A blueprint for the future

For this year’s Rex Walford Award, we asked trainee or early career geography teachers to create a short scheme of work which encouraged their students to create their own blueprint for the future and enter it into our Young Geographer of the Year competition 2023.

The winner of the Rex Walford Award 2023 was India Owens from Latymer Upper School. India's resources are available to download here. These resources belong to India and should be credited as such, and the Society takes no responsibility for their content.

We were interested to see lesson plans and accompanying resources which encourage students to think about:

• Innovative ideas to address problems in areas such as food production and supply, energy and sustainability, water security, resources, population growth, economic crisis, transport, travel, urbanisation, risk management, trade, environmental management, biodiversity and more.
• Recommendations that are forward-thinking, taking into consideration the depth of the problems and the reasons behind them, as well as what can be done to mitigate them.

Overview

Geography is a contemporary academic subject that is fundamental to our understanding of preserving the world for the future. This scheme of work is designed to encourage students to appreciate the dynamic nature of the world and understand the complexities and interdependence of the major global issues we currently face. Students will build upon prior knowledge to understand a range of these global issues, and think both independently and collaboratively about how these issues can be sustainably addressed. 

Progression

The introductory lessons of this unit are designed to introduce students to the Sustainable Development Goals, and give them an understanding of a range of global issues including food and water security and population growth, in addition to providing examples of management strategies at different levels. Pupils will explore a variety of presentation options including GIS and ArcGIS Story Maps to support the projects they will create. The aim of this unit is for students to collaborate to produce an innovative solution to sustainably address a global issue so as to preserve the planet for the future.

This unit is designed to build upon prior knowledge from both Year 7 and Year 8, particularly in relation to the topics of Mapping and GIS, Meteorology, and Development and Superpowers. Students will be expected to apply their knowledge from various prior units to build a comprehensive understanding of the depth of global issues and their causes. These skills will aid students as they enter Year 9 and begin to consider more complex geographical issues in units including Geopolitics, where they will be expected to have a comprehensive grasp of the role of geographers in managing global issues.

Assessment

Classwork will be monitored through formative assessment and retrieval practice, including as starters, in-class quizzes, and plenaries. Homework will be set and reviewed by teachers on an individual basis with either written or verbal feedback given. There will be no written exam, as students will be assessed on their ability to create an innovative, yet realistic, group project to address a major global issue sustainably to preserve the world for the future. This will be assessed both by the class and the teacher through feedback sheets (see resource 6, assessment rubric), and feedback will be given in order for students to improve upon their projects in the final lesson.

Lessons

1. The Global Issues Geographers Face

2. Don’t Panic: The Truth About Population

3. How Food Secure is the World?

4. Is Water an Infinite Resource?

5.1 Design Your Own Project: Planning

5.2 Design Your Own Project: Research and Implement

5.3 Design Your Own Project: Implement and Check

6. Assessment