Effectiveness of Practical Work and Outdoor Learning - Dissertation Example

Teaching geography to young schoolchildren comes with a number of advantages. It helps young children to build certain core competencies that support them in their future studies and also assists them to become more responsible citizens in the future. “Geography is about the locations of things. Students (present and future business people, voters, and elected officials) should learn how to choose locations and designs for buildings, roads, parks, election districts, and other things in ways that are fair, safe and efficient, and even beautiful” (Gersmehl, 2008 p121).

            On a local level, the students we teach in primary schools deserve to have the ability to discern and take decisions that will help them in the future. Although geography's worth is often underestimated in most parts of Britain (Dorling, 2005), it plays a subtle role in the development of national structures in the future (Pacione, 2005). Our school children need to have a good connection with the concepts and ideas of geography in order to fundamental understanding of the course and make the best use of them after they are out of the educational system and enter their adult lives.

            Geography also prepares our children for international opportunities. It grants them the provision of knowledge on locations, conditions of places, insight into foreign cultures, and interconnections with different parts of the world (Smith, 2004: Gersmehl, 2008)             “Throughout the world, geography is a highly regarded field of inquiry” (Peterson et al, 2010 PV).

This assertion supports the position that geography involves learning and is known through pragmatic methods that utilize the senses to analyze and feel things and conclude on them. This shows an inherent attribute of the subject.             From the personal experiences of the researcher, geography does not seem to make so much sense unless the practical worth of each topic is felt in the process of teaching. Geography makes use of various tools and techniques to allow students to get a good understanding of matters that the topic seeks to teach them.

            Geography is construed as the study of things around us (Peterson et al, 2010). This implies that a person can best understand the component of the natural and social environment by getting a first-hand experience with them. This underscores the importance of practical matters in geography.