Geographical Association

"The Conference values both the young and experienced teachers to both deliver sessions and engage in them. It is inclusive, inspiring and the highlight of my yearly CPD."

"I thoroughly enjoyed the two days I attended and have once again left the conference with a great buzz and renewed vigour for following up threads, links and ideas"

"This is outstanding professional development for teachers of geography"

From 4-6 April 2013 we welcomed more than 780 delegates from all over the world to take part in a range of lectures, workshops, field visits and social events and find out about the latest ideas, resources and support in primary and secondary geography.

Once again we have a fantastic set of Conference photographs courtesy of Bryan Ledgard. View a selection on Flickr or contact Milan Recknagel if you're after something specific.

Find out which publishers, schools and individuals won GA Awards at the 2013 event.

We would like to ensure that Conference is as successful as possible for all delegates. If you haven’t already completed an evaluation please take a few minutes to leave feedback.

Presentations and workshop handouts for many of the sessions at the 2013 Annual Conference are available to download below. This page will be regularly updated with additional downloads over the coming weeks. Please note that some materials may have had images removed for copyright reasons.

Lectures
Workshops
Field Visits
Reporting Research
Forums
PGCE/NQT Event
Teacher to Teacher

Lectures

Presidential Lecture - 2012: Just a summer to remember?

All KS
Bob Digby, 2012-13 President, Geographical Association

London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games came and went. It was a great time to be in London and the UK. But what now? How well do major events such as the 2012 Games stand up in terms of their longer-term legacies? In this lecture, Bob considered mega-events from a geographer’s perspective and discussed how their legacies can be assessed.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture Plus 3 - The questions children ask

KS2
Dr Stephen Scoffham, Principal Lecturer, Canterbury Christ Church University

At a time of great changes in the primary geography curriculum we know surprisingly little about what children actually want to learn. This session reported and reflected on a small-scale research project aimed at children aged 9-10, and raised questions about how well we are meeting their needs.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 7 - Progression in geography

KS3-P16
Professor David Lambert, Professor of Geography Education, Institute of Education, London

There is a new emphasis these days on geographical knowledge: the national curriculum will be 'knowledge-led', and GCSEs will have stronger knowledge focus. At A-level, the return to linear examinations also has implications. This sesssion explored how these moves may strengthen school geography and what needs to be done in order to make this happen

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Link: Video

Lecture 8 - One Planet, Many Worlds: Visualising the social and physical environment of humanity

KS4-P16
Dr Benjamin D Hennig, Research Associate, University of Sheffield

This lecture presented new answers to one of the most challenging questions for contemporary cartography: 'The world is complex, dynamic, multidimensional; the paper is flat, static. How are we to represent the rich visual world of experience and measurement on flatland?'.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 10 - Geographies of health: looking to the future

Subject update (all KS)
Professor Sarah Curtis, Executive Director, Institute of Hazard Risk and Resilience, University of Durham

This session drew on research in the field of health geographies and focused on three questions: how will environmental changes (both physical and social) impact on human health in the future? How can geographical research ‘make a difference’ to our response to these changes?. How can investing in young people's geographical knowledge and skills contribute to promotion of good health, now and in the future? The discussion illustrated the importance and potential of health content in school geography curricula, as well as the links between teaching in schools and university research.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Lecture 11 - What future for Palestine? A geographer’s perspective

KS4-P16
Dr Ahmed Ra’fat Mustafa Ghodieh, Head of the Palestinian Geographical Society, West Bank and Gaza Strip

This session considered the changing political borders of Palestine since 1900. It looked at changing demographies, the effects of the Israeli wall, the status of Jerusalem and the complex situation regarding access to water.

Presented on behalf of GA International Special Interest Group.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 13 - A season of Urban Vignettes: A blog project about everyday living in the city

KS3-P16
Emma Rawlings Smith, Head of Geography, British School – Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi and Sin Yee Koh, a postgraduate student from the LSE

A Season of Urban Vignettes – Everyday Living in The City is a collaborative visual-based blog capturing the different ways people experience, negotiate and engage with city life as the world undergoes the largest wave of urban growth in history. Sin Yee Koh explains how Urban Vignettes, a collaborative visual-based blog, came to be created and Emma Rawlings Smith, a contributor and secondary teacher, will explain how the Urban Vignettes project can be used in the classroom to aid the teaching of ‘place’. This will help anyone interested in urban living and people planning their own blog project.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Lecture 14 - A glimpse of the future: Digital Earth education and real-time geographies

KS2-P16
Karl Donert, Director, and Michaela Lindner-Fally, Project Manager, European Centre of Excellence digital-earth.eu

This session illustrated different aspects of Digital Earth education. It presented the activities and outcomes of the digital-earth.eu project that seeks to network European teachers, trainers, NGOs and ministries using geographic media in order to share practice and provide advice.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Lecture 17 - Teaching contemporary case studies

KS2-P16
James Riley, Head of Geography, Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby

Tips on how best to investigate relevant contemporary case studies and explore geographical events students have experienced. This lecture included details on our department’s innovative year 9 ‘Geography in the News’ curriculum. Lots of high-quality web-based resources were also explained and evaluated.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 19 - A Geography of Hope

Subject update (all KS)
Dr David Hicks, Visiting Professor, Bath Spa University

Climate change, peak oil and the limits to growth will assure a very different future for students. What role should geography play in preparing young people for such a future? Given the challenges that lie ahead, should we not be identifying resources for a 'geography of hope'?

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshops

Workshop 1- Primary geography inspiration through web videos

EY-KS2
Anthony Barlow, Senior Lecturer in Primary Geography Education, University of Roehampton  

Have you ever searched in vain for a video to help you teach in the primary classroom? Presented were our top ten videos (and teaching ideas) to help you bring a new life to old topics.

Download: Workshop slides (PPT)

Workshop 7 - Worldwise: Engaging geography for all

All KS
Mark Higginbottom, Co-Chair, Worldwise Working Party, Sue Lomas, Co-Chair, Worldwise Working Party  

Participants left with ways of using the GA's Worldwise resources and activities to raise the profile and importance of geography in their curriculum.

Download: Workshop handout: statement of purpose (PDF)

Download: Workshop handout: flow diagram (PDF)

Download: Workshop slides (PPT)

Workshop 10 - Imagining the future in the field

KS3-P16
Nick Lapthorn, Chair, GA Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group, and Daniel Moncrieff, Head of Centre, FSC Rhyd-Y-Creuau  

Geography fieldwork is often about describing the processes that have created the world we currently see. This session looked at ways we can encourage students to look beyond today to imagine possible and probable futures for locations through fieldwork.

Presented by GA Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group

Download: Workshop presentation (PPT)

Workshop 11 - Getting our geographers ready for tomorrow!

KS3-P16
Beth Harries, KS5 Geography Co-ordinator, Central Foundation Boys’ School, London, and Members of GA Secondary Phase Committee  

This session helped delegates in encouraging students to see the relevance of geography both today and in the future. Gain practical and creative ideas and resources – and share your own!

Presented by GA Secondary Phase Committee

Download: Workshop presentation (PPT)

Download: Workshop handout (Word)

Download: Workshop handout: assessment (Word)

Download: Workshop handout: annotate me (Word)

Workshop 16 (IT) - Free online resources for IB Geography

KS4-P16
Richard Allaway, Teacher of Geography, International School of Geneva  

A hands-on ICT workshop stepping beyond the textbook with 16 free online resources for teaching IB DP geography 'Patterns and Change'. The resources and teaching approaches showcased will be useful to all geographers!

Download: Workshop presentation (PDF)

Workshop 18 - Big Street Survey

KS2-3
Henry Norman, School Officer, Sustrans  

The Big Street Survey is an exciting fieldwork initiative that gets pupils investigating their local area using personal and emotional geographies to take a closer look at the environment and issues that affect them. From discussion in the classroom, to collecting the data in the field and developing your school’s manifesto for change, have a look at the world through the eyes of your students

Download: Workshop presentation (PPT)

Workshop 20 - 'App'ening geography

KS3-P16
Katy Shipman, Member, GA Secondary Phase Committee, and Members of GA Secondary Phase Committee  

With more and more students owning smartphones, this session offered a chance to look at mobile applications (‘apps’) that can be used to enhance their geographical learning.

Presented by GA Secondary Phase Committee

For more information on the use of apps, contact Alan Parkinson or visit http://livinggeography.blogspot.com

More ideas on Apps in Fieldwork will be available in a book written by Alan Parkinson and John Widdowson, which will be published by the GA later in the year.

Download: Session slides (PDF)

Download: Submission form (PDF)

Workshop 26 - Two (hundred) heads are better than one: the power of collaboration

KS3-P16
Tony Cassidy, Teacher of Geography, Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, Ilkestn; Alan Parkinson, freelance geographer and author; and John Sayers, Teacher of Geography, Lord Lawson of Beamish School, Gateshead  

This session looked at the power of collaboration, and was presented by teachers who love to share their resources via online networks. Hear about and take part in some joint projects to extend your practice, including the use of SOLO taxonomy to support learning.

Download: Workshop slides (PDF)

Link to downloads: John Sayers' resources and presentation (Dropbox)

Click here for more information on John's SOLO materials.

Workshop 27 - Their world of the future?

KS1-2
Anthony Barlow, Senior Lecturer in Primary Geography Education, University of Roehampton  

Participants discovered practicle resources to help provoke discussion with pupils' about their world of the future, and tried out a simulation game in which pupils take on different roles to think about other people's perspectives.

Download: Workshop slides (PPT)

Workshop 33 - The Olympic legacy... a geographer’s dream!

KS3-P16
John Widdowson, Textbook writer and urban geographer  

The London 2012 Olympics promised a lasting legacy. Already, there is a legacy for geographers – a new park to explore, a model for sustainable urban living and a regeneration project, two miles from Docklands (but worlds apart!). This session explored the classroom and fieldwork potential of the Olympic legacy.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Download: Workshop resources and handouts (Word)

Download: New urban living for London (PDF)

Download: Stratford master plan (PDF)

Download: Stratford residents (PDF)

Download: Stratford econ study (PDF)

Workshop 38 - Celebrating geography with the SGQM

KS3-4
Catherine Owen, Head of Geography, The King Alfred School, Somerset; 

Take time from your hectic schedules to celebrate! This session gave teachers the opportunity to reflect upon their successes so far and consider how they could make their geography teaching even better. The workshop also looked at how the GA’s Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM) can support departments in their preparations for inspections.

Download: Workshop slides (PPT)

Workshop 40 (IT) - IB Globalisation: case studies and inspiration

P16
Jen Skym, Geography Curriculum Group Chair, English Schools Foundation, Hong Kong; 

This session focused on the key themes from the IB Globalisation Higher Extension module and provided delegates with quick and easy teaching ideas and examples from around the world.

Link: Workshop slides and resources

Workshop 41 - Sustainability and teaching the global dimension in primary schools

KS1-2
Katie Carr, Co-ordinator, Cumbria DEC, and Joyce Hallam, Headteacher, Hawkshead Primary School, Cumbria; 

Today’s children are growing up in an increasingly complex and global world in which their lives are connected to other people and places through the click of a button or the purchase of a chocolate bar. This session demonstrated practical ideas that can be used to engage them in learning about the complex issues of sustainable development and interconnectedness.

Presented by the GA's Sustainability and Citizenship Special Interest Group.

Download: Presentation slides (PDF)

Download: Presentation slides: Circular economy (PDF)

Workshop 43 - The AfL iceberg: exploring the unchartered 90%

KS3-KS4
Paul Hunt, Head of Geography, The Appleton School, Essex; Simon Renshaw, Victoria Ellis and Kathryn Stephenson, Members, GA Secondary Phase Committee; 

If you think you only explore the tip of the AfL iceberg then this session was for you! The workshop explored a carousel of AfL techniques that will enable students to develop deeper understanding of and learning in geography, while also maximising progress.

Presented by GA Secondary Phase Committee

Download: Workshop presentation (PDF)

Link: Animated presentation (PPT)

Workshop 44 - Enabling successful communication of geographical understanding in written assessments

KS3-P16
Elizabeth Rynne, Chair, GA Assessment and Examinations Special Interest Group; 

This session examined practical ideas enabling participants to meet the needs of the changing emphasis on the quality of writing within the assessment structures for geography. Presented by GA Assessment and Examinations Special Interest Group

Download: Workshop presentation (PPT)

Download: Workshop handout (PDF)

Download: Workshop handout (2) (Word)

Download: Workshop handout (3) (Word)

Workshop 46 - It's a small world!

EY-KS2
Sharon Witt, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Winchester; 

This session offered an opportunity for active engagement with the concept of place making on a small scale. Delegates created their own landscapes and explored the potential of small world play resources for teaching geography across the primary age range.

Download: Workshop presentation (PDF)

Download: Workshop handout (Word)

Workshop 49 - New post-16 exams, new ideas for fieldwork

P16
Dr Ewan Laurie, Head of Geography, King's College School, London, and Paul Baker, Chair, GA Independent Schools Special Interest Group; 

This session began with Paul Baker talking about new ideas for covering post-16 fieldwork, before Ewan Laurie led a hands-on session showing how such ideas can be incorporated into new post-16 exams (IB and Pre U). Presented by GA Independent Schools Special Interest Group

Download: Workshop presentation (PDF)

Field visits

Introducing Derby

All KS
Peter Fox, Trustee, Geographical Association

This short field visit provided an introduction to Derby. It showed some of the places of special interest in the city centre and enabled people to find out a little about them.

Download: Field visit notes (PPT)

Link: Field visit photos (Flickr)

Mission:Explore - an introduction

All KS
Alan Parkinson, and Ruth Potts, Members, Geography Collective

Delegates explored the university buildings and campus through new eyes and (re)engaged with this (un)familiar place. Participants also had a chance to suggest new missions and left with a new qualification and theM:Ex postnominal letters

Download: Mission:Explore (PDF)

Download: Mission:Explore in Derby (PDF)

Reporting Research

Unpacking 'paradise': geography education narratives from Seychelles

Indra Persaud, Doctoral Research Student, Institute of Education, London

The research aims to unpack the forces that combine to shape geography education narratives in Seychelles. Indra drew on teachers' personal and collective geographical imaginations in order to uncover ways in which power-relations shape the lives of Seychellois geography teachers and to understand Seychellois teachers’ professional identity and their sense of professional and personal self-worth.

Download: PowerPoint presentation (PPT)

 

Towards a greater geographical understanding of the causes of African poverty

Garry Simmons, MA student, Institute of Education, London

This paper attempted to fill the current gap in research into how students develop accurate thinking in human geography. It considered three areas: geographical diversity, globalisation and development. The findings highlighted the importance of discovering prior knowledge and developing strategies to challenge firmly held misconceptions.

Download: PowerPoint presentation (PPT)

Download: Lesson 1 handout (PDF)

Download: Lesson 2 handout (PDF)

Download: Lesson 3 handout (PDF)

Geo-INS: I teach good geography because I like it

Giovanni Donadelli, PhD student in Human Geography, Angelica Moè, Lorena Rocca, Enia Labate, Francesca Pazzaglia, University of Padua, Italy

This research investigates the connections between teachers’ experiences as geography students and their teaching praxis as geography teachers. The investigation tool considered teaching strategies and tools, usefulness of geography and pleasantness of geography. The results show how positive experiences as geography students affect both teachers’ approach to teaching geography and the quality of teaching.

Download: Presentation slides (PDF)

Primary ITE students’ senses of geography

Professor Simon Catling, Professor of Primary Education, Oxford Brookes University; Emma Morley, Senior Lecturer in Primary Geography, University of Winchester

This study investigated 270 primary ITE students’ feelings about geography education and the sources of these views, alongside theiideas about geography and related interests. It outlines the study’s findings and some implications for primary ITE programmes.

Download: Presentation slides (PPT)

Sharing the past with students: teaching geography and history through digital palaeogeography

Dr Lia Galani, Teacher, Dr Katerina Theodorakopoulou, Athanasios Skedos, George Kritikos, Kosmas Pavlopoulos, Department of Geography, Harokopio University of Athens, Greece

This study reports early results of research focusing on digital palaeogeοgraphy and, specifically, a database and educational tool that enables students to develop a multidimensional, evidence-driven approach in order to answer questions and to ‘rebuild’ the historical space and time.

Download: Presentation slides (PDF)

An experimental geography module to develop the pedagogical content knowledge of primary teaching students

Marian Blankman, Senior lecturer, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, School of Education Haarlem, The Netherlands

This session presented some of the results of a field-test among 500 primary teacher students. The focus was on the effects of an experimental module on the development of the pedagogical content knowledge for the subject of geography of first year primary teacher students.

Download: Presentation slides (PDF)

Forum

Bringing Knowledge Back in

All KS
Chair: John Hopkin, GA Past President, Geographical Association.

Panel: Alan Kinder, Chief Executive, Geographical Association; Steve Brace, Head of Education and Outdoor Learning, RGS (with IBG); Professor David Lambert, Professor of Geography Education, Institute of Education, London; and Alex Standish, Lecturer in Geography Education, Institute of Education, London

This forum took its cue from Michael Young’s 2008 book of the same name. It goes without saying that members of the panel are all interested in geographical knowledge. But what shall we teach? Is there a sequence in which this should be done? What is the balance, or relationship, between knowledge, understanding, skills and values? Is a renewed focus on knowledge ‘elitist’? Click on the link below for a summary of the forum and the questions posed

Link: Conference forum 2013

PGCE/NQT Event

The Rex Walford Memorial Lecture - Teaching controversial issues

All KS
Margaret Roberts, Past President, Geographical Association

Everything said in this session was likely to be controversial. People have different ideas about what controversial issues are, what the role of the teacher should be in learning about them, and what classroom activities will help students investigate them. In this lecture Margaret illustrated her views through the example of climate change.

Download: Session presentation (PPT)

Challenging more able students in geography

KS3-4
Jane Ferretti, Tutor, University of Sheffield

Differentiating for higher achievers in the geography classroom is a challenge and this session will focus on discussing and evaluating a variety of possible approaches.

Download: Session presentation (PPT)

Download: Session handout (PDF)

Download: Session handout (PDF)

Teacher-to-Teacher

Astonishing Awareness

KS3-P16
Kelly Kerrigan, Geography Teacher, Bablake School, Coventry

This session shared good practice learnt and developed as a teaching assistant, PGCE student and NQT. Focusing on when and where global awareness should be taught, this session showed ways you can implement simple methods which will allow for positive astonishing awareness.

Download: Session presentation (PPT)

Geographical Enquiry: a practical approach

KS3
Rachel Norman, NQT Geography Teacher, Bullers Wood School, Chislehurst

This session aimed to show how enquiry can be interwoven into key stage 3 geography lessons. Geographical enquiry is particularly important when looking at issues such as overpopulation or climate change as students can question theories and ideas.

Download: Session presentation (PDF)

Download: Session handout (PDF)

School geography in China: where is it going?

KS2-4
Wang Xiang Dong, Associate Professor, School of Urban and Environmental Science, North-East Normal University, PR China

This session allowed space and time for GA International Initiative Fund (GAIFF) visitors to talk about their experiences of delivering a geography curriculum in their home country.

Presented on behalf of the GA International Special Interest Group

Download: Session presentation (PPT)