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Connecting with children’s geographies in education
John H. McKendrick and Lauren Hammond
“Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make
them great” (Orison Swett Marden, 1917, p.5)
The premise for this article is a reworking of these sentiments from Marden, one of the
leading proponents of 19
th
Century New Thought Philosophy. The extraordinary
circumstances surrounding the coronavirus crisis present an opportunity for school
geography to reconsider the relationships between a child’s everyday life and their
education. In this article, we examine the value of supporting children to engage with their
everyday neighbourhood geographies through disciplinary thought.
To the trained eye, the coronavirus crisis has confirmed the necessity of geographical
analysis. For example, there has been much concern with the diffusion of the virus, with
geographical variation in incidence and mortality, with the environmental impact on our
cities due to our changing patterns of behaviour, and on the micro-geographies of
maintaining 2m (or 1m) of personal space in public. The public response to the pandemic
has also impacted on children’s everyday lives in ways which challenge thinking that
prevailed beforehand. Most significantly, the majority of children temporarily lost access to
schools, community centres, streets, playgrounds and other social spaces that were central
to their everyday lives and identities.
For some time, contrasting concerns have been raised about children’s presence in public
spaces. On one hand, there are those who lament children’s withdrawal from public space,
citing concerns for public health given children’s increasingly sedentary and home-based
leisure, and observing an impoverishment of community life that comes with the absence of
children’s presence. On the other hand, there are those who express concerns at the
behaviour of groups of children who occupy public space, sometimes looking to enforce
their withdrawal and curtail their presence. During the coronavirus times, these concerns
have been transformed. Concern over children’s over-use of screen-based technology in
their leisure time have dissipated, as home learning through technology is promoted, and
the driver for restricting children in public has been to protect children, rather than protect
others from children. These everyday geographies have relevance that extend beyond
concerns for children’s wellbeing.
School geography can contribute to helping children and young people understand and
recover from this crisis. Critical examination of the crisis’ core geographical issues can
support children in better understanding the world in which they live and contribute to. The
pandemic also offers an opportunity to consider the value of everyday geographical
citizenship to school geography - through considering children’s relationships to places and
spaces – and how these relationships have changed through the coronavirus crisis. Drawing
on the work of Anderson et al. (2008), we acknowledge that citizenship is a complex and
contested idea which extends beyond political constructions and identities related to the
nation state. Citizenship is ‘constructed, embodied, experienced, performed and
understood’ (p35) in different spaces and places, and at different scales (Ibid.). In this
article, we focus on children’s experiences of, and right to, public space - specifically in
urban areas – considering how school geography can be used as an exploratory and
explanatory tool to enable children to critically engage with their everyday geographies.
The power of schools
Children shape, and are shaped by, the spaces and places they inhabit. Exploring children’s
rich and varied geographies, and enabling children to share their experiences of, and
perspectives on, the world has been a significant area of research in geography since the
1970s (McKendrick, 2000, 2003). This potential of children’s geographies for schools is
acknowledged, although not necessarily embraced and utilized, as we have explored in a
recent paper in Geography (Hammond and McKendrick, 2020).
these ideas – which have children’s rights at the heart – have been researched in the
academy and considered in policy.
Progressing children’s rights through participatory practice
Table 1 suggests ten freely and readily available resources that can be used in schools to
explore children’s school and neighbourhood geographies. Although this list is drawn from
Scotland, its relevance is not limited to it, and equivalent resources are generally available
for others parts of the UK and beyond. Specific resources are highlighted, all of which share
what concerns children in everyday spaces on everyday issues. Some of these resources will
likely be familiar to teachers (e.g. Rights Respecting Schools), others perhaps not. The
impetus for developing many of these resources is a commitment to uphold the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and, in particular Article 31, which asserts
children’s right to express their opinion on matters that concern them.
These resources can be used alone, or as a means to encourage discussion of local
experiences. Of particular value to considering how, and why, it is important for children to
share their geographies in the classroom, is the ‘evidence bank’ generated by Children in
Scotland, a national children’s organization with the mission of enabling all children to
flourish. In 2019, Children in Scotland launched this open access resource aiming ‘to capture
the voices of children and young people on a diverse range of subjects. One strand of their
research, which is of particular interest to this article, is entitled ‘ Your space or mine? The
role of public space in the lives of young people ’, which we draw upon in the case studies in
the penultimate section of this article. Beforehand, we further examine how, and why,
public space is an important area of consideration in geography.
(insert Table 1 about here)
Children and public space
Public spaces are spaces that are open to all – they include connecting spaces through which
people travel e.g. pavements and streets, as well as places such as parks or town squares
which people visit to exercise, play and/or socialise. When critically considering the nature
of public spaces and how they are experienced, it is helpful to first consider social space as a
social product (Lefebvre, 1991). Put another way, a public space is not merely a point on the
Earth’s surface that a person might visit, but also a social space that is produced, sustained
and evolves.
If we consider Lefebvre’s argument on social space in relation to public spaces, then it is of
critical importance to recognise that public spaces “have always been a matter of state
power and public administration” (Harvey, 2013: 72). In making this point, Harvey asserts
that just by having public spaces within a society “does not necessarily a commons make”. In
considering the right to the city, Harvey uses the idea of commons to reflect social and
spatial practices that are open to, and created by, all – these commons often give places
their unique character. However, whilst public spaces such as the street are in theory open
to all, in practice they are often subject to (explicit and implicit) social rules and
expectations, regulation and policing, and they are sometimes privately managed (Ibid.) –
they are political and contested spaces.
Young people have sometimes been represented negatively in their use of public spaces and
even portrayed as ‘apart from the urban realm’ (Bourke, 2017: 93). The value of exploring
children’s experiences of public space in school geography lies in enabling them to use
geographical thought to situate and explore their own geographies, and supporting children
to critically consider the type of spaces and places (including in schools, neighbourhoods
and beyond) that they would like, and enabling them to make informed contributions to
debates and shaping the worlds they live within both today and in the future. We now move
on to suggest three activities that can be used by teachers in this regard. Each of these
activities can be used as independently (for example, within a sequence of lessons on urban
geographies or changing places), or could be sequenced as part of a larger examination of
children geographies, perhaps drawing on some of the other resources that were
Insert figure1 about here with questions below
Geographical questions that might be asked include:
- How is the place represented in this image?
- Might the place change at different times of the day (e.g. at night or school pick up
time)? What impacts might time have on how this place is used and by whom?
- How, and why, might different people use or view this place differently? Try to give
three examples – you might consider social categories such as age, gender, class,
ethnicity and (dis)ability in your response
- Might some people feel more included or excluded here? If so, how and why?
- Would you use this place? If so, how?
- What rules do you think exist in this place? Who makes these rules and why?
- Would these rules impact on how you use this space? Explain your perspective
- Would you change this place? If so, how and why?
- How and why might lockdown have affected how different people access and use
this place? What impacts might changes in access have had on different people?
- Considering the example of public space, how do the concepts of place and space
help us to better understand people’s lives and geographies? Is this important – if
so, why and to whom?
Activity two: What children value in their neighbourhood
The Place Standard (Table 1 and Figure 1) is a tool that can allow classroom exploration of (i)
what children want from their neighbourhood; and (ii) how well their neighbourhood
delivers what they want. Encouraging young people to rank their neighbourhood (or school,
town, city, etc.) across fourteen domains, each on a seven-point scale generates a visual
summary of children’s perspectives. This exercise could be time-bound to focus on their
neighbourhood experiences during the coronavirus crisis. Comparative geography can be
facilitated either by asking children to rate neighbourhoods from other parts of the world
(using film and/or imagery), or by finding ways to have their own neighbourhood rated by
other groups (carers/parents, for example), or by comparing pre, during, and post
coronavirus crisis.
Insert figure 2 about here
Geographical questions that might be asked include:
- What is a neighbourhood?
- Are neigbourhood’s important? If so, how and why, and to whom?
- Can you describe your neighbourhood and how you feel about it?
- What public spaces exist in your neighbourhood? How are they used and by
whom?
- Are there any inequalities in your neighbourhood? If so, why do you think they
exist and how do they impact on different people?
- What do you like best about your neighbourhood and why?
- What, if anything, would you like to change about your neighbouhood, and why?
- In what ways can you contribute to change in your neighbourhood? Are there any
challenges to making changes – if so, how might these be overcome?
Activity three: Experiencing public space
Finally, Children in Scotland’s evidence bank can be used as a case study to consider young
people’s experiences and imaginations of public space in Scotland. For example, their
research shows how young people felt they were expected to behave in the ‘correct’ way in
public spaces; that young people perceived they were seen as a homogenous group and
were portrayed as a problem; but also that public space was a site of positive interactions
(including between adults and children) and socialising. The young people’s perspectives
could be used to stimulate discussions as to if, and how, the experiences of the young
people in the research relate to those of the children in the classroom.
References
Anderson, J. Askins, K. Cook, I. Desforges, L. Evans, J. Griffiths, H. Lambert, D. Lee, R.
MacLeavy, J. Mayblin, L. Morgan, J. Payne, B. Pykett, J. Roberts, D. Skelton, T. (2008) ‘What
is Geography’s Contribution to Making Citizens? In Geography 93(1)pp34- 39
Aitken, S. (1994) Putting Children in Their Place. Washington D.C.: Association of American
Geographers.
Aitken, S. (2018) Young People, Rights and Place: Erasure, Neoliberal Politics and Postchild
Ethics. Abingdon: Routledge.
Bourke, J. (2017) ‘Children’s experiences of their everyday walks through a complex urban
landscape of belonging’ in Children’s Geographies 15(1) pp93- 106
Catling, S. (2014) ‘Giving Younger Children Voice in Primary Geography: Empowering
Pedagogy – A Personal Perspective’ In International Research in Geographical and
Environmental Education 23(4) pp350- 372
Dorling, D. Tomlinson. S. (2019) Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire. London:
Biteback Publishing Ltd
Hammond, L. and McKendrick, J.H. (2020) ’Geography teacher educators’ perspectives on the
place of children’s geographies in the classroom’ in Geography 105(2) pp86- 93
Harvey, D. (2013) Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution. Verso:
London
Lefebvre, H. (1991) The Production of Space. Translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith. Oxford:
Blackwell Publishing
Marden, O.S. (1917) Pushing to the Front or Success Under Difficulties. Revised Second Edition
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.
Massey, D. (2008) World City London: Polity Press
McKendrick, J.H. (2000). ‘The geography of children: an annotated
bibliography’. Childhood , 7 (3), 359-387.
McKendrick, J.H., eds. (2003) First Steps: A Primer on the Geographies of Children and Youth.
London: GCYFRG, RGS-IBG [online]. Available at:
http://www.balticstreetadventureplay.co.uk/sites/default/files/content-files/first-
steps-childrens-geography-papers.pdf. (accessed 14 June, 2020).
Roberts, M. (2013) Geography through Enquiry: Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the
Secondary School. Sheffield: Geographical Association
Wood, D., Beck, R. J., & Wood, I. (1994). Home Rules. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University
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Children’s
Neighbourhood
Scotland
Children’s Neighbourhood Scotland Walkabouts .
This describes and provides resources for
neighbourhood walkabouts, through which children
share their experiences of using their
neighbourhood.
https://childrensneighbourhoods.scot/2019/06/14/walkabouts/
Play Scotland
The Good School Grounds Guide. A Learning
Through Landscapes report on good practice in
designing and using school grounds.
https://www.playscotland.org/resources/print/the-good-school-
playground-guide-1.pdf
Having A Say At
School Project
Characteristics of Pupil Councils. One of five
briefings from a research project (2010), which
reviewed the work of pupil councils in Scotland.
https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/31081018/HASAS_Re
search_Briefing_2_April_2010.pdf
Scottish Government
The Place Standard. This is a tool is a simple tool to
structure conversations about places. Play Scotland
also has a version of the tool that facilitates a
conversation about play-in-place.
https://www.playscotland.org/resources/print/The-place-
standard.pdf?plsctml_id=18570 /
https://www.playscotland.org/resources/print/The-place-
standard
Figure 1: Formal and Informal Discouragement of neighbourhood play in Scotland
1a: Plains Primary School, North Lanarkshire. Access to the all
weather sports pitch is restricted out of school hours with the
grounds being ‘protected’ by two high fences, one which
prevents access to the school grounds, and one which prevents
access to the sports pitch within the school grounds.
1b Plains Community Pitches and Playground, North Lanarkshire. During
the coronavirus crisis, the playground and open access pitches were not
maintained, allowing the grass to grow to discourage the community from
using these community resources.
