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Stereotype mapping

There are a number of items in my RSS reader that are just for fun. I've added another today thanks to a post on John Howarth's blog. He included an image from the Gaping Void site. On further investigation, I came acorss this image:



This gave me an idea for a lesson. As Geographers, we should be challenging stereotypes. However, I don't think that we should be making assumptions on the stereotypes our students hold. To avoid stereotyping stereotypes ;-)

I created the map below using an OS map outline that a freely available. I have to point out that my annotation are tongue in cheek and no offense was meant ;-)


For example, the Midlands are 'Blurry' as I most often see them form the M6 on my way to either the Lake District, Snowdonia or Scotland. This is also a useful activity for exploring and building upon pupil's own experiences of geography.

On my return to the classroom, I'll be using this method with classes in order to explore stereotypes and pupil's geographical imaginations (part of the National Curriculum). I think that it will create a useful starting point for discussiuon and other activities. In addition, the activity can be used at any scale, from micro (school, street) to macro (country, region, global).

What would your map of the UK look like?
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Comments

  1. Alan Parkinson8 January 2010 at 09:15

    Good morning from the barren flatlands...
    Nice idea Mr. Rogers... Just got myself a blank map and will perhaps give this a go later on... Just thinking of a suitable annotation to go in Wales...
    God's own country is, of course, Yorkshire... :)
    Have a good day on the Downs if you make it there...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9 January 2010 at 21:04

    I can fill you in on your question mark area....pretty flat, thinks itself posh, teashops, castles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. David Rogers9 January 2010 at 21:18

    I look forward to seeing your efforts Alan. I will of course be using this for real, as soon as the school opens ;-)

    Cheers Jo - I'm ashamed to say that it's part of the country that I know very little about - in fact I don't think I've ever been there apart from Dover. Maybe I should rename it the 'Escape Place' ;-)

    Thanks both for the comments.

    David

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amanda O'Dell11 August 2010 at 13:17

    I've just seen this - I really like the idea :-)

    I used to think the same about 'barren flat lands' but have found out differently since needing somewhere more accessible from London than the south-west - Suffolk is at least as lovely as the south-west, only without all the tourists - what more could you ask for?! Oh, and it's only an hour or two from London, with cheap & frequent train connections...

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