In the crowded Primary curriculum it is often difficult to do justice to the study of Geography, a requirement of SOSE and Humanities courses in Australia. The study of Geography encourages an understanding and appreciation of natural and human environments. Geographers are not content to merely pass through a new landscape; they seek to understand the processes behind its creation and the ways in which it is changing. In exploring natural and human landscapes, a geographer relies strongly on visual literacy to make sense of the characteristics of the environment and the relationships between its features . To further explore environments, geographers rely on numeracy skills to measure, locate and describe environments. Geographic observation and measurement skills can provide the real-world examples to deeply imbed understanding of visual literacy and numeracy in the Primary classroom.

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to understand the visual messages that bombard us through television, magazines, billboards and the Internet. Learning experiences that promote critical thinking about how images convey meaning are essential in classroom literacy programs.

Studies in Geography prompt students to interrogate visual images and ask questions that help them to begin to understand the environment, whether this is through personal observation, such as a field trip, or looking at the world through the perspective of photographs or maps. Close observation of geographic visual images can unveil information about the landscape and its climate, the activity and culture of the people, and the level of change or technology. Using geographic observation skills, students become visually literate while gaining a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Geographers also view environments from different perspectives. Looking at environments from the air challenges students to develop spatial perspective by viewing common objects from different angles. Oblique images encourage students to appreciate depth and the comparative size of objects. The ability to view objects from different perspectives is also an important fundamental for understanding geometry in Mathematics.

Visual literacy learning materials from Oxford Atlas Project 2

Maps are the key tool of a geographer. They provide a simplified view of the world, using colours and symbols to quickly convey a great deal of information in a simple form. Conventional colours such as green for parks and blue for water quickly convey an easily understood message to the reader. Conventional symbols such as blue lines for rivers or triangles for mountains also provide easily understood visual communication for young learners beginning their understanding of written language.

Numeracy

Numeracy involves using mathematical ideas to help make sense of the world. To become numerate, students need to draw on an understanding of number, measurement, probability, data and space to help interpret the world around them. Geography provides a myriad of opportunities to enhance student numeracy through real-world applications of Mathematics. The tools a geographer uses to describe and explain environments are often mathematical in nature.

To describe our spatial location or plot a path we use the points of a compass. Using compass points is an accurate way of giving directions because the compass direction always remains the same, no matter what direction you are facing. The concept of direction is further enhanced by the study of bearings, which in turn draws on the mathematical concepts of angles and the number of degrees in a circle. Compass-based activities in the schoolyard assist students to develop spatial skills to allow them to connect features in their local environment. The same activity also assists students to explore mathematical concepts such as paths and networks.

The mathematical concept of ratio and fractions can be introduced or enhanced through the study of scale. Geographical applications of scale combine number elements of ratio/fractions with measurement. We use scale to shrink real world objects to fit in a smaller space. Just as scale model toys are accurate representations of the real thing, maps are scaled versions of real areas designed to fit on a piece of paper. The map looks the same as the real area—it has simply been reduced to fit.

You can also work out distances in the real world by using the scale on maps. Scale is one of the most difficult concepts for young geographers to understand. The magnitudes of the numbers used in scales are often difficult for students to conceptualise. Small-scale maps (such as country maps) are highly generalised and, without a sound understanding of scale, students may struggle to interpret them. For example, students viewing a basic map of Australia might incorrectly draw the conclusion that Tasmania has only one town—Hobart. 
 

Numeracy learning materials from Oxford Atlas Project 2

Using grid references to locate places on maps helps students develop fundamental mathematical skills in coordinate geometry. Students are exposed to alphanumeric grids where they learn to combine two pieces of information to easily locate places. Maps in atlases, such as the example above, ensure that numbers and letters begin from the same point to further build the links to graphing and coordinates. The extension from alphanumeric grids to find location using latitude and longitude introduces number elements such as fractions, order and number lines.

Oxford Atlas Project 2