Geography and Direction

Concepts of location begin early in life. By age 2, children are able to distinguish between

objects that are near and can be grasped, and those that are farther away. They can notice

features of their immediate surroundings, such as the bedroom or yard.

The idea of direction is a difficult concept. Children develop the concept of direction through

experiences such as climbing, jumping, running, and rolling around. Children need to physically

experience themselves in space.

First, children need to develop body awareness; to understand where their body is in a room, including its size and level (upright, crawling or stooping, or on the floor); how the body's different parts are put together with wriggling wrists and wobbling ankles, and how to move in directions like forward, backward, or sideways.

When they know how their body moves, they will have the basis for learning precise directions and locations later in life. The more opportunities children have to run and move about, the greater their ability tokeep track of position and location.

Children with disabilities have a special need to experience space, direction, and location. Even

when using a wheelchair, children can play simple dancing games that help them orient

themselves in space. They can take field trips into the community and use maps to follow

directions.

Geography and Location for Man

Geography and  Location

The first theme geographers use is location. This tells us exactly where in the world something

is. Just as your home has a street address, every place has a ``global address'' identified by

latitude and longitude. If you know these numbers and how to use them, you can find any place

in the world and give its absolute location.

Geographers also ask why things are located in particular places. How do these places influence

our lives?

 For example, Baltimore, Maryland, was founded at 39.3o (degrees) orth latitude and

76.6o (degrees) West longitude on an inland harbor.

It is a major shipping port for the eastern seaboard with direct land routes by train and highway to cities throughout the United States. Many people who live in Baltimore are involved in waterfront activities such as shipping, loading, and fishing.

Very young children will not be able to understand concepts like latitude and longitude, or even

left and right. However, young children learn body awareness—the shape of the body and how

much space it takes up, where the different body parts are, how the body moves and rests, how

the voice is a part of the body. This is the beginning of an understanding of location.

Young children learn that they relate to other people and physical things. To help young children

learn location, make sure they know the color and style of the building in which they live, the

name of their town, and their street address. Then, when you talk about other places, they have

something of their own with which to compare.

These themes were developed by professional geographers and are now being used in many

schools. They are:

·         Where are things located?

·         What characteristics make a place special?

·         What are the relationships among people and places?

·         What are the patterns of movement of people, products, and information?

·         How can the Earth be divided into regions for study?

Each chapter begins with some background, examples of questions geographers ask, and some

explanations of the early developmental skills that are involved. Next, there are two sets of

activities—one for children ages 2 to 3 and a second set for children ages 4 to 5. These activities

will help children gain the skills that lay the foundation for the study of geography.

GEOGRAPHY A GOOD CHOICE

You may be planning to go to university, or you may only be at the stage of choosing to study the subject

further within the school curriculum. Most students enjoy the scope of the material they cover in geography,

The skills you use in your geographical studies make you of potential interest to a wide range of employers.The close link between the subject and the world around us makes for a long and varied list of related careers for example working with development or aid agencies, environmental work, using Geographical Information Systems, working for the census office and in tourism and recreation.

However most of these areas involve only one part of the broad subject of geography.Statistics show that compared with other subjects, geographers are among the most employable. Many of those leaving university with a geography degree enter three fields of employment: administration and management; marketing or financial work. This is presumably because geographers possess the abilities and

skills that employers look for.

Employers want people with good communication skills – geography courses include a wide range of written and oral skills writing essays, projects and oral presentations.Employers want people who can work in a team – Fieldwork is an essential component of geography courses and is an ideal setting in which to develop teamwork and leadership skills.

Employers want people who can manage themselves – The preparation of a GCSE or A Level investigation fosters such skills.Employers want people who can analyses their work - Geographical Investigations test hypotheses and involve analysis.

Employers want people who are numerate and literate – Geographers are used to manipulating and

interpreting data and preparing reports which encourages conciseness and clarity in the use of language.

Employers want people who can ask questions and then find the answers – Geographers can pose problem sand then investigate the answers. They can undertake complex decision making exercises using informational a variety of scales.

Employers want people who are computer literate – Geographers use ITC in many aspects of their work, for data collection, through the Internet, analysis spreadsheets, all vital skills, especially in a commercial

business environment.Employers want people who are spatially aware – Geographers use maps all the time.