Pupil Learning in Geography

Elsewhere we have drawn your attention to a common failing identified in geography lessons, that of tasks not being matched to the differing abilities of pupils (OFSTED, 1995; Smith, 1997). In lessons reported as being unsatisfactory this is frequently seen as a major source of the failings observed. While these observations may clearly reveal weaknesses in the planning of the lessons concerned, they may also reflect limitations in the teachers’ understanding of pupil learning in geography and of the geographical abilities of their pupils.