Five Easy Ways to Use Virtual Reality in Geography Lessons!

Help immerse your students in the world around them without having to leave the classroom!  Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are becoming rapidly more affordable and as a result more exciting and varied content is being made.  Most students these days have a smartphone, or at least one that they could share with a peer group within a classroom setting.  The smartphone needed for a VR experience can be Android or iPhone and the higher the screen resolution, the better the experience.  With new ideas emerging every day you're bound to find something to inspire you!  

1.  Get a headset!

If you're on a tight budget (and if you're a teacher, you probably are!), then a Google Cardboard headset is the cheapest way to go.  'Google Cardboard' refers to the software developed by Google that divides a photo or moving image on a smartphone into two, so that when it is viewed through a cardboard headset, the image or video appears 3D.  Then, as you turn your head, look behind you, look up or down, your view of the image moves too!

There's a huge variety of compatible headsets that range from a few pounds to around fifty pounds.  Mine cost £5.99 on Amazon.  Here it is....

You can see I splashed out for the hands-free version (although actually as a glasses wearer, I find it a bit tight).  Notice the high quality cardboard, the velcro connections and the hi-tech elastic band to help hold your smartphone in place!  

If you think a literal cardboard headset won't last five minutes in your classroom, there are plastic ones easily available, which may be far more durable.

2.  Get the 'Cardboard' app

If you're on Android, go to the Play Store, search for 'Cardboard' in apps and install the Google Inc app.

This app allows your smartphone to view cardboard-compatible content!  It also includes some demos, a link to a VR YouTube channel called 360 Videos and acts as a library to store other VR apps.  Definitely watch the demos, check out the video channel as you get to know your headset and it's capabilities.

3.  Google Street View

Within the 'Cardboard' app, go to 'GET APPS', find and install Google Street View.  Once installed, open the app.  You can either explore the map, zoom and click on where you want to go or type a place name in the search bar at the top.  Once you've found a place you want to explore, in this case I chose Peru.  Once the image has opened, you can either navigate your view with your finger, or select the 'cardboard' icon (circled in red on the photo below).

It will then change your view to something like this...

It is now time to pop your smartphone into your headset and have a look!  As you turn your head, it is like you are looking around Peru.  Oh look, is that Machu Picchu over there?!

You can view 'web spheres' like this all over the world.  There's probably hundreds in your local area!  Thousands of people all over the world have been taking these 360 degree photos, such a fabulous collaborative resource!  Great for introducing a case study location, looking for landscape features, comparing two areas, looking at how a city changes along a transect... The possibilities within Geography are endless!

4.  YouTube

A good starting place for VR videos is via the '360 video' link within the Cardboard App you downloaded to your smartphone.

Otherwise you can search 360 video on YouTube along with a keyword and see what you can find!  When you find a video that is compatible with Cardboard, click the icon as circled in the screenshot below:

Here's some videos to get you started! 

*  Chase a tornado in the USA (see screenshot above) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCXp9Y5uPn4

*  The 'Beyond the Map' series exploring Rio de Janeiro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUa1i5QQ0g  *other videos within this series can be found, I've linked to the one on favelas here.

*  Go on an expedition to the heart of an active volcano - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBp2EWPjotk

*  Meet threatened and endangered species - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-aOVE22lEw

*  Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yv7hJCpMPU

*  News report on earthquakes in Japan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCT3UBPSTaY

5.  Students create content!

There are several apps that students can download and create their own VR content as part of a project, fieldwork or homework.  The easiest way is probably to get the 'Cardboard Camera' app from the Play Store.  You'll find the ideas will come easier once you've had a chance to play and explore the possibilities yourself.

Good luck, have fun and let me know if you have any questions, ideas, examples, links, suggestions or feedback!

Using LEGO® in Geography lessons.

Why use  LEGO®?  It's fun!  It's tactile, it stimulates creativity, it allows visualisation of designs, it's flexible, it appeals to all (specifically boys, who are statistically underachieving) and can be re-used again and again and again and again....

Just mentioning a link between LEGO® and Geography lessons is often enough to get teachers thinking creatively, but here are some examples of just some of the ways you can use these little bricks in your lessons.

1. Make a flag
Useful aid to get students using an atlas or the internet in a research-based capacity.  Perhaps get students to make the flag from  LEGO®, write down some key facts about the country (or mini-paragraph linking your topic to the relevant country) and photograph their writing next to their flag.

2. Grouping / categorising
Get some chunky bricks, some stickers (address labels cut to size may be useful here) and go for it!  Maybe you will do locational Geography such as matching countries to their capitals.  You could use it for fun case study revision with KS4 - 5 by getting them to match case study title with other essential information such as year, cause, effect, location....
You can get students to photograph their correct answers to help with their revision.

3. Create a landscape
 LEGO® bricks can be moved.  Landscapes move.  This may take a bit more time to set up but could be a valuable way of getting students to demonstrate their understanding.  
An example could be showing the formation of a gorge caused by waterfall erosion.  You can get students to create it, photograph each stage, print it as a storyboard and explain each step.  
Otherwise there is soil, rock, water tables, volcanoes, earthquake simulation...

4. Designing
Perhaps an eco-friendly house, flood defences along a river or coast, an ecolodge, a small yet efficient house within a favela....

5.  And more!
I'm currently planning how to paint a world map on to a large  LEGO® board so I can use it flexibly within lessons.  Imagine giving everyone a brick and asking them to place it on the country that is the furthest place they've ever travelled.  The taller the country's tower, the more students have been to that place.  Imagine the conversations that could stimulate.  Imagine the other ideas that are possible here.

I'd love to hear from you if you have used  LEGO® in your lessons.  What did you do?  How did the students react?  What were the pros and cons?  Would you do it again?

A 'Help Desk' in your classroom!

A Help Desk in a classroom is a hub where pupils can go during a lesson to help them with their work.  It could be a table at the front, a portion of your teacher's desk or the top of some drawers at the side of your room.

The aims and benefits of the Help Desk are:
- pupils take more responsibility for their own learning and research
- takes pressure off the teacher during the lesson
- reduces time wasted looking for books and resources during the lesson
- can give roles to pupils 
- increases peer-to-peer learning

Here are some top ideas to inspire you!

Setting it up
Think of a good place for it, easily accessible to pupils in your classroom and maybe somewhere you can keep an eye on it!  Think of a name for it, make a laminated sign and you're off!

Books
Place useful books on the table that students may or may not need to use to complete their work.  This prevents their desks being cluttered by books they might not need but puts them in an accessible place if needed.  This includes atlases, textbooks and dictionaries.

Technology
Put a couple of laptops on the desk.  One could be open on a search engine so pupils can look something up quickly (not sit at to work!).  The other could be the PPT from the previous lesson or two to help pupils who missed a lesson, didn't complete previous work or have forgotten something.

Examples of work
Obviously depends on the nature of the lesson but there is an opportunity to put best examples of work by previous year groups or pupils from other classes.  This is so pupils can see the kind of "level" they are aiming for, or to get help if they are struggling.

Roles for pupils
You can get pupils to man the Help Desk if needed.  Maybe a high ability pupil or one who has already completed the task.  You could give them a 'Help Desk Manager' badge (perhaps other costume props) and get them to sit behind it and help their peers.
It can also be used to encourage weaker pupil.  Give them the answer to a task (or some extra coaching beforehand) then get them to man the desk.  Imagine the confidence boost they will gain from being the 'class expert' for a particular task and their peers come to them for help or clues!

Other resources
These include factsheets, globes, leaflets, information booklets, postcards, maps, props, calculators and more!  Let your imagination and creativity run wild! :)

Think about how to manage the potential challenges of a Help Desk, such as:
- The time it takes to set up / tidy up each day or each lesson.  How can you make it more efficient? Can the pupils help you?  Do you need a 'Help Desk' monitor in each class? It has to help you too, not just the pupils!
- Pupils walking around the classroom to reach the desk.  Do you need to introduce the desk formally to each class alongside some rules about how to use it?

Do you use a 'Help Desk' idea in your classroom?  Would love to hear from you.

Five easy ways to introduce Geography to the under fives!

Why introduce Geography to under fives?

"The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes."

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/eyfs-statutory-framework/

As well as supporting communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development, nurseries, childminders and pre-schools must also support children in four specific areas:

1. Literacy
2. Mathematics
3. Understanding the world
4. Expressive art and design

It is true that 'Understanding the world' is quite a broad phrase, but it's easy to see links to Geography (after all, that's what the subject is all about!).  It highlights the importance of Geography, even at a really young age.  Children are assessed on their understanding of 'people and communities', 'the world' and 'technology' as part of this requirement.

The EYFS framework states, 

"Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment."

So how can we help our little ones understand our world?  Here are five easy ways...



1.  Play outside: 


Take them to different environments and encourage them to explore, ask questions and talk about what they can see.  If they're not talking yet you can name things for them, "tree", "stone", "shell".  Give them things to hold if possible.  Give them time to really look at something.  Ask them questions, "Do you think any animals live in this tree?", "Why is the ground really wet here?", "Do you think people made this hill?"  Even if the child (or you) doesn't know the answers it doesn't matter, it helps to develop an enquiring mind.

2.  Get them a globe:  For a few pounds you can get a good inflatable globe.  It may be used as a ball some of the time and that's OK, but it's great to introduce them to the concept of our planet being that shape at an early age.  You can discuss it with them, "we live here!", "Guess how long it would take to get from here to here", "this is land and this is the sea." If any relatives live abroad or anyone you know goes on holiday you can show them where it is and talk about how they travelled, how long it took and so on.

3.  Go Jetters!:  Go Jetters is a fab programme on the BBC channel CBeebies.  Four earth-exploring adventurers try to prevent Grandmaster Glitch interfering with the world's famous landmarks and natural features. Don't just take my word for it though, Dr Paula Owens, lead consultant on Go Jetters explains why children love to learn about their world in this great article... 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/learn-geography-with-go-jetters

4.  Talk about the weather:  We all love to talk about the weather don't we?!  Each morning when your child gets up, or at points during the day have a look out the window (or go outside!) and talk about the weather.  Is it sunny? Rainy?  Is it windy? How can we tell that it is windy?  What should we wear if we go outside?  Would we need sun hats? Umbrellas? Make it a part of your normal conversation when you're planning outings and outfits.

5.  Watch YouTube videos together: There are thousands of relevant videos online that can encourage children to talk about the world.  Videos of giraffes, cheetahs and meerkats introduce hot, dry environments. Dolphins  and coral reef videos show them that life exists below the surface of the ocean. Antarctic penguins or arctic polar bears show children that some parts of the world are always extremely cold.  It may even help to have your inflatable globe with you! 

Even if they can't follow, understand or remember all the facts it doesn't matter.  If they can begin to understand that the world is more than only what they see, then that's the biggest lesson of them all.

Resource: Student's Guide to the new AQA specification 2016

I have created a guide for students who are about to start taking the new GCSE Geography course by AQA (from September 2016, with the first exams in 2018).

It gives an overview of the three exams including topics, options, marks available, exam length and so on.

It also gives a more detailed summary of the three units:

1. Physical Environment
2. Human Environment
3. Geographical Applications

Teachers, feel free to print these for your students.  Please comment below if you found it useful or have any suggestions.

I'm considering offering a service to customise these for schools (with your logo, school name and your chosen options specified) for a small charge.  If you are interested, please email me at supergeographyuk@gmail.com

CLICK HERE for the free Student Guide!

Exam Skill: Describing Distribution

Most Geography exams will have at least one question that goes something like this, "Describe the distribution of...." It could be a biome such as rainforest or tundra, it could be world population, it could be earthquakes or volcanoes.  These questions will be accompanied by a map.  Something like this....

From AQA Unit 1 (H) paper, May 2015

And a question like this...

From AQA Unit 1 (H) paper, May 2015

But what is this actually asking you to do?  Something that trips up a lot of students on questions like this is that they don't actually know what distribution means.  It was something highlighted in the Examiners Report for this particular exam...

For the full report on this exam go to http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-90301H-WRE-JUN15.PDF 

So distribution is about how something (in this case, temperate deciduous forest) is spread out.  It's about looking for patterns in location rather than listing or stating different locations they can be found.  Let's look at the mark scheme for this particular question...

From AQA Unit 1 (H) paper, May 2015

So instead of describing the location of the forests you need to describe how these forests are spread out over the world.  This can be confusing for many students as you obviously need to describe location to some extent, but it goes further than that.  Here's the examiner comments for this particular question...

For the full report on this exam go to http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-90301H-WRE-JUN15.PDF 

So don't just say "they can be found in Europe, USA, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and East Australia".

Do describe patterns in their location.  "The vast majority of temperate deciduous forests can be found in the Northern Hemisphere, North of the Tropic of Cancer.  The biggest expanse being in Western Europe reaching into Russia and West Asia.  A smaller cluster can be found South of the Tropic of Capricorn on the East coast of Australia and all over New Zealand.  These forests do not occur within the tropics...."

It's not an easy skill for a lot of a students so it's worth practising key words and skills that help describe distribution.

• Confidence using North, South, East and West
• Naming important lines of latitude (Equator and Tropics, but point out these are often marked on their maps!)
• Continents (though again, they're often labelled on the maps)
• Main oceans
• Even, uneven, sparse, dense, clustered

I hope this is helpful for teachers, students and parents.  Please leave a comment if this was useful, or if there's anything else you'd like to know!

Good luck!

Lose yourself with GeoGuessr

I love GeoGuessr!

It's more than just a game, it's a chance to explore the world.  You could find yourself in a bustling city, on a deserted road or, as I once found myself, underwater!  The challenge is to work out where in the world you are using your powers of observation, keen wit, general knowledge and a dash of common sense.  All skills that make a good Geographer!

How does it work?

Go to the GeoGuessr website https://www.geoguessr.com/ and choose a game.  The original game is there on the first page and a 'single player' game is the best way to get started.  You can create an account (which keeps track of scores and allows to challenge friends) or play as a guest.  

You then get dropped into a Google StreetView image in a random location anywhere on Earth.  You can move around, look around and explore to work out where you are but without usual helpful StreetView features such as road names!

You then place a pin on a map to show where you think you are and get awarded points based on how far away you were from your location.

The obsession begins

The usual way of finding out where you are is to stroll or drive (whatever your imagination decides!) until you come across a road sign and you can work from there.  Fortunately it's not always that straightforward.  Us Geographers like a challenge.  In previous games I have played I have worked out my location by:

• reading road signs 
• looking up the address of a museum I was outside
• recognising a famous castle I could see in the distance
• Using Google Translate to decipher graffiti on the side of a bus stop!

Sometimes no matter how hard you search there is nothing that obviously gives away your location, so you kind of just have to pick a country and hope for the best.  Try to make an educated guess though.  You can get climate clues by looking at vegetation, location clues by looking at the geology or country clues by looking at architecture and wealth.

Taking it further

You can now limit GeoGuessr by city or country using official maps.  This is useful if you are interested in, teaching or studying a particular place.  Or you can play challenges based on 'pro maps' created by users, such as 'European football stadiums', or 'places with volcanoes'.  

The possibilities are as endless as the Earth.