Leading urban fieldwork
For primary teachers and geography subject leaders
London - Tuesday 16 October 2012
Manchester - Monday 22 October 2012
Manchester - Monday 22 October 2012
Price: From £150
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Badger book review in 'Teaching Geography'
Thanks to Emma Johns for her nice review of my Badger GCSE Grade Booster book in the latest issue of 'Teaching Geography'.
The book is available to purchase from the Badger store.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Sustainable Fishing Resources - for Edexcel 'B' Geography
Sustainable Fishing is the theme of the resource.
It goes along with the report that nef produced recently on sustainable fishing and fish dependence.
You can see the nef report here.
An enquiry-based scheme of work investigating the seas around the UK and EU. The lesson plans and activities cover why fish stocks are decreasing, the issues and impacts associated with overfishing, and marine ecosystems and sustainability.
The activities examine different stakeholder views and use current data from the UN FAO, MMO and the new economics foundation.
Particularly suited for use with the Edexcel B ‘Oceans on the Edge’ unit.
Includes the lesson booklet and all accompanying slideshows and activities.
You need to register to download the resources.
Thanks to the Digital Explorer team for their work on the resources...
Good for Edexcel B - Oceans on the Edge unit
Thursday, 4 October 2012
GCSE key concepts: Interdependence
You can now download a special PDF 'version' of the Mission:Explore Food book that we've produced for the National Geographic Education team's materials for Geography Awareness Week.It focuses on the theme of Interdependence.
Link (PDF download - 5Mb)
It's really rather tasty....
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Perfect for Edexcel B GCSE Geography
The OCEANS ON THE EDGE unit...
This news article explains the background to a project which I've been slightly involved in on the sidelines for a while now, and am just finishing off the 2nd of a series of resource contributions to what will become a major resource for geography and science teachers. While waiting for a connecting flight in Dusseldorf airport, this was a major feature on the German news, so it's been getting good coverage.
To watch more, take a view at this remarkable video:
The project is in association with Jamie Buchanan Dunlop and the team at Digital Explorer, who have worked with Catlin: the insurance company which is funding this project previously (as did I) on the Frozen Oceans resource pack.
Catlin Seafloor Survey is underway and the first of tens of thousands of images have now been released.
Some remarkable pictures from the tool are available here...
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the World's great places, and a World Heritage Site.
Perhaps with these 'virtual' trips there will be less need for people to physically visit the areas which are threatened and fragile, or will they actually encourage more people to visit them ?
I'll keep you posted on the resources as they are produced. Jamie is heading out to Australia shortly to work on some video materials. The final pack is due out at the end of the year, or early 2013....
This news article explains the background to a project which I've been slightly involved in on the sidelines for a while now, and am just finishing off the 2nd of a series of resource contributions to what will become a major resource for geography and science teachers. While waiting for a connecting flight in Dusseldorf airport, this was a major feature on the German news, so it's been getting good coverage.
To watch more, take a view at this remarkable video:
The project is in association with Jamie Buchanan Dunlop and the team at Digital Explorer, who have worked with Catlin: the insurance company which is funding this project previously (as did I) on the Frozen Oceans resource pack.
Catlin Seafloor Survey is underway and the first of tens of thousands of images have now been released.
Some remarkable pictures from the tool are available here...
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the World's great places, and a World Heritage Site.
Perhaps with these 'virtual' trips there will be less need for people to physically visit the areas which are threatened and fragile, or will they actually encourage more people to visit them ?
I'll keep you posted on the resources as they are produced. Jamie is heading out to Australia shortly to work on some video materials. The final pack is due out at the end of the year, or early 2013....
Friday, 28 September 2012
Teaching OCR GCSE Geography ?
Just got this message from the OCR newsletter/e-mail for those who teach this specification.
GCSE Geography A and Geography B have received accreditation for first teaching September 2012. Following the recent redevelopments, some aspects of the content and assessment have changed.
The full details of the changes can be found in our accredited specifications for Geography A and Geography B and the sample assessment materials are available to download.
View all accredited documents for Geography A
View all accredited documents for Geography B
View all accredited documents for Geography Short Course
Controlled Assessment
The Controlled Assessment task titles for 2014 for Geography A and B specification are available to download from OCR Interchange.
The Controlled Assessment task titles for 2014 for Geography A and B specification are available to download from OCR Interchange.
See earlier post with reference to Chapter 6 of the Badger book which covers this....
Learning outside the Classroom
Chapter 6 of the Badger Geography Grade Booster book talks about the importance of appropriate fieldwork for the data collection element of the Controlled Assessment.
This will still be a part of GCSE courses for a good few years yet, and if/when it is finally replaced, there will still be fieldwork and longer projects which means the advice in the Chapter will still be relevant.
Fieldwork learning comes under the banner of Learning outside the Classroom.
I'm delighted to announce that the Geography Collective has been shortlisted for a Learning outside the Classroom award.
We would be even more delighted if you would consider voting for us, especially if you have been enthused by our Mission:Explore books, app or website, or perhaps been visited by us, seen us at Glastonbury, Latitude or the Hay Festival, ridden on buses in Suffolk, cycled along Sustrans routes in many cities, explored the Great Glen with Discover Explore or in some other geographical context...
We're going to be on the road in the next few months, and also will be running our Geography Camp in December, of which more later...
Please click the link and give us your vote. Thanks :)
This will still be a part of GCSE courses for a good few years yet, and if/when it is finally replaced, there will still be fieldwork and longer projects which means the advice in the Chapter will still be relevant.
Fieldwork learning comes under the banner of Learning outside the Classroom.
We would be even more delighted if you would consider voting for us, especially if you have been enthused by our Mission:Explore books, app or website, or perhaps been visited by us, seen us at Glastonbury, Latitude or the Hay Festival, ridden on buses in Suffolk, cycled along Sustrans routes in many cities, explored the Great Glen with Discover Explore or in some other geographical context...
We're going to be on the road in the next few months, and also will be running our Geography Camp in December, of which more later...
Please click the link and give us your vote. Thanks :)
Saturday, 1 September 2012
One year down...
A year ago, I was just coming to terms with the (premature) end of my job at the Geographical Association after three wonderful years, and decided to try things out as a freelance geographer: author, consultant, trainer and whatever else people would pay me to do.
Here's a visual summary of what I've been up to, made with Tagxedo
As it happens, my extensive networking over the previous decade meant that I had a few projects to start in on, the Geography Collective was going from strength to strength, and I was fortunate to get a temporary contract managing the OU's VITAL CPD portal. Paula Owens involved me in a writing job for the BBC, and together we produced a major resource for the Digimap for Schools for EDINA. Thanks also to Richard Allaway, who asked me to write content for his Geography all the Way website and collaborate on an innovative series of eBooks, the first of which is now available to download from the iBookstore.
The writing work I did for the RGS-IBG's From the Field, working to translate the research of PhD colleagues, was later awarded a GA Silver Award, as was the Geography Collective's MissionExplore.net. Our books had won a National Trust / Hay Festival Outdoor Book of the Year Award, and we were also runners-up at the Educational Writers' Awards, with the ceremony held at the House of Commons. I produced a set of resources on the Frozen Oceans for Jamie Buchanan Dunlop which are now used in hundreds of schools, and we've worked on a few more things as well...
I wrote a book for Badger publishing: a GCSE Grade Booster, which was published in April. I also have a children's book on Otzi the Ice Man due for publication in November 2012.
Karl Donert involved me in a range of EU projects, and steered another one to successfully gaining funding. This took me to Europe several times, and my passport will continue to get regular use for the next few years. The digitalearth project took me to Manchester for the GA's conference where I met the tireless Joseph Kerski. Paul Baker involved me in Independent School events.
I've found myself in many different hotels once again, and there have been plenty of highlights, and also lots of lonely days staring at a screen willing ideas. Some moments that stick out from the last year involve:
Oh, and I have a book manuscript co-written with John Widdowson, which has to be on the desk of Ruth Totterdell at the GA first thing Monday morning !
Here's to my 2nd year of freelancing. Unless I get an offer to entice me back into the classroom somewhere in Norfolk, I'll carry on doing what I'm doing for a while yet.
And I have a reasonable number of diary slots through into 2013 if you fancy getting me involved with something you have planned...
Here's a visual summary of what I've been up to, made with Tagxedo
As it happens, my extensive networking over the previous decade meant that I had a few projects to start in on, the Geography Collective was going from strength to strength, and I was fortunate to get a temporary contract managing the OU's VITAL CPD portal. Paula Owens involved me in a writing job for the BBC, and together we produced a major resource for the Digimap for Schools for EDINA. Thanks also to Richard Allaway, who asked me to write content for his Geography all the Way website and collaborate on an innovative series of eBooks, the first of which is now available to download from the iBookstore.
The writing work I did for the RGS-IBG's From the Field, working to translate the research of PhD colleagues, was later awarded a GA Silver Award, as was the Geography Collective's MissionExplore.net. Our books had won a National Trust / Hay Festival Outdoor Book of the Year Award, and we were also runners-up at the Educational Writers' Awards, with the ceremony held at the House of Commons. I produced a set of resources on the Frozen Oceans for Jamie Buchanan Dunlop which are now used in hundreds of schools, and we've worked on a few more things as well...
I wrote a book for Badger publishing: a GCSE Grade Booster, which was published in April. I also have a children's book on Otzi the Ice Man due for publication in November 2012.
Karl Donert involved me in a range of EU projects, and steered another one to successfully gaining funding. This took me to Europe several times, and my passport will continue to get regular use for the next few years. The digitalearth project took me to Manchester for the GA's conference where I met the tireless Joseph Kerski. Paul Baker involved me in Independent School events.
I've found myself in many different hotels once again, and there have been plenty of highlights, and also lots of lonely days staring at a screen willing ideas. Some moments that stick out from the last year involve:
- splashing along muddy towpaths on the outskirts of Leeds on my bike writing 'missions' for SUSTRANS
- standing on the viewpoint at over 3000m on the Aiguille du' Midi with Richard Allaway and staring at the clouds we'd just passed through in the cablecar
- crunching through the snow in Salzburg on a Sunday morning as the churches in the city competed with each other to have the loudest bells
- presenting at BETT and then heading across London to the Outdoor Show to join the Geography Collective on their stand
- sailing up the Solent on a tall ship, and taking the helm
- walking on the frozen ice of the Worthersee (don't try this at home kids)
- attending the book launch of Mission:Explore Food at Hackney City Farm
- walking around the Olympic Park with John Widdowson and a school group
Oh, and I have a book manuscript co-written with John Widdowson, which has to be on the desk of Ruth Totterdell at the GA first thing Monday morning !
Here's to my 2nd year of freelancing. Unless I get an offer to entice me back into the classroom somewhere in Norfolk, I'll carry on doing what I'm doing for a while yet.
And I have a reasonable number of diary slots through into 2013 if you fancy getting me involved with something you have planned...
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Hurricane Season
One of the sections in the book refers to the importance of timing when teaching GCSE topics.
As we are currently in Hurricane Season, and the news today was discussing Hurricane Isaac, perhaps the start of the new school year could be a chance to focus on Extreme Weather or Natural Hazards - or the relevant section of the (hopefully accredited) specification that you are teaching.
Check the ESRI Hurricane and Cyclone disaster map, which is constantly updated, and is currently showing the track of Isaac and associated media...
Don't forget that you can also add a WEATHER layer to Google Earth...
Isaac is over two hundred miles wide at present, and travelling at around 10 miles an hour towards New Orleans....
Perhaps a chance to compare with Hurricane Katrina...
As we are currently in Hurricane Season, and the news today was discussing Hurricane Isaac, perhaps the start of the new school year could be a chance to focus on Extreme Weather or Natural Hazards - or the relevant section of the (hopefully accredited) specification that you are teaching.
Check the ESRI Hurricane and Cyclone disaster map, which is constantly updated, and is currently showing the track of Isaac and associated media...
Don't forget that you can also add a WEATHER layer to Google Earth...
Isaac is over two hundred miles wide at present, and travelling at around 10 miles an hour towards New Orleans....
Perhaps a chance to compare with Hurricane Katrina...
Friday, 24 August 2012
GCSE Results Day
Congratulations to all those who received GCSE results yesterday, particularly GCSE Geography and to the teachers who supported students as they worked towards their grades.
There has been a lot of press and other coverage of exams today, as was to be expected. There has been plenty of talk of political interference, changed grade boundaries and goalposts being moved...
If you want to support the next year's cohort of students as they work towards their GCSE Geography, this is a gentle reminder of the Badger GCSE book which will help you support students to get the best possible grades. I can't guarantee there won't be some external alterations of grade boundaries in the meantime, but at least you can be satisfied that you did all that was possible to prepare students.
Of course, we are still waiting for some of the final awarding body specifications to be accredited by OFQUAL, which a week before the start of the new academic year is a crazy situation....
There has been a lot of press and other coverage of exams today, as was to be expected. There has been plenty of talk of political interference, changed grade boundaries and goalposts being moved...
If you want to support the next year's cohort of students as they work towards their GCSE Geography, this is a gentle reminder of the Badger GCSE book which will help you support students to get the best possible grades. I can't guarantee there won't be some external alterations of grade boundaries in the meantime, but at least you can be satisfied that you did all that was possible to prepare students.
Of course, we are still waiting for some of the final awarding body specifications to be accredited by OFQUAL, which a week before the start of the new academic year is a crazy situation....
Monday, 20 August 2012
New GA CPD courses 2012-13
You've bought the book (I hope) - now meet the author....
The latest GA courses for the new academic year have now been published and are on the Geographical Association WEBSITE.
The courses in red are the ones I am leading. Look forward to seeing some of you there...
You can download further information and a course flyer from the links. Feel free to use these with colleagues.
The latest GA courses for the new academic year have now been published and are on the Geographical Association WEBSITE.
The courses in red are the ones I am leading. Look forward to seeing some of you there...
You can download further information and a course flyer from the links. Feel free to use these with colleagues.
Primary geography for the non-specialist
For non-specialist primary teachers, including those who may be taking on the subject responsibility within their school
Birmingham - Wednesday 17 October 2012
London - Wednesday 7 November 2012
London - Wednesday 7 November 2012
Price: From £150
Leading a successful geography department
For current and aspiring secondary geography subject leaders
Birmingham - Thursday 18 October 2012
London - Friday 19 October 2012
London - Friday 19 October 2012
Price: From £160
Google Earth and beyond: free online GIS
For secondary geography teachers
Leeds - Thursday 18 October 2012
London - Thursday 25 October 2012
London - Thursday 25 October 2012
Price: From £160
Planning for Ofsted with the Quality Mark Self Evaluation Form
For secondary and post-16 geography teachers and subject leaders
London - Tuesday 23 October 2012
Birmingham - Friday 30 November 2012
Birmingham - Friday 30 November 2012
Price: From £160
NQT Conference: Making a difference in the classroom
For secondary geography NQTs
York - Thursday 8 November 2012
London - Thursday 15 November 2012
London - Thursday 15 November 2012
Price: From £160
Outstanding teaching and learning in primary geography
For primary teachers and subject co-ordinators
Manchester - Monday 28 January 2013
York - Monday 4 March 2013
London - Friday 15 March 2013
York - Monday 4 March 2013
London - Friday 15 March 2013
Price: From £150
Managing safe and effective fieldwork for IGCSE geography
For secondary geography teachers involved in delivering the new IGCSE
Leeds - Monday 4 February 2013
London - Tuesday 5 February 2013
London - Tuesday 5 February 2013
Price: From £160
Being Ofsted ready with the PGQM
For primary geography subject leaders, middle leaders and head teachers
London - Tuesday 5 March 2013
Nottingham - Monday 11 March 2013
Nottingham - Monday 11 March 2013
Price: From £150
Fieldwork and new technologies
For post-16 geography teachers
Birmingham - Thursday 7 March 2013
London - Thursday 14 March 2013
London - Thursday 14 March 2013
Price: From £160
Leading through primary geography
For primary teachers and geography subject leaders
Birmingham - Friday 3 May 2013
London - Wednesday 15 May 2013
London - Wednesday 15 May 2013
Price: From £150
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