ABSTRACT
The factors underpinning effective primary geography might be identified differently according to individual perspectives, cultural connotations, political imperatives or a mixture of all three. Catling andWilly (2009) identify well-taught geography as being exciting and enjoyable and drawing on a variety of teaching approaches and topical issues. They urge that teaching and content should pay attention to the needs and interests of children. Martin (2008) refers to the liberating notion of ‘ethnogeographies’ as an approach that helps to translate and extend the subject by legitimising everyday experiences as geographical knowledge, whilst Morgan (2011) recognises the tensions that exist between conceptions of place and notions of rigorous geography. Hicks (2006) urged that geography should have a temporal as well as a spatial element to give it a real futures perspective and validity. Scoffham (2013, 9), whilst emphasising the central importance of concepts and skills, reminds us that ‘geography is an extensive area of study with many branches’. This mix of perspectives conveys an impression of rich, contested meanings to be made of and through geography, implying a range of knowledge and skills as well as emotional experiences.
