Teaching the Census through GIS
The UK Census (technically three national censuses) was (were) last collected in 2011 but school teachers have often struggled to make effective use of the data in their classroom teaching.
This resource contains a full series of 10 lessons (complete with a scheme of work and downloadable resources) providing the opportunity for students to explore the 2011 UK Census whilst exploring a substantive problem – that of health inequalities – and learning a range of important quantitative and GIS skills through the use of the free GIS package, QGIS.
The lessons contained in this scheme of work are designed for Key Stage 5 pupils studying Geography or related subjects at GCE Advanced Level (particularly the AQA specification, although key skills will be relevant for all examination boards) or taking the International Baccalaureate.
About the authors
Adam Dennett is a Lecturer in the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. He is a population geographer with interests in using GIS, spatial modelling and other quantitative techniques to explore human population patterns and processes. Before returning to Higher Education, Adam qualified as a secondary school teacher and worked for three years teaching geography at Hedingham School in Essex.
Paul Turner is Head of Geography at Bedales School in Petersfield, Hampshire. Paul graduated in 2008 from the University of Exeter with a BSc in Geography before completing a PGCE at the University of Cambridge. Paul has taught across a variety of schools and most recently taught the International Baccalaureate at Sevenoaks School in Kent. Paul has a keen interest in ICT and published a free eBook entitled “Teaching Geography in a Digital World”.