New Mission Explore books

In just over a month's time, there are two new Mission:Explore books launched on the world by The Geography Collective and Can of Worms Press.
Here are the front covers for those who are interested. They are already available to pre-order on Amazon so make sure you buy at least one copy....

There will be launch events in London on the 1st and 2nd of April, but if you are around in London on the evening of the 31st of March, you can join us at the Old Explorer, just a short walk from Oxford Circus.

Sign up to join us....

Plenty more to come in a month's time...

Edgelands

Holiday reading...

Took the plunge into KINDLE apps....
An interesting exploration of the urban-rural fringe...
References Marion Shoard's classic article... (click to download PDF)

For a taste of the book, see this INDEPENDENT article...

How will this change the way that we use text with students ?

NQT Geography Conferences - March 2011

The GA is putting on 3 conferences for NQT Geographers in London, Coventry and Sheffield.
I look forward to working with various delegates at these events to develop a range of options for career planning...

Image by Alan Parkinson


Rough Itinerary for the day...

9.00: Coffee & registration
9.30 : Welcome and introduction(s)
Tales from the classroom & exploring connections

10.00: Practical session(s) - Curriculum making & the Action Plan for Geography
To update knowledge of latest resources and thinking in school geography
11.00: Coffee and cakes

11.15: What can the GA do for you ?
Raising awareness of GA project materials for use in teaching and professional development
Curriculum-making activity

12.30: Lunch & optional fieldwork activity - “Mission Explore”

1.30: The next few years: where will geography take you ?
To produce a personal 'action plan' including important steps to take and professional development targets for the next year and beyond

2.45-3.00: Discussion on ongoing contact & networks

3.00: Plenary / feedback

3.30: Departure

All delegates will be contacted to provide some ideas for preparation in advance...
Outcomes from the day will be shared on this blog, which will become NQT oriented for the rest of the year, to develop ideas for new colleagues during these "interesting times"...

Olympics 2012

Thanks to John Widdowson for alerting me to the existence of this website from the LEGACY COMPANY, which acts as a tremendous additional resource for those teaching (or planning to teach) about the Olympics 2012. It includes an excellent interactive map with a number of 'layers' which shows the true scale of the Olympic park, and the various developments that are planned.

The GA will be producing a whole range of resources for the Olympics nearer the time, and we have already had a range of Olympics activities including a teacher conference, and of course Bob Digby's ongoing tours of the Olympic Park (there is a chance to take part in one of these on day one of the conference)

There is a large section on the Sustainability of the Olympic site in John Widdowson's GCSE toolkit book, which is now available from the GA shop.

There is also a Top Spec Geography title which is forthcoming, and a KS3 toolkit publication too.
With the opening of the velodrome today, this is a good time to take another look at what is planned for the park, plus there is the ongoing talks about the football future for the Olympics stadium itself.

There is a useful brochure on Scribd which is embedded below...

Future of the Park launch brochure

Red Nose Day ? - there's an app for that...

I hope you're planning to teach about the issues surrounding Red Nose Day on March the 18th this year.

You might be interested to hear that there's a new Red Nose Day iPhone app....

Masters in Space Residential Weekend

You have a chance to book a place on a weekend with a difference... thanks to the Geography Collective.

Are you playful and creative, with a conceptual interest in space?

Develop new perspectives on the philosophy, production, exploration and representation of space by attending our Master In Space course and gaining a Master In Space qualification.

The Master in Space course is carefully (un)planned around a series of semi-structured units. All units are ‘unknown’ before the course begins, but are likely to include free, thinking, restricted, open, public, child-like, bound, exciting, eventful and other forms of space. While no specific skills are needed you can expect to immerse yourself ‘in space’ by working with paint, ink, typewriters, string, projection, sound and many other tools, mediums and approaches. You must successfully complete three units to become aMaster in Space.

Take this course to:

·               immerse yourself in space and spatial thinking

·               be awarded a unique qualification

·               earn the right to wear (MiS) after your name

·               meet like-minded people from different fields and backgrounds

·               be playful, creative and explorative.

The course takes place over a Master in Residence all-inclusive residential weekend, from 6pm on Friday 18 November to midday on Sunday 20 November 2011.

The course costs £150 and includes:

·               2 nights in shared accommodation

·               Fabulous meals

·               Beer, wine and soft drinks

·               All equipment and resources

·               Official certificate of award

·               Master in Residence Membership for one year.

Where is this course taking place?

Join us, at YHA Medway, a traditional Kentish Oast House in a country park setting, close to historic Rochester, Chatham Dockyard and the Kent Downs. Chatham railway station is two miles away. Trains from London take 40 minutes from St Pancras and one hour from Victoria.

www.geographycollective.co.uk

...

Terms & Conditions

The course fee is non-refundable.

You must be aged 18 or more to take part.

We reserve the right to change or cancel this course. If the course is cancelled we will provide a full refund.

All participants will be asked to sign a damage waiver on arrival

Tickets are available from EVENTBRITE.

I am #OneOfOneThousandGeographers - are you ?

If you're a geographer, and are reading this, and also use Twitter, you need to send a tweet with the hashtag here: #OneOfOneThousandGeographers.
This will then be picked up by Dan from the Geography Collective, and we'll add you to the list... We're well over 100 now, and next stop, 1000 !

OFSTED Subject report

The new OFSTED Subject report for Geography will be released tomorrow morning.

Professor David Lambert has already had a letter / report published in the Daily Telegraph today, and it is well worth a read. As always, a well informed and passionate defence of geography....

David references the late Rex Walford and explains the importance of geography, which is...

"...the subject that contributes more than any other to young people's knowledge of the world, their understanding of the relationships between people and places, and their ability and propensity to think critically and creatively about the ways in which we affect the planet we live on.

Given the vast ambition of the topic, it is easy to see how it can be badly taught. But it would be a betrayal of young people to give up on what geography can contribute to their education, just because it is hard to teach well."

Don't forget to add your comments to the GA website tomorrow morning when you've had the chance to find out more about the report and its contents...