‘Should we accept Syrian refugees? ’Developing Year 8 students’ understandings of place with reference to the European refugee crisis
Loading...
Authors
Ellis, Christopher
Issue Date
2017-01-04
Type
Article
Language
Keywords (free text)
PGCE Secondary , Geography , Classroom , Education , Year 8 , refugees
Alternative Title
Abstract
This paper describes an attempt to develop Year 8 students’ understandings of place over a short lesson sequence about the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East. Conceptually, it aimed to move students beyond a static view of place - as manifested in populist anti-immigration stances - and towards a relational understanding of place informed by the theories of Doreen Massey (2004). Students’ thinking was tracked across five lessons framed around an enquiry question: ‘should the UK accept Syrian refugees?’ The paper documents how students’ understandings developed in multiple, complex, and at times contradictory ways. This is important as pedagogical research on migration – in education studies generally and school-based geography in particular – is severely lacking.Moreover, the shift in some students’ views from anti-refugee to pro-refugee demonstrates the potential of geography teaching to engage with controversial issues and guard young people against indoctrination.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
Journal of Trainee Teacher Educational Research
Journal of Trainee Teacher Educational Research
License
https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved