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News - Geography and Geographical Education
The latest news on developments in geography, geographical education and related areas. Past news pages can be accessed via the table below. If you would like your news item featured on this page please contact Anne Greaves.
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A new website for the British Education Index (BEI) was launched this month. The British Education Index is an information resource dedicated to supporting the professional study of all aspects of education and training and currently contains references to over 170,000 items, including journal articles and internet resources. Although use of the full BEI database remains contingent on subscription, visitors to the new website have free access to over 9000 BEI records. Visit the new website.
(19.11.08)
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Last year we published three poems by GA member Mark Cowan on this website, all available to download from the Secondary page. Following a very positive response, a book of geographical poems has now been published by EPrint Publishing. Poems for the Geography Classroom is a collection of fifty poems which help to bring a diverse range of topics to life, stimulate debate and discussion, and enable students and teachers to be creative in lessons. The poems are complemented by a range of practical ideas and suggestions of how they can be used imaginatively in the classroom.
EPrint Publishing are offering a 15% discount for GA members on the normal price of £9.99, making the total price £8.49. To claim your discount, contact Michelle Hepper on 01254 882080 citing the GA website and your membership number.
(10.11.08)
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The URBAN EARTH project aims to (re)present our urban habitat through a series of walks and show what cities are really like for the people who live there. Starting and ending in fields, the rules of URBAN EARTH are to start and end in green countryside. Made up of thousands of photographs the URBAN EARTH films will present a rare insight into our increasingly urban lives and will be launched in the next few weeks.
The next walk will be in Bristol on Saturday 15 November 2008. There is also a walk planned in Manchester on the final day of the GA Annual Conference 2009. See the Conference page for more details.
To follow the adventure visit the URBAN EARTH website or blog. If you want to collaborate with URBAN EARTH by doing a walk join the Ning.
(05.11.08)
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AGI Northern Group is a new group within the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) which has recently formed with the primary aim of connecting all people in the north of England with a GIS or geospatial interest. The group will encourage networking throughout the northern GIS community and the cross-fertilization of ideas, experience, and best practice for the application of GIS and geospatial information to business challenges, customer service, and knowledge.
Further information is available on the AGI website.
(04.11.08)
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We were delighted to pick up two awards at the SAGT Annual Conference which took place in Edinburgh on Saturday 25 October. We were presented with a Highly Commended award for Caring for our world: A practical guide to ESD for ages 4-8 by Fran Martin and Paula Owens, and were the Winner of the book award for the KS3 Geography Teachers' Toolkit series, edited by Alan Kinder and John Widdowson.
The photograph shows SAGT President Malcom McDonald with GA President Margaret Roberts.
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The GA Secondary Phase Committee have prepared a Top Ten of ideas for teaching the new KS3 curriculum. The ideas in this half term's installment include using the school grounds, adding sounds to your lessons and much more.
Download: Top ten ideas for your new KS3 (PDF, 72.5K)
(28.10.08)
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| FREE GIS (ArcView) training |
Wednesday 19 November 2008 is ESRI's international GIS day. To mark this, three innovative geography departments are offering free training in their schools, suitable for teachers with any level of experience with GIS. You will have a chance to see how they use ArcGIS software with pupils and to receive hands on training with GIS. The day will run from 10:00am - 3:30pm and is free. To register for the event, please email the appropriate teacher: Hertfordshire, Dr Peter O'Connor, Bishop's Stortford College; Yorkshire, Steve Dunn, The Grammar School at Leeds; Herefordshire, Jenny Barlow, Lady Hawkins School.
(27.10.08)
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Looking for GCSE lesson ideas that make the most of ICT? The GA has launched an exciting new project site, Using ICT in Key Stage 4 Geography. The project aims to share ideas regarding the use of digital learning resources in supporting subject learning and teaching at Key Stage 4. There are 10 innovative lesson ideas already on the site and there are many more to follow. The project has been funded by BECTA, and all of the ideas have been generated by team members from the Geographical Association and/or the Royal Geographical Society with IBG.
Enter KS4 ICT project site >>>
(23.10.08)
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| Fun, interactive lesson ideas for KS4 geography lessons |
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David W. Smith Memorial Prize supported by Routledge Publishers. All A2 level students in England and Wales and Advanced Higher students in Scotland are invited to take part in this essay competition. The competition is organized by the Developing Areas Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in memory of David W. Smith. The winner will recieve £100 in book vouchers. The closing date of this competition is Friday 27 Feburary 2009. Visit our Funding and Awards page for full details.
(21.10.08)
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The deadline for entries to the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy is approaching. Entries are invited from schools which are involved in inspirational and innovative sustainable energy projects in the UK. Entry is free.
Deadline for UK schools applications: 2 December 2008
Visit the Ashden Awards website for further information, or email Jane Howarth.
(21.10.08)
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The Learning Outside the Classroom website has just launched. This resource, created as a result of the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom, is designed to help professionals working with young people to provide high quality outdoor learning experiences. The website contains six CPD modules that can be delivered as whole-day training or in sessions, a number of case studies of best practice, and links to useful learning resources that will be frequently updated. The website also allows users to upload their own case studies, news items and Learning Outside the Classroom events.
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The website also has information about the new Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, which will be awarded to providers who have pledged to engage in an ongoing process to sustain high-quality learning outside the classroom. The Quality Badges scheme goes live in January 2009 when the first badges will be awarded.
Website: Learning Outside the Classroom
(15.10.08)
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A consultation is currently taking place on the proposed Diploma in Humanities and Social Sciences, a new qualification for 14-19 year olds due to be launched in schools in 2011. In order that geography's interests are properly represented, both the GA and RGS-IBG are encouraging members to take part in the consultation before 27 October 2008. Geography is only one of sixteen subject areas whose interests are reflected in the Humanities and Social Sciences Diploma proposal and it is important that our views are fully represented. Further information about the proposals and a link to the online questionnaire are available on the Creative & Cultural Skills website - make sure you click on the first link under 'Consultation, How to get involved' to complete the correct questionnaire!
This letter from the GA and RGS-IBG explains the Diploma in more detail and suggests several areas you might like to pay particular attention to when contributing to the consultation.
(14.10.08)
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It is with great sadness we report the sudden and unexpected death of Northumbria University lecturer Dr Duncan Fuller on Friday 3 October. His boundless enthusiasm and passionate commitment to everything he was involved in was coupled with a desire to enthuse and involve others, most particularly local schools and community groups. His involvement with the work of the Geographical Association included lectures at Annual Conference, articles for Teaching Geography, and not least his MyWalks piece for the BBC Today Programme in 2007.
Duncan recently won prestigious ESRC funding to run a series of seminars on Engaging Geography. This will of course go ahead in his honour. You can find out more on the Engaging Geography website where a page has been set up to gather tributes to Duncan.
He will be greatly missed by all in the geographical community and beyond. Our thoughts are with his wife Ingrid, his three children and all his family.
(07.10.08)
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The BBC are looking for nine people with a passion and an understanding of the natural world to take part in a new natural history series called To The Ends Of The Earth. In particular, they are looking for those who would love to explore, document and communicate the natural world and pursue an interest in Wildlife Filmmaking. Those selected will be given the opportunity to spend ten weeks in some of the most remote corners of the world as they face a number of training challenges with a view to winning a year's contract with the world famous BBC Natural History Unit to work on future productions.
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You can view a trailer for this show on YouTube. Visit the webpage or email the BBC with your name for an application form.
Applications will be accepted until Wednesday 26 November. Applicants must be over 18 and be UK residents.
(09.10.08 - updated 31.10.08)
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Once again the GA has teamed up with the BBC to help your KS3 students bring geography to the screen. My World in 60 Seconds is a film project to create an alternative guide to our world, a guide that is created by you. We want to re-present the world as people know it, so we're looking for young people to make short films that are thought provoking, insightful and engaging. Further information, entry form and posters are available on the My World in 60 Seconds page.
(06.10.08)
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Paul Weeden, secretary of the GA's Assessment & Examinations Working Group, has prepared summaries of GCSE, AS and A-Level examination results for 2008. Visit the Secondary and Post-16 front pages respectively to view the documents.
(01.10.08)
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The BBC News School Report and the GA have teamed up to create a unique opportunity for geography teachers and their KS3 students - the chance to create an online news report, podcast or video news clip which will be linked nationally to the BBC News School Report website with the chance to have it broadcast live on local/national radio or tv on 26 March 2009. Full details and teacher resource packs are available from the BBC News School Report website. You can find out about the GA's involvement in this leaflet.
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Sign up today and showcase what you and your KS3 geography students can do!
A Ning (social networking website) has been set up to offer teachers taking part in the project the chance to ask questions and to provide advice and support for each other.
If you have any questions about taking part, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I will provide as much support as I can to help geography departments take part.
David Rayner
Email: david.rayner@blueyonder.co.uk
GA Geography Consultant liaising with the BBC News School Report team
(01.10.08)
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