Exploring sustainable development through poetry and moving image: an example of cross-curricular collaboration

Nicola WalsheUniversity of Cambridge

Exploring sustainable development through poetry and moving image: a rationale

• ‘Town as text’ and creative writing: Mark Jones’ cross-curricular collaboration between English and Geography.

• Poetry to develop personal responses to places and landscapes: Eleanor Rawling.

• Links between Geography and English with a particular focus on environmental issues: John Morgan and Sasha Matthewman.

Exploring sustainable development through poetry and moving image

• Aim to develop trainees’ own and their students’ learning through interdisciplinary approaches to the curriculum.

• Day brought together two specific areas of learning: sustainable development and poetry.

• Incorporated field work and the moving image.

Sustainable Development

Representations of Sustainable Development

• Environment• Society• Economy

Theoretical perspectives of Sustainable Development

eco-centrism

(strong sustainability)

anthropocentrism

(weak sustainability)

The City Breathingby

Andrew Fusek Peters

http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=6113

Today I saw the city ageingThe buildings with their wrinkled grey skinWatching the next of many generations pass

Today I saw the city reproducingNew generations rising above the restStanding proud in their rebirth.

Emily (a geographer)

What learning ....?

1. The relevance of poetry“Poetry definitely provides a really interesting way into a

geographical topic... I found whilst out doing the field work we were more focused on the English and filming images based

around our initial idea, but then back in the classroom we chose our clips to fit what we wanted to say about sustainability and then fitted the English to that, so it complemented each other

really well.”

“As weird as it sounds, the main learning for me was the 'power' of

poems - I still vividly remember parts of that poem!”

What learning ....?

1. The relevance of poetry

2. The use of moving images“I learned that the use of moving images is really effective to add gravitas to the power of the words we can create through poetry. I think Geography is a very visual discipline and I think this sort of activity would be great to

use with pupils.”

What learning ....?

1. The relevance of poetry

2. The use of moving images

3. Cross-curricular collaboration

“I was sceptical about working with an English department, but having done it I think I would

definitely consider it. For me it made me appreciate poetry more by linking it to a

preferred and more familiar topic and I think this could work for students too.”