Not nearly enough geography! University provision for England’s pre-service primary teachers

Abstract

Research into geography provision in primary initial teacher education [ITE] courses in the United Kingdom and worldwide is very limited. England educates pre-service primary teachers of 5–11 year olds to be “generalists” who teach the full range of curriculum subjects, including geography. This article identifies that the provision of teaching time for geography is low and declining in England’s primary ITE courses. It presents a picture which may not seem dissimilar in other parts of the world. With only about half of pre-service primary teachers in England having studied geography after age 14, their subject knowledge appears weak. University-based ITE subject sessions rarely extend beyond introducing them to England’s primary geography requirements and to some approaches to teaching geography. Prospective primary teachers observe and teach limited, if any, geography in primary schools. Developing their geographical understanding and teaching capability is highly challenging for tutors. There are concerns that the current situation may well decline further. Encouragement exists to develop geography provision in primary ITE but the opportunities to achieve this appear increasingly constrained as the pre-service environment moves from university-led to school-led provision. International comparative research is essential to understand better pre-service primary teachers’ learning to teach geography.

Keywords:

• Primary geography
• initial teacher education
• pre-service primary teachers

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the anonymous reviewers and editor who provided very helpful guidance on the development of this article.

Notes

1. The 2016–2017 primary ITE recruitment national thresholds were allocated to reverse the provider balance of the 2015–2016 intake, with 57% to be recruited to school-led routes and 43% to higher education courses (NCTL, 2015). The focus of pre-service primary teacher education is being determinedly shifted into schools.

2. The General Certificate in Secondary Education [GCSE] is normally taken at fifteen or sixteen years old following two years of study during secondary education.

3. The number of Geography GCSE entrants increased by a fifth between 2011 and 2015 (www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results/gcses).

4. The EBacc (DfE, 2015) was initiated in 2010 and became compulsory for all pupils entering secondary schools in England from September 2015. This entry cohort will start their GCSE course in 2018 and take the examination in 2020. The EBacc consists of the following subjects: English, mathematics, geography or history, the sciences and a language. To achieve the EBacc pupils must obtain a C or better grade in all of these subjects.