of using a green space map? Think about the different types of green spaces and there access e.g. allotments. 

Figure 1: Population Density Map of Coventry. Number of Children aged 0-18. 

Figure 2: Green Space Map of Coventry. 

Figure 3: Additional Green Space Map of Coventry 

Part 2: Youth Culture (Children’s Geographies):

There is still only limited development in this discipline with social and cultural geographers emphasising that children are a neglected social group undergoing various forms of sociospatial marginalization. Given the focus and momentum of the ‘new’ cultural geography, the geography of children, which not only takes into account earlier studies, but which also recognizes the interface between sociology, anthropology and cultural studies and draws upon important work being undertaken by feminist and critical geographers. To date, much of the research on the geography of children has been blighted by fragmentation, narrow disciplinary perspectives and methodologies which do not sufficiently engage themselves with the lifeworld of children in the ‘here and now’.

Children’s geographies highlight different aspects of children's relationship with their physical and built environment, beyond the home, school and playground. Geographers want to examine the experiences of children and how they ‘see the world’ around them. However, some structures constrain them. These may include the adult values imprinted on the physical and built landscapes in which they live, or the social constraints of the adult gaze (Matthews and Limb, 1999).

Do these structures force youths to rebel and engage in cultures that today are seen as violent, negative and uneducated? The following power point can be used to teach pupils on the geographies of children, with a close in on youth culture.

The following Youtube clip is a 5min documentary on youth movement and change in the UK. 

Reference

Matthews, H and Limb, M (1999) ‘Defining an agenda for the geography of children: review and prospect.’ Progress in Human Geography, 23 (1) 61-90.

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Resources: 

-         The following TES link provides teachers, and the public with a power point and work sheet on youth culture and movements.

http://www.tes.co.uk/ResourceDetail.aspx?storyCode=6107396

-          The below link, is another power point on youth culture in the UK. (fairly brief though).

http://www.ntcg.org.uk/yce/retreat_notes_2007/Understanding%20Youth%20Culture.pdf

-          The following link is a power point aimed at teaching pupils about youth gangs, knife and gun crime. It has a lot of material from the states!

http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpsubject/socsci/topbib/gang/knifecrimeitalics.pdf

Part 1: Children’s Geographies

This branch of Children's geographies, as identified previous, is an area of study within human geography and Childhood Studies, which involves researching the places and spaces of children's lives (geographically). Children's geographies deal with the study of places and spaces of children's lives, characterised experientially, politically, physiologically and ethically (Panelli, 2009).

Ever since the cultural turn in geography (late 1980’s), there has been recognition that society is not homogenous, but heterogeneous. It is characterized by diversity, differences and subjectivities. Feminist geographers have been able to strengthen the need for examining the roles of gender, class and race as issues affecting women, which has in turn, empowered this new geographical discipline of children’s geographies.

‘Children' as an umbrella term encompasses:

• Children
• Teenagers
• Youths
• Young people

This branch however is still missing a 'frame of reference' in the complexities of 'geographies' (Valentine, 2001). For example, there being limited studies, research and actual teaching of the subject. I have personally found that children’s geography is very rare in education, with only lectures/lesson given at university level.

History of this discipline:

Children's geographies developed in the beginning of the 1990s, although there were notable studies in the area before that date. The earliest work done on children's geographies largely can be traced to William Bunge's work on spatial oppression of children in Detroit and Toronto, where children are deemed as the ones who suffer the most under an oppressing adult framework of social, cultural and political forces controlling the urban built environment. This was the start of how children’s culture (life style, norms, values, etc) changed geographically (McKendrick, 2000).

Relevance in the context of Geography; emerging areas of study:

Geographers play an important role in expanding the understanding of children's lives, socio-spatial identities and material practices. As a sub-discipline, Children's Geographies is experiencing exponential growth throughout the wider discipline of geography. Geographers studying this discipline should considers the spatialities and geographies that children play (and the counterpoint, work), playing and spaces for play. Today, geographers examine the newer and emerging themes of mobilities, children's use of outdoor (green space), public spaces, and the role of children in migration and of migration in children's lives (Skelton, 2009).

The next post (Part 2) will focus on the emerging areas of children’s geographies, presenting resources and teaching aids, to develop this area within geography at KS3, GCSE and A-Level.  

Referencing

Panelli (2009) Approaches to Human Geography.

McKendrick (2000) ‘The Geography of Children - An Annotated Bibliography. Journal of Children's 

Geographies

Valentine (2001) Whatever happened to the social? Reflections on the 'cultural turn' in British Human Geography.

Skelton. T (2009) ‘Children's Geographies/Geographies of Children: Play, Work, Mobilities and Migration’. Geography Compass 3 (4), 1430–1448.

Part 2: Festivals:

Why study festivals?

Teachers should use festivals as a way of teaching pupils about the geography of music and how it can impact people and place. These impacts are both positive and negative and occur over a range of scales, times and spaces; locally-globally. Pupils will recognise music in the context of geography, and how music culture can affect people and places (environments). Music brings together a range of groups and individuals, all of whose ‘culture’ (morals, ethics, principles, life style, etc.) is influenced by music geographically.

Cultural Geography Linkages (note: the interconnection between each linkage):

• Arts and Literature: Festivals manifest a number of musical arts, which influence festival audiences and their culture. For example, Greenpeace at Glastonbury promote the NGO literature (banners, books, etc), which over time will influence individuals/groups to act differently towards the environment.  
• Groups: Festivals like Glastonbury bring together several diverse groups of all ages from metal heads, to indie rockers, students to celebrities. These groups all embrace different cultures and all congregate together in one massive fields. This congregation allows people to see different cultures, and in the long run can influence other individuals/groups.
• Media and Representation: Media coverage of festivals can be negative and positive; depending on group behaviour and site management (safety and environmental). This can lead to the promotion of one group from another, which can have global significant e.g. the student movement in the 90’s.  
• Ethnicity and Religion: Festivals bring together a number of diverse races and religions, from global communities, all of which again congregate together and influence each other, expanding cultural knowledge and understanding.
• Commodities and globalization: Festivals generate economic investment selling goods from global companies, allowing all cultures/communities to purchase local commodities from the host country. In addition, as mentioned above, with groups gathering together, the world of culture is becoming more globalized.
• Branding: A generalisation of festivals is that they are for students and part of a drunken culture of shame. Is this true? Do over 30+ attend? Think of the economic benefits they bring to the local/regional area.

Resources:

Use the following link to gain access to a Power Point. This Power Point gives teachers a guide on how to deliver a lesson on designing a festival. Pupils can work on the task individually or in groups. I would suggest allowing the use of GIS in the form of Google Maps to aid location selection, as well as to enable pupils to research other festivals like Glastonbury and V-Festival, to see what the organizers and planners have/had to consider when setting up the festival. NB: This will be time consuming so give extra when planning.

In addition, try to get pupils to think about the impact music festivals have on the local-global environment, as well as local-global culture in general. For example, music lovers from all around the world travel to Glastonbury every year (except the jubilee year), and so environmental is negative because of the CO2 generated from traveling via plane, car or bus. However, some festivals have set up bicycles lots for locals to store their bikes on when travelling to festivals, reducing previous CO2 particulates. Every little helps I guess!  

http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupId=914157 (look on the left hand side of the website for the PP link).

Additional Resources:

For KS3 the following Power Point from TES will be of use. GO TO THE TES WEBSITE AND LOG IN!

• The geography of music festivals- created 09 April 2013, viewed 117- Lesson done with year 9. Looks at distribution, impacts and the future of sustainable festivals.

The below link is a useful scheme of work plan, that will be able to help with planning lessons with regards to music festivals. NOTE: It will download a word document to your computer.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEIQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.school-portal.co.uk%2FGroupDownloadFile.asp%3FGroupId%3D508925%26ResourceId%3D1512247&ei=2sbdUfOWE--Z0QXR-IDIAw&usg=AFQjCNGoDclA5HwxAASBLlQG15YnAm3_AQ&sig2=-MsCpqb9eIMFyEITO3Xd-A

• RGS resources for festival map work and sustainability.

http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Mapping+festivals/Greening+Glastonbury.htm

• UK tourism fact files on music tourism.

http://www.ukmusic.org/assets/media/UK%20Music%20-Music%20Tourism.pdf

Part 1: Music Geography

Music geography is a sub-field within both urban geography and cultural geography. Some critics would argue that it is only placed within urban geography due to the branding of cultural groups in urban environments e.g. the ghettos and R&B music (White et al. 1997). Music geography is the study of music production and consumption as a reflection of the landscape and geographical spaces surrounding it. Music geography gained popularity in the academic world in the 1960s and 1970s by cultural geographers. Scholars saw a relationship of music to landscapes and regions, either with the type of music produced from various places or in lyrics that are inspired by these areas. It became evident that individuals associate music with space (Barney, 2010).

Music Geography is important because sound is a vital facilitator of ideas and for spreading culture. Through hearing and listening to music, an individual begins to generate memories and images; and therefore impact upon their culture and way of life, as well as adds to diversity in human societies. It continuously develops over space and time, as would landscapes progress in order to adapt to changes (Barney, 2010).

Music geography is the study of music and factors of landscape and geographical distinctiveness, which attribute to the unique styles consumed (individuality). In addition, globalization has allowed distinct unique music to be shared and heard globally; creating and modifying cultural groups and individuals. Future research should try to include other contributors such as:

• Globalization and change in music taste
• The geographies of music production

The next post (Part 2) will include topics and resources for teachers, pupils and the public to do/use to develop their understanding of cultural geography and its sub divisions, with emphasis in the area of MUSIC GEOGRAPHY.  

Referencing:

Warf, Barney (2010) ‘Encyclopedia of Geography: Music and Sound and Geography’ SAGE: 1-7. Print.

White, Billy D., and Frederick A. Day (1997)’Country Music Radio and American Culture Regions.’ Journal of Cultural Geography 16.2 : 21-35.

Teaching Cultural Geography, Diversity; and Why it’s important, by Using Personal Experiences:

Cushner, McCelland and Safford (2000) explain that students cultural identities are defined by their life experiences. In all schools there is more likely to be a diverse range of students from a variety of different backgrounds, as schools are a hub of identities, which can sustain, modify and create a culture.  

The cultural identities of students are constructed from their experiences with the twelve attributes of culture identified (Cushner, McCelland and Safford, 2000). These include;

• Ethnicity / Nationality
• Social class
• Sex / Gender
• Health
• Age
• Geographic region
• Sexuality
• Religion
• Social status
• Language
• Ability / Disability
• Race

It is possible to use some of these attributes to develop knowledge of cultural geography in the classroom. Pupils can discuss the religion they follow, the language they speak and the geographic region from where they or their families originate from. Following on from this they can talk about the food they eat, what clothes they wear and their home life. They can then learn WHY different groups of people, from all over the world have different lifestyles and identities. The more students become aware of other cultures, by drawing on their own experiences; pupils may be able to grasp the concepts much easier. The more cultural diversity is accepted and understood; the greater chance society has at removing social/cultural discrimination and alienation.  

According to Cushner, McClelland, and Safford (2000), "Culture determines, to a large extent, our thoughts, ideas, ways of interacting, and material adaptations to the world around us" (p. 59). In other words culture is what makes us different. Culture diversity is the differences between people’s cultures. In order to be a culturally diverse person, one must realize, accept, and interact with cultures other than theirs.  Therefore, teaching cultural geography has never been more important; with the need for equal societies fundamental to a sustainable future and global diverse society.

The Power Point attached (Cultural Diversity) can be used as a teaching resources to aid teaching an introductory lesson on cultural diversity in the school environment. The Power Point is very American though! The link below will also help teachers, as well as students understand the U-Curve Hypothesis on Acculturation proposed by Cushner, McClelland, and Safford (2000).

http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jkottman/html/body_learner_diversity.html

Power Point Link 

mrtommy.wikispaces.com/file/view/Cultural+Diversity.ppt 

References:

Cushner, K., McClelland, A., & Safford, P. (2000). Human Diversity in Education (3^rd ed.). Kent: Kent State University.

Cultural Geography- The Beginning.

What is Culture?

Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

NOTE: there can be several cultures over time, in which can occupy many areas (cities, countries, etc), and can vary in size and magnitude. Examples include drug culture, youth culture, etc. Culture(s) make up a social community (society). 

Cultural Geography:

Cultural geography is the study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places. It focuses on describing and analysing the ways language, religion, economy, government and other cultural phenomena (sexuality, behaviour, etc) vary or remain constant, from one place to another and on explaining how humans function spatially.

The areas of study of cultural geography are very broad:

• Globalization has been theorised as an explanation for cultural convergence. For example globalization has allowed cultures to become more globally connected and recognized. Westernization or other similar processes such as modernisation, americanisation, islamisation and others are also linked within the globalisation of culture.
• Cultural area differentiation, as a study of differences in way of life encompassing ideas, attitudes, languages, practices, institutions and structures of power and whole range of cultural practices in geographical areas.
• Study of cultural landscapes and cultural ecology (cultural hotspots).
• Other topics include spirit of place, colonialism, post-colonialism, internationalism, immigration, migration and ecotourism (cultural tourism).

Origin:

Cultural geography was studied in Ancient times (AD 168), but in academic study it first emerged as an alternative to the environmental determinist theories at the early Twentieth century, which had believed that people and societies are controlled by the environment in which they develop. Rather than studying pre-determined regions based upon environmental classifications, cultural geography became interested in cultural landscapes (created/used/inspired by man). This was led by Carl O. Sauer (called the father of cultural geography), at the University of California, Berkeley.  Sauer saw that cultures and societies both developed out of their landscape, but also shaped them too.

In with the New:

The new areas of Cultural Geography; areas overlooked in the NC and in GCSE/A-Level Specifications:

Since the 1980s, a new cultural geography has emerged, drawing on a diverse set of theoretical traditions, including Marxist political-economic models, feminist theory, etc. A particular area of interest in the field is that of identity politics and construction of identity in the following studies. Some within the new cultural geography have turned their attention to critiquing some of its ideas, seeing its views on identity and space as static.

• Examples of areas of study include:
•  Feminist geography
• Children's geographies
• Some parts of Tourism geography
•  Behavioural geography
• Sexuality and space
•  Some more recent developments in Political geography
• Music Geography

·         These will be covered in greater detail at a later date!

THE ABOVE SUBDIVISION OF CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY SHOULD BE TAUGHT AND LEARNT INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL AS USED TOGETHER AND INTERLINKED.

References:

• Debres, Karen (2005) ‘Burgers for Britain: A Cultural Geography of McDonald's UK’. Journal of Cultural Geography 22.
• Livescience (2013) What is Culture? [online] available from < http://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html > [30/06/13]
• Jordan-Bychkov, Terry G.; Domosh, Mona; Rowntree, Lester (1994). ‘The human mosaic: a thematic introduction to cultural geography’. New York: HarperCollinsCollegePublishers. 

Introductory clip to Cultural Geography.