Geographical Association

Visit the Post 16 & HE Phase Committee page to find out how GA members are working for you. You can also download issues of their newsletter Geography Matters featuring news, articles and issues relating to Post 16 geography.

Supported by Routledge Publishers

The Developing Areas Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) has launched its annual essay competition in memory of David W. Smith .

David W Smith, who also published under the name of David Drakakis Smith, was an outstanding scholar committed to researching on Third World cities. He died in 1999.

A2 level students in England and Wales and Advanced Higher students in Scotland are invited to write an essay of up to 1500 words on the following title:

To what extent are cities in the developing world working towards the goal of sustainable development?

Essay prize: £100 in book vouchers.

Essays should be word processed and double spaced.

Essays must be received by Friday 26 February 2010. Applicants must include their name, school and contact details with their essay.
Their teacher must confirm that the essay is the student's own work.

If acknowledgement of receipt is required please include a stamped addressed envelope.

Send an electronic or hard copy to the address below.

Gill Miller
David W Smith Memorial Prize
Department of Geography and Development Studies
University of Chester College
Parkgate Road
Chester CH1 4BJ

Visit the Developing Areas Research Group website

The Sheffield University MA in Applied Professional Studies in Education is an exciting programme which is run in partnership with nine subject associations (including the GA) and local authorities. It is supported by the Training and Development Agency for Schools as part of its Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) programme.

All students on the APSE course are entitled to free GA membership. Find out more about the MA on the University of Sheffield website.

GIS for A-level geography is a substantial book, covering the theory and applications of GIS and five step-by-step exercises using ArcView and digital mapping data. The book comes with two CDs containing the ESRI ArcView software and digital mapping data plus some additional activities to complement the exercises. The book is available to buy in our online shop. Extracts from the theory and applications section and a sample from one of the exercises are available to download below.

In this Think Piece, Bob Digby (Community Geographer for the Geographical Association) explores some of the issues that face PGCE students in teaching post-16 groups. Although it was written with a focus on the needs of teacher educators in mind, it is likely to be of wider interest.

Think Piece: Teaching A Level Geography

Paul Weeden, secretary of the GA's Assessment & Examinations Working Group, has provided a summary of the Geography AS and A-level entry statistics and results for 2006 and 2008.