Geographical Association

If you teach secondary sciences, geography or citizenship in the UK and are engaged in communicating environmental issues to young people at this level, then you are eligible to apply for a funded place on this year's Earthwatch Educator Expeditions. There are limited places available for the Whales & Dolphins of the Hebrides expedition which will take place from 9 - 17 April 2009. Deadline for applications is Friday 20 February 2009. See our Funding and Awards page, or visit the Earthwatch Institute website for more details.

(30.01.09)


To mark the centenary of the Manchester branch of the GA, the branch is producing a book and CD containing archive material about geography in Manchester over the past 100 years and they are inviting school students to design the front cover. All entries will be displayed at the GA Annual Conference buffet on Friday 17 April where you will be able to vote for your favorite design. As well as getting their design published, the winner will receive a £20 iTunes voucher.

The front cover ought to depict, in some way, the changing face of geography in Manchester over the past 100 years. Entries can be either hand drawn or computer generated. Or how about a collage of images? There are two age categories: 11-14 and 15-18. The closing date is 24 February 2009

For more details download the competition flyer or go to the Manchester branch page.

(29.01.09)


The Royal Meteorological Society is looking to appoint two Teacher Fellows to work with the Society in Summer 2009 to develop stimulating teaching resources in weather and climate. Fellows will be awarded £500 and six months membership of the Society plus expenses. All materials developed will be made freely available via the Royal Meteorological Society website.

Find out more about this opportunity on our Funding and Awards pages.

(29.01.09)


Voting is now open for the second phase of the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign, in which people across the world are being asked to vote on their top seven natural wonders from a list of 261 nominees. The campaign started in 2007 following the announcement of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and since then more than 100 million votes have been cast to reach the current shortlist. The public vote will determine the 77 most popular sites on 7 July 2009, and the 21 finalists, chosen by a panel of experts, will be announced on 21 July 2009. The judges will be looking for unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical legacy and geo-location (an even spread over the seven continents).

To find out more about the campaign and vote on your top seven natural wonders, visit the official New 7 Wonders website.

The Seven Ancient Wonders

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, The Temple of Artemis, The Statue of Zeus, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Pyramids of Egypt

The New 7 Wonders

The Great Wall of China, Petra, Chichén Itzá, The Statue of Christ Redeemer, The Colosseum, Machu Picchu, The Taj Mahal

(29.01.09)


'In September 2008 the BBC took a basic shipping container owned by the Japanese NYK shipping line and branded it with the BBC logo and corporate colours. It was fitted with a GPS tracking device and placed on the quayside at Southampton. The box will be followed for a year to explore the connected nature of the global economy.'

This article was originally published in the Spring 2009 issue of GA Magazine and is available to download here free. GA members can login to download the full issue.

Download: 'Thinking inside the box' (PDF, 218k)
Download: GA Magazine (login required)
Website: BBC - The Box

(28.01.09)


The end of February is the deadline for applications for the 2009-2010 Fawcett Fellowships. These offer mid-career geography teachers the chance to spend a sabbatical term in one of the top UK university geography departments, at University College London. Each Fellow develops their own plan of work, but most use the time to bring themselves up-to-date in aspects of the discipline, develop new skills, or prepare new teaching materials.

Fellows have full access to UCL library and IT resources, and to the classes and expertise of its geography staff. The idea is that they will then return to their permanent jobs refreshed and ready to stimulate others. If this idea appeals, more detail can be had at the UCL website or by contacting Professor Peter Wood at Department of Geography, UCL, by email or on 0207 679 0587.

(21.01.09)


The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2009 is taking place from 26 - 28 August in Manchester and the theme this year is Geography, Knowledge and Society. This three day event is the perfect opportunity to find out about the latest research and network with more than 1,000 geographers from around the world. You are currently invited to propose sessions with papers, or individual papers for open sessions. A number of Themed Sessions are already under development and the RGS-IBG welcome you to submit papers to these.

Online registration opens in late January. For more information see the RGS-IBG website.

(16.01.09)


A new initiative launched today will help every school exploit 'the world's biggest teaching resource'. Developed by CABE and English Heritage, Engaging Places will champion teaching and learning through the whole built environment and aims to become the most comprehensive guide ever created to help schools teach by using the buildings and places around them.

Look out for information from the Geographical Association on the site, including a review of our online CPD course 'Places People Want', and listings of publications and forthcoming events.

Weblink: Engaging Places
Weblink: Engaging Places: Geographical Association Profile

(14.01.09)


A report published today by Ofsted says that Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have had limited impact within UK schools and colleges, and that the benefits to learners are not yet obvious. Where VLEs were being used well, it usually depended upon the skills and dedication of a particular teacher, whereas the least successful VLEs were simply a 'dumping ground' for rarely used files.

Read articles from the BBC, Guardian Online, and Schoolzone, or download the report 'VLEs: an evaluation of their development' from the Ofsted website.

We're interested to know about your experiences. Does your school have a VLE? Do you make use of it for supporting and promoting the work of the Geography department? Does it have a good Geography section? Do you have evidence that it is being well used? Send your opinions to GA Secondary Curriculum Development Leader Alan Parkinson.

(13.01.09)


Look out for the Annual Report Highlights leaflet which will be distributed with the Spring 2009 issue of GA Magazine, due to land on your doorsteps in the next few days. If you can't wait that long, download a PDF copy of the report which outlines the GA's work from 1 September 2007 to 31 August 2008.

GA members can also login to download a copy of GA Magazine. Full text of the Annual Report is available on the About Us page.

(12.01.09)


Find out more about the Chartered Geographer (Teacher) scheme on the Geography Teaching Today website.

(12.01.09)


In the autumn term we announced our Geography and Story Competition, part of the GA's contribution to the National Year of Reading. The response was fantastic, and we were flooded with hundreds of entries from schools across the UK. The students' enthusiasm for their favourite places really shone through, and the range of locations written about was incredibly varied. We were also impressed with the levels of creativity, both in terms of the content and the appearance of the submissions.

With such an array of entries choosing winners was no mean feat, and it took weeks to narrow it down to the final few. We got there in the end however, and are now delighted to announce the winning entry in each category:

5-7 Winner
Gaurav Sunner, Age 6, Cawston Grange Primary School, Rugby
'My Birthday Treat to London'

8-11 Winner
Matilda Smith, Age 10, Orton Wistow Primary School, Peterborough
'Another Place'

11-16 Winner
Zoë Reed Sanderson, Age 11, Headington School, Oxford
'On the Banks of the Ogooué River'

Download: Winning Entries

The Spring 2009 issue of GA Magazine includes full text of the winning entries and a list of all participating schools.

Although the volume of entries means we were unable to acknowledge every story personally, we've created a template certificate for you to print out and give to your participating students.

(06.01.09)


Geographical Magazine's Young Geographer of the Year 2009 competition is accepting entries now. This year, they are looking for young geographers to design a project that involves a journey to the Arctic. Sponsored by Explore, the leading adventure holiday company, this year's winners win a place on an Arctic expedition, prizes for their school and more. The competition is open to young geographers throughout the country under the age of 18 years. For more information visit the Geographical website.

(08.01.09)


<<< Back to News