Reflecting on the Assessment Landscape of Primary Geography

Abstract

AbstractAssessment is a significant element in the planning, teaching, assessing, and reviewing cycle of classroom practice in all subjects, including geography, in primary schools. Geography is one of the many subjects taught by primary teachers, a circumstance which may well impact on their assessment of their class’s geographical learning. However, while there is some expert guidance on why and how to undertake assessment in geography, almost nothing is known about what primary teachers in fact do in their geography assessment practices. Their experiences are not shared in teaching and academic geography education journals which, furthermore, report no research into what primary teachers do. Drawing on a number of guidance texts about primary geography, the humanities, and social studies, several dimensions of primary geography assessment are identified, though not to promote particular approaches and benefits or limitations. The dimensions discussed are: the purpose of geography assessment; understanding what children know about at the start and during a geography topic; planning and assessment; progression and assessment in geography; approaches and activities which teachers might use to undertake assessment; recording children’s learning and assessment in curriculum; and teaching accountability. Given the lack of research, what emerges are suggested research questions to gain insight into the practices of teachers and schools, so as to effect improvements. These questions form a significant agenda for research into primary geography assessment. Four priorities are highlighted: primary teachers’ intentions in their geography assessment; how their assessment practices aide children’s learning in geography topics; how their assessment intentions and practices relate effectively to the geography curriculum topics they teach; and how what teachers do and learn about their children’s geographical understanding enables them to improve their teaching and children’s learning of geography.KeywordsPrimary geographyGeography assessmentAssessment dimensionsResearch agenda