NQT Conferences in November 2011

Well, one perhaps as I doubt you'd come to both...
These are the first of the GA CPD events that I shall be doing in the new academic year that have so far been scheduled, and thanks to Lucy for sending me the flyer...
The events are NQT Conferences.

Look out for a mailing coming into schools shortly, and also inserts in GA journals....

If you'd like to secure your place, or find out more information about the events, there are several different prices depending on the status of your GA membership. Call Lucy Oxley at the GA on 01142960088 for more information.
I look forward to seeing some of you in November !
And I'll be mentioning this event once or twice between now and then....

FREE GIS taster sessions by ESRI UK

Interested in GIS in school but not sure where to start ?
The folks at ESRI UK, with whom we've been working for the last year are putting on a range of FREE taster sessions over the next few weeks.
They are taking place in a range of venues, and there are 2 options.


1. Face to face taster sessions

Come along to one of our free GIS taster sessions and try out our GIS software, get some classroom ideas and find out what our GIS for Schools Programme has to offer. It only takes a minute to book a place. Just choose a location from the list below and click on the Book now link to register some brief details.

The sessions will take place in:

Birmingham

King Edward VI Five Ways School, Scotland Lane, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 4BT
Date              Wednesday 29 June 2011
Time              3:45pm - 6:00pm
Location map  |  Book now ›

Bristol

THE-i CLC, Orchard School site, Filton Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0XY
Date               Thursday 7 July 2011
Time              1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location map  |  Book now ›

London

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR
Date               Friday 1 July 2011
Time              4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location map  |  Book now ›

The Norwood School, Crown Dale, Lambeth, London, SE19 3NY
Date               Thursday 14 July 2011
Time              4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location map  |  Book now ›

Manchester

Central Manchester City Learning Centre, Cambridge Street, Manchester, M15 6HP
Date               Friday 1 July 2011
Time              1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location map  |  Book now ›

Nottingham

Nottingham e-Learning Centres – North Centre, Top Valley Drive, Top Valley, Nottingham, NG5 9AZ

Date              Wednesday 13 July 2011

Time              1:00pm - 4:00pm

Location map  |  Book now ›

2. Free WEBINARS

If you can’t make one of the hands-on GIS taster sessions, why not book a place on one of our live webinars? These online seminars allow you to see a demonstration of the software and find out about our programme without the need to travel.  During the webinar you can submit questions if you wish, or just sit back and watch.

To book a place, just click on one of the Book now links below and fill in some brief details. We will then email with all the information you’ll need to take part.

The live webinars will take place on:

Thursday 23 June	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›
Thursday 30 June	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›
Thursday 7 July	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›
Monday 11 July	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›
Tuesday 12 July	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›
Wednesday 20 July	4:00pm – 4:30pm	Book now ›

All links take you to ESRI UK website as these events are organised by ESRI UK.


Grab a bit of free CPD in the final weeks of the SUMMER TERM....

Power of Asia

An excellent BBC NEWS special section which houses stories about ASIA.

Plenty for those teaching about China, India or Japan in particular.

Nice Gapminder graphic on the way that these economies are catching up with those in the west.

There are some super articles on Chinese cities, Indonesian investments and a great short video on the rare earths that are mined in China and found in the world's electronics (see earlier blog post on this) mentioned in recent National Geographic.

Bilingual Geography Workshops in Poland

Just had the workshop details through for my visit to Poland in October this year.
I am following in the footsteps of other UK colleagues who have been invited out to take part in an annual workshop for Polish teachers.


The theme for the event is BILINGUAL GEOGRAPHY.

As you can see there are three action packed days of GEOGRAPHY to prepare for.... Also some other good sessions, and I'll be meeting up with colleague Luc from Belgium, who I have bumped into several times.

I'm up for any ideas that you might have...

I would be happy to showcase any work that you have done on the theme of bilingual geography and strategies for supporting EAL students, or teaching geography in languages other than English....

Young Geographer of the Year - now with added teacher prize for NQT / PGCE

The annual Young Geographer of the Year Award has been launched by the Royal Geographical Society in association with Geographical magazine.

This year there has been a slight change of format for the awards which I think makes it a stronger opportunity, and will result in more "useful" and insightful responses...

Geography surrounds us: on the world map on your classroom wall, in events on the news, or the changes taking place in your local area and further afield.  Geographers strive to better understand the connections between the world’s people, places and environments and the interactions taking place between them. 

To help us understand our world we ask questions such as; Where is this place? Why is it like this? How is it connected with other places? How is this place changing? and Why are these changes taking place? We like to zoom between the local and the global scales and are fascinated with maps, not just to find out where places are but to also show how places are connected, their human and physical characteristics, and the differences between them.

So if you’ve ever wondered where your ipod was made, where the plastic in your recycling bin ends up or why climate change is on the news you’ve already been developing your geographical understanding. 

Without geography we’d be lost and this year’s Young Geographer of the Year gives you the chance to answer the question:

 'What should every good geographer understand?'

Visit the website to download the application / entry forms and give it a go.
There are 4 age categories, which correspond to KS2, 3, 4 and 5...

This year there is also a new award for PGCE / NQT teachers too.....

The Rex Walford Award for PGCE students and NQTs

The Society is also delighted to announce a new element of the competition - The Rex Walford Award for PGCE students and newly qualified geography teachers. Reflecting Rex Walford’s passion for training new geography teachers, this award will be given to a PGCE student or NQT who creates the best set of teaching resources, scheme of work or lesson plans linked to this year's Young Geographer competition. The winner will receive a Society Fellowship for one year plus a cash prize of £150 and their materials will be hosted on the Society’s website.

Get your geographical thinking caps on - you have to be in it to win it....

Thinking Skills Templates

Two resources on organising THINKING and recording discussions came to my attention today.

The first was from the Cymru NGfL blog

This provided a link through to a whole set of THINKING SKILLS tools. You will need to register for the network to have full access, but that is free and only takes a minute or so....

There are some FLASH based, and others use Adobe AIR.
Some useful examples too....

The second was EXPLORATREE

EXPLORATREE is produced by Futurelab - it's free to register and use and takes just a few seconds...

It offers a range of tools, as you can see opposite.

I like the DAY IN THE LIFE template.
This could be adapted for various geographical concepts and contexts...

Geography Awareness Week: June 20th - 24th

It's not long now until Geography Awareness Week for 2011....
This year's theme is PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY.
Download your materials as a PDF by clicking the link....