Geography and all that Jazz

Part 1 of the outcomes from Flood Management 09 at the Barbican earlier this week... Many of the speakers referred to the latest climate projections which had been released on the DEFRA website earlier that week, and had been reported in many of newspapers. Hilary Benn introduces the projections as being very 'sobering'. 5 things that need doing: 1. to protect people from the immediate risks 2. to plan (e.g. motorway drainage, emergency plans) for the future - the adaptation report is currently being consulted on until September (one for 6th formers perhaps to get involved with 3. to work internationally on a climate agreement Also refers to importance of Copenhagen 2009 - the website is well worth visiting - has plenty of useful resources for teachers and students 4. to play our part - reduction targets need to be met - working towards a LOW CARBON UK 5. supporting individuals e.g. through the Act on CO2 campaign. The models can be seen by following the links from DEFRA ...

Poppyland.... Image Alan Parkinson Poppies are a glorious temporary part of our landcape... We have also attached additional cultural resonance to them with their association with remembrance day... What other examples of these temporary landscape aspects can you identify, or your students record ? Why not use the NORFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST 's poppy field sighting record cards (link goes to PDF download - survey was carried out originally in 2006) Poppies are the county flower of Norfolk, and there are certainly plenty in the fields around my village. North Norfolk (particularly the area around Cromer and Overstrand) is known as 'poppyland ' and there are many fields full of these flowers at the moment. The local Eastern Daily Press reported that the particularly impressive blooms of poppies that can be seen at the moment are the result of changing farming practices... Farmers growing rape in particular are keen to keep the growth of poppies to a minimum as the plants compet...

Image by Flickr user snarkypuss under Creative Commons Tens of thousands of festival goers are converging on Glastonbury again this weekend, among them Dan Ellison and URBAN EARTH . There has been some wonderful work done using the LATITUDE festival in Suffolk by a local Centre of Excellence school. Also, on the Geography Teaching Today website is a unit based on GLASTONBURY. Plenty of resources for those wanting to use this as a context for teaching about sustainability, consumption, decision making etc... Why not have a FESTIVAL SEASON in your KS3 curriculum... The Daily Mail website has a very useful picture-laden item on Glastonbury. There will obviously no doubt be plenty of FLICKR images and videos appearing, and this will be the first year that TWITTER will be big at Glastonbury too. So should be able to create an IMMERSIVE experience for students to consider some questions about the geographical impact of these large temporary gatherings...

Geography in education Lost in the post?David Lambert Inaugural Professorial Lecture Institute of Education - 23rd June Some say we live in postmodern times. In addition, many schools now seem to be embracing a post-disciplinary approach to the curriculum. And geography itself has fragmented, struggling for its identity and arguably lost - in the "post". But this lecture does not dwell for long on this argument. On the contrary, it argues that contemporary geography is a school subject of great significance and has a lot to offer children and young people growing up in a confusing, rapidly changing and dangerous world. Well prepared teachers can use this subject in a way that contributes to both their own and their students' "capabilities".Geography is re-emerging as a subject discipline for its times, both in academia and in the public realm. In the context of our collective need more fully to understand the human occupancy of the Earth, geography in schools ha...

GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK June 22nd onwards

The second tranche of Primary Geography Champions will be appointed later this month: a further 11 will be added to the current list, to further support Primary Geographers. Please contact Paula Owens for further details, and for the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM. Tomorrow sees the Primary National Conference in London - best wishes to all of those who are attending the event...

Powered by Google Earth Hacks | More info about this file “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”

Check out the free CPD event to be held on Saturday the 20th of June at LEEDS UNIVERSITY SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2009 Workshops for secondary geography teachers, School of Geography, University of Leeds This annual, one-day event comprises a group of workshops for secondary geography teachers, providing new material and ideas based on current research. Sessions comprise presentations on aspects of both physical and human geography, as well as discussions, and practical sessions. Participants will learn about new directions in geographical research and leave with ideas that they can take back to inspire young geographers in the classroom. Visit the website to book a place...

Geography training has a new face: well, two "new faces" actually... From 1st June 2009, a new geography CPD provider is available. Launching today is a new CPD training opportunity for colleagues in the UK, and beyond... GEOGRAPHY TRAINING joins together the Geographical Association's own Alan Parkinson , with International Baccalaureate specialist, and creator of Geography all the Way : Richard Allaway . In addition to the existing face-to-face and online CPD opportunities available from the Geographical Association, we offer a tailored service, with training to match your needs, at a venue to suit you. Areas of speciality: Creative approaches for the teaching of Geography The use of Information and Communication Technology in Geography teaching Recent changes to the Key Stage 3 and GCSE programmes International Baccalaureate Geography - including the 2009 syllabus change IGCSE Geography Training focused upon application such as Google Earth, GIS applications, web2 too...