Geography and all that Jazz

New videos have now been added to the QCA Secondary Curriculum website. You will need to log in - then look for the VIDEO button from the RESOURCES section. They were filmed as part of the CfBT funded KS3 Geography programme, and feature two excellent lessons. Interesting label saying BEST PRACTIC E : I thought we were 'supposed' to use the term 'good practice' ? The videos feature clips and background from 2 lessons: 1. Nic Sheehan from Teignmouth College teaching about GIS and Learning outside the Classroom to explore pupils' journeys to school... 2. Paula Cooper from King Edward VI 5 Ways teaching about the impact of food price rises. When you're watching this one, can you guess which particular "multimedia presentation with images and music" is being referred to ? Go and take a look !

There were a series of events last year relating to the new Key Stage 3 , which helped teachers plan and then implement the new programme of study. National Subject leads David Rayner and Ruth Totterdell led a series of conferences, which ended up reaching around 900 geography teachers from Kent to Cumbria. Some additional funding has now been made available to put on a further 6 events, which are targeting 6 areas of the UK where the take-up of the original events was not as high. These one day events, which will be FREE, will take place as follows, all in 2009 of course.. . 30th of January at The Russell Hotel, Maidstone, Kent 9th of February at The Derbyshire Hotel, South Normanton, Derbyshire 12th of February at Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln 23rd of February at The Wessex Royale Hotel, Dorchester, Dorset 3rd of March at The Quality Hotel, St Albans, Hertfordshire 26th of March at The Radisson SAS Hotel, Durham The largest of these events has space for 35 teachers,...

Did you attend a CfBT COURSE last year for the new Geography KS3 ? If you DIDN'T, you're a Geography teacher in the UK, and you don't know what I'm on about then please get in touch... If you DID, here's some information that the National Subject Leads: Ruth Totterdell and David Rayner wanted passing on... The CfBT project supporting the implementation of the new secondary curriculum has got further funding until April 2009. During this period we will be developing some further video case studies for the website www.newsecondarycurriculum.org We are also aiming to provide support for the implementation of the new PoS through further CPD sessions to local networks of teachers. As a regional advisor I would be happy to lead another session for your teacher network. The session could be customized to suit the needs of the teachers in your network group and to encourage them to use the new PoS as an opportunity to reinvigorate geography...

Image by USGS from HERE. Some more information on the use of GIS or Geographic Information Systems , which is part of the new KS3 PoS. As I posted earlier, I spent Friday down in London, considering the sort of questions that teachers might be asking, and where the CfBT / GA / DCSF / QCA project could help... First of all, how should we interpret what it says in the PoS. It's clear that students should actually be USING GIS , and that this should be 'throughout' the Key Stage, rather than one view of it so that a 'box can be ticked'... How can the use of GIS improve the quality of teaching and learning ? (a justification that could perhaps be used in some schools for NOT using GIS...) We started with Fred Martin, who took us through the current state of play with GIS. These first 3 slides are taken from his presentation with thanks. We then had David Rayner take us through some of the free online and software options (which are OK to get schools started...) Ruth To...

Picture: David Rayner CfBT Conference for Geography for new KS3 Curriculum Thanks to the 70+ Heads of Geography and other colleagues in various capacities who attended the CfBT Eastern Region Conference at the Holiday Inn in Norwich yesterday. It was hard work (especially as I followed it up with 2 hours plus at a parents evening...) but enjoyable, and good to talk to people and get their ideas for how they were going to be "creatively subversive...." Particular thanks to David Rayner and Ruth Totterdell, the National Subject Leads, my RSA colleagues John Harrison and Katharine Hutchinson, John Lyon from the GA, and Jon Wolton from the RGS, and of course all the delegates, particularly Lucy and Clare. A few images below, taken by me: What to ditch / add ? Katharine's 'significance' workshop Importance statement John Harrison getting "funky" Ruth in the morning... The venue... GA welcome banner... If you were present and want any other copies of the d...