Secondary Phase Committee Members
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TOM BIEBRACH - CHAIR I am Head of Geography at Pencoed Comprehensive School in South Wales and am also a PGCE co-tutor at the Swansea School of Education. I am currently involved with a number of research projects promoting geographical learning and teaching, including GCSE Controlled Assessment trials, using GIS in primary-secondary transition and promoting international school links. My department were recently awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark and I achieved Chartered Geographer status in 2007. I am also completing an MA in Geographical Education. The SPC has been a fantastic opportunity to learn about and to have an impact on current geographical educational issues throughout England and Wales and would encourage anyone from the geographical education community to get involved. For more information please email me at trbiebrach@aol.com. |
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SIMON RENSHAW - SECRETARY AND TREASURER I began life as a geography teacher in 2003 and get a huge sense of satisfaction from my job as Head of Geography at Soar Valley College in Leicester. I am constantly looking for new and exciting ways of helping students and teachers develop their geographical understanding. I have particular interests in formative assessment, creativity, thinking skills, effective communication and social media. I am also the ITT/NQT Coordinator at Soar Valley, a PGCE Co Tutor for Leicester University and a proud member of The Geography Collective. Working with the other members of the SPC is a great privilege and I always come away from our meetings enthused about the future of geographical education. Simon's website: Soar Valley Geography E-mail Simon at renshawgeography@gmail.com Simon is @simonrenshaw on Twitter. |
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ALAN PARKINSON After 20 years of geography teaching experience in Norfolk, I started as Secondary Curriculum Development Leader at the Geographical Association in September 2008. I have served on SPC since 2004, and am also a Regional Subject Adviser for the CfBT KS3 project. I rounded off my teaching career by receiving the Ordnance Survey Award for "excellence in the teaching of geography in secondary education" in 2008. I am a Chartered Geographer, and have presented workshops at GA Conference and SAGT Conference each year since 2004. I maintain the GA's NING networking sites, and an extensive network of blogs on geographical topics, in addition to writing for GA Magazine. I wrote one of the titles in the award-winning Teachers' Toolkit series, on Landscapes. My interests are collaboration and creative pedagogy. Alan's main website is Geography Pages E-mail Alan at aparkinson@geography.org.uk |
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DAVID ROGERS Since January 2008 I have been Head of Geography at Priory School in Portsmouth, where I have had the unenviable task of improving a department judged as “inadequate” by an Ofsted subject inspection. I support other teachers and PGCE students by delivering workshops covering a wide variety of subjects from enquiry to project managing GCSE Change. My other hats include being author for Folens, a GCSE examiner for OCR and Edexcel. I am also on the GA Consultant Register. My main passion is in developing quality learning opportunities for young people that are meaningful and relevant. Visit David's website E-mail David at: drogersmm@me.com |
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GARY DAWSON I joined SPC in 1995/6. Di Swift, the then Geography Adviser for Staffordshire, nominated me, having seen a geographical twinkle in my eye. Since then, it has been one big professional development journey. We have a saying on SPC, 'join SPC and get promoted' and everyone has. SPC gives the opportunity to make a contribution to geography at a national level. I commend it to the world!! Having been Head of Geography and Religious Education at Fair Oak Business and Enterprise College in Staffordshire I am now an AST geography teacher at the same school. |
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BECKY KITCHEN I am Curriculum Manager for Humanities and Head of Geography at Aylesbury High School in Buckinghamshire. I am particularly interested in using video technology to explore pupil's personal geographies and received an innovative teaching grant from the RGS with IBG in 2009 to carry out research in this area. I am a Chartered Geographer (Teacher) and our department is also a holder of the Secondary Geography Quality Mark. I was awarded the Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence in Secondary Teaching by the RGS with IBG in 2009 and am currently creating resources and online CPD for the Geography Teaching Today website. I am really looking forward to working with like-minded geographers on the SPC. |
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DAVID ROBERTS I have been a member of the Secondary Committee for ten years. During this time I have represented the GA at examination boards, particularly AQA and QCA. This, along with presentations at conference, has helped considerably with my own professional development. When I began my involvement with the committee I was a Head of Department with limited experience. I am now Deputy Head teacher at Middleton Technology School near Manchester where we have particularly focused on Raising Boys' Achievement. I have recently achieved Chartered Geographer status and am also a consultant for the Geographical Association. The work of the committee is really important in offering support to Geography teachers around the country as well as an opportunity to meet like-minded dedicated professionals. |
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EMMA JOHNS I am Head of Geography at Hitchin Girls' School in Hertfordshire. I have been at the school since July 2005, after completing my PGCE at Bath Spa University College. I teach across the whole 11-18 age range and particularly enjoy teaching GCSE classes. I like teaching an inclusive and all encompassing subject and work hard to ensure that it remains that way in my school. I am passionate about the place of fieldwork in the curriculum and our students enjoy a variety of local, national and international opportunities. I have mentored a number of PGCE students and feel privileged working with some wonderful and dedicated prospective geography teachers. I have also delivered several training sessions at County NQT Geography events and enjoy this opportunity to meet new teachers in the local area. |
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KATHRYN STEPHENSON Having been a Head of Geography for seven years, I am now Assistant Headteacher (Deep Learning) at Stokesley School in North Yorkshire. I've been a member of SPC since 2004 and have worked on projects such as the SGQM, with QCA on the KS3 programme of study and have been an RSA. I've written 'Future Floods' as part of the KS3 Teachers' Toolkit series. I have a particular interest in using AfL to create high quality geographical learning experiences and am working on APP in geography with QCA. My current mission is to develop geography at KS3 so that it can have an impact on the wider curriculum! |
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RACHEL LAWRENSON I have been teaching geography for nine years in two schools, and have recently been appointed as Head of Geography in Huddersfield. I am very passionate about teaching and learning and aim to lead a department that embraces outstanding geography and is at the forefront of latest educational changes. I am particularly interested in promoting geography as an exciting and relevant 21st Century subject, and am an active member of a local geography cluster group in Calderdale. I see being part of SPC as a fantastic opportunity to share my passion with like-minded geographers and contribute at a national level. |
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| RUTH TOTTERDELL |
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LOUISE ELLIS I started teaching in 1972 and have been a Head of Geography since January 1975. At present I am Head of Geography at Stopsley High School, Luton. My department has been successful in achieving 'Centre of Excellence' and the 'Secondary Geography Quality Mark'. I am a Chartered Geographer and a Teacher Consultant for the Geographical Association. I was a GA Regional Adviser for London and the SE supporting the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum. I am a member of the SPC. In 2008 I received the Ordnance Survey Award for "excellence in the teaching of geography in secondary education". Publications include articles such as 'Our Toy Story' for the Journal Teaching Geography and 'Geography and ICT Management' for Sec Ed. Book publications include A Thorny Issue in the GA KS3 Teacher's Toolkit series and the Our World a Closer Look guidebook (examination revision) for students in Singapore. I firmly believe in the enquiry approach but at the same time learning being 'fun'! |
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STEPHEN SCHWAB |
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SHAARON SANDERSON |
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DANIEL RAVEN-ELLISON I am a geography activist and my time is currently split between working as the Education Programme Manager for Relief International (UK) and The Geography Collective. The core of my work for Relief International is being spent developing Act Global. This is a DfID funded project to engage young people to learn about poverty related issues while empowering them to take action on them from within their local community. In partnership with the Citizenship Foundation, we are developing an international social network for learning, dialogue and action as well as units of work and an Act Global 'club' handbook. The remainder of my time is spent with The Geography Collective creating innovative publications, interventions and events that encourage children to see their world(s) in new ways. I was previously a teacher, head of department and Creative Schools Lead Practitioner. The Geography Collective |
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| VICTORIA ELLIS | |
