brilliant
On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 17:35:04 +0000 Roger Lee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear All
>
> If the substantive evidence for OFSTED's press briefing (24 11 04)
> supports its claims on the diminution of the quality of geography in
> schools (and I suspect that it does), it raises some uncomfortable
> questions for research based university geography and geographers and
> their role (or lack of it) in the dissemination of geographical knowledge.
>
> Of course, research is by no means the only way in which geographical
> knowledge is produced and such geographical knowledge is in no way
> privileged. But those in research based university departments of
> geography are certainly paid to produce at least certain kinds of
> knowledge through research and scholarship. This knowledge is not of
> much use, however, unless disseminated appropriately.
>
> Such dissemination is rightly considered to be an essential feature of
> good (ie critical) research and this points to the wider role of
> researchers and research. Such a wider role is both inescapable and
> inherently political.
>
> Perhaps the most effective critical and political actions that research
> based scholars may be able to take are (in an order of priority that I
> would claim is vital if research based universities are to mean anything)
>
> 1 to produce and publish world class research and scholarship;
> 2 to continue to advance critical knowledge (both 'pure' and 'applied')
> - not least via the dissemination and critiques of this knowledge; and
> 3 to use substantive research to teach well - and, therefore, critically
> - and so to disseminate knowledge very widely. (Of course, this is far
> from being an unmixed blessing: what havoc has been wrought on the world
> by the dissemination across countless generations of students of certain
> geographic or economic 'truths', for example?)
>
> So, although most of what we do - or should do - is concerned with the
> development of school curricula, a couple of awkward questions arise for
> research based geographers:
>
> 1 What have we (not) been doing to transmit our production of
> (particular forms of) knowledge whilst involved in teaching the teachers
> and the potential teachers of geography?
>
> 2 What have we (not) been doing in continuing to engage with teachers
> and others in support of some really exciting initiatives that they
> (both individually and collectively in various fora) are taking in
> curriculum design, often against strong institutional resistance?
>
> Roger Lee
>
>
> roger lee
> professor of geography
> queen mary, university of london
>
>
-------------------
Ron Johnston
School of Geographical Sciences,
University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS
0117 928 9116 (FAX 0117 928 7878)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.ggy.bris.ac.uk/staff/staff_johnston.htm
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