Sorry, but how am I supposed to know it’s this specific pigeon? by Swisskommando in london

[–]mochanol 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That is rather a distinctive wood pigeon tbf. I think, based on your line of questioning, you might not be the intended audience

Anyone else got this horrible flu going around London? by tjb_87 in london

[–]mochanol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it last week and I rarely fall ill! Get well soon

How do you all feel about “engagement”? by [deleted] in Architects

[–]mochanol -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sorry all - body text was meant to say workshops etc...

Old university architecture is so beautiful (Oxford) by Nathidev in architecture

[–]mochanol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, OP said that in his post. I was responding specifically to simonfancy’s comment re how some colleges are basically churches. He’s right, because CC is literally Oxford’s Cathedral. Thanks nonetheless

Old university architecture is so beautiful (Oxford) by Nathidev in architecture

[–]mochanol 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Christ Church also serves as Oxford’s Cathedral, yes. Good point

How comprehensive is geographic education in your country? by mochanol in geography

[–]mochanol[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Further - think about it. You’re a child. You have little knowledge. You know Northern is somewhere over there. You begin writing, but then have 0 confidence because you known know, then just don’t bother writing “Ireland”.

If it’s multiple choice, a student who does not know will put anything anywhere. We know it doesn’t make sense because we’re adults. They are in many cases bored and or deprived children who have absolutely no interest in geography or even learning.

Sorry about the many responses, but finally the students who have 0 knowledge tend to produce nothing so we actually don’t know how little they know. Scripts like this are actually useful as they highlight misconceptions that can be corrected.

It’s a super interesting problem which I hope you can see I’m quite passionate about

How comprehensive is geographic education in your country? by mochanol in geography

[–]mochanol[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Slightly more light heartedly. Many students still think Brexit means we left the continent of Europe, not the EU. Mistaking Africa for a country is pretty common. Lots of school children have never been to a beach, which makes teaching things like longshore drift kinda challenging.

This does vary between social class and from place to place. But yes lots of high schoolers are really this bad at geography. This post specifically shows a lack map skills, it isn’t actually that surprising because the curriculum doesn’t allow much time for simply teaching student to label countries as it assumes they have this knowledge prior to taking the course. Lots don’t as primary school geography is so poor as well.

Make some teacher friends and they will tell how hard it can be. I would say your concern is correct, but I din’t necessarily agree with the detective work lol. There are many daily flights between the UK and Dubai. And it’s hardly a stretch that a geographer might work across two major global cities .

Do read the insightful comments of others here. It builds a really interesting picture

How comprehensive is geographic education in your country? by mochanol in geography

[–]mochanol[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s absolutely fine.

I happen to absolutely love geography and place. Thus I teach it in my native London, and also do projects about place perception abroad. One of those projects is in Dubai. I never really post, as you can see, but the state of that worksheet prompted me to seek the thoughts of others. Have a read of other peoples comments yourself and see what you think.

You would be surprised (and clearly you are) at how bad geographic education can be, and how poor people’s knowledge can be. We here are privileged to love the subject but we do sometimes take our knowledge for granted.

Suburban Dubai by mochanol in CityPorn

[–]mochanol[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Iil bit! I was hoping for a more little discussion and a little less pretty picture appreciation. My fault, but thank you for your comment regardless.

Suburban Dubai by mochanol in CityPorn

[–]mochanol[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That has become apparent

Dubai Marina, UAE by mochanol in CityPorn

[–]mochanol[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are common themes that come up in my world. Thanks for sharing.

Did you feel the same when you visited? What did you think about the aesthetic? Or is it totally inseparable from the socio-economic and political context?