Find out which publishers, schools and individuals won GA Awards at the 2017 event.

We have a fantastic set of Conference photographs – view a selection on Flickr.

“This conference has been invaluable – can’t wait to get back to school!”
“Best value CPD around”
“GA Conference is the highlight of my professional year”

Session downloads

PowerPoint Presentations and workshop handouts for many of the sessions at the 2017 Annual Conference are available to download below. Please note that some materials may have had images removed for copyright reasons.

Lectures
Workshops and debates
Field visits, teacher-to-teacher sessions
Research papers

Download the full Conference Handbook

Public lecture
All KS
Peter Gibbs, Meteorologist and broadcaster
Meteorologist and broadcaster Peter Gibbs will give this year’s lecture on ‘Antarctica – Heartbeat of the Planet’. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth. A continent the size of the USA and Mexico combined, it is almost entirely covered in ice up to 4km thick. A hugely important driver of global weather and climate, its vastness and remoteness makes it challenging to study. Peter worked in Antarctica in the early 1980s and recently returned to make a film for the BBC2 TV programme Horizon.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Keynote Address – Young people, race, religion and migration: negotiating everyday geopolitics
All KS
Professor Peter Hopkins, Professor of Social Geography, Newcastle University
This session focuses upon the experiences of ethnic and religious minority young people (aged 12–25) growing up in urban, suburban and rural Scotland. It will explore the everyday geopolitics of young people to explain how they negotiate issues of race, religion and migration. Particular attention is paid to the intersectionality of social identities, young people’s experiences of misrecognition, and negotiations of migration and mobility.

Download: Presentation (PPT)
Download: Booklet (PDF)
Link: Everyday geopolitics website
Link: A short video about misrecognition 
Link: A website about the guide young people created about being involved in research 

Lecture 2 – GeoCapability: curriculum thinking for geography teachers
All KS
Richard Bustin, Head of Geography, City of London Freemen’s School
This session will present a contemporary way to express the purpose of geography education, and the ‘powerful knowledge’ on which young people’s futures are based. The curriculum thinking and the practical planning tool which accompanies it will empower teachers to develop meaningful lessons.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 4 – Transforming outdoor learning in schools: impacts and implications
KS1–4
Martin Gilchrist, Lead Advisor, Engaging People, Valuing the Environment team, Strategy Implementation, Natural England
This session will discuss how outdoor learning isn’t a subject or topic but a way of teaching. The Natural Connections project has shown that it is possible for school grounds and local green spaces to be used daily to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum, and to deliver a wide range of associated benefits. The session will share key insights from the four-year demonstration project.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture Plus 12 – The changing structure of the UK population
KS3–P16
Andrew Nash, Head of Population Projections, Office for National Statistics
This session will look at how the UK population has changed and how it will change in the future. There will be an opportunity for delegates to comment on how they use ONS population and migration statistics and how these could be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and the education sector in the future.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 19 – Getting to grips with the new AS/A level examinations
P16
Emma Rowe, Teacher of Geography, William Farr CE Comprehensive School, Lincolnshire, and John Smith, AS and A level fieldwork/NEA Adviser, AQA
The aim of this session is to develop teachers’ understanding of the assessment objectives and how these are targeted in exam papers, different types of question and what is required of students and mark scheme principles. The lecture will pay particular attention to the assessment of the different strands of AO2.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture Plus 23 – Inclusive fieldwork: letting students take the lead
KS3–P16
Steve Rackley, Director of Geography, Framingham Earl High School, Norwich
This session will emphasise how student partnership and leadership is a key component of inclusiveness. Combining a well-organised and supported student team and the uniqueness of geography through fieldwork can be very powerful andrewarding. A discussion of ideas will follow a presentation of case studies from a Norfolk school where students took the lead throughout the fieldwork process. Wellies optional!

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 28 – Achievement for all at GCSE
KS4
Rebecca Blackshaw, Head of Humanities, St Boniface’s Catholic College, Plymouth
This session explores how the new GCSE specification is aimed at all ability levels. A specific focus will be on how to effectively make use of pre-release material and approach issue evaluation with students of all abilities.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Lecture 35 – Life after levels: a multi-thread, progress-based approach
KS2–3
Steve Rackley, Director of Geography, Framingham Earl High School, Norwich
The abolishment of levels filled people with both fear and relief, no more so than in a subject where there are many assessable threads and aspects. This session will demonstrate one approach which might tick all the boxes – summative assessment, formative assessment, clear progression, student-centred, motivational, data-rich and even colourful!

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 2 – Investigating the role of virtual reality in geography via Google Expeditions
KS3 –P16
Dr Steve Tilling, Head of Policy and Advocacy Research, Field Studies Council, Dr Ana- Despina Tudor, Research Associate, Google Expeditions, Rebecca Kitchen, Secondary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association and Professor Shailey Minocha, Professor of Learning Technologies and Social Computing, Open University
This session will explore the use of Google Expeditions (GEs), a virtual reality-based field trip, to support and encourage outdoor fieldwork and facilitate visualisation of processes and locations. Participants will have the opportunity to trial GEs and will be invited to discuss and evaluate the outcomes (particularly the teacher’s perspective) of a project investigating the role of virtual reality in geography education.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Workshop 5 – Changing place; changing places: ideas for the A level personal investigation
P16
Robert Morris, Educational Consultant
This session will provide practical advice for fieldwork investigation of the local area for the ‘Changing place; changing places’ unit in the new A level specifications which is likely to be the most popular topic from which students will choose to do their individual studies.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 7 – Geography, including mathematics!
EY–KS2
Julia Tanner, Freelance Consultant, and Jane Whittle, International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Coordinator, International School of Como, Italy
This practical session will explore the mutually inclusive nature of maths and geography. Geographical enquiries provide many opportunities for pupils to use mathematical tools, enabling teachers help their pupils to view the world mathematically. The session will explore ways that the two subjects complement each other and will provide ideas to bring this synergy to life.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 8 – Making physical geography accessible
KS3–P16
Janet Hutson, Member, GA Physical Geography Special Interest Group
This session will explore if there is any truth in the urban myth that physical geography is harder than other aspects of geography, what aspects of physical geography students teachers commonly find ‘tricky’ and provide opportunity to trial practical activities and approaches that can help make physical geography inclusive, accessible and inspiring.

Download: Presentation (PDF)
Download: Activity sheet (PDF)
Download: Activity sheet (PDF)
Download: Activity sheet (PDF)
Download: Activity sheet (PDF)

Workshop 9 – Exploring the humanitarian impact of earthquakes
KS3–P16
Alan Parkinson, Head of Geography, King’s Ely Junior and author of Natural disasters: earthquakes, and Lucy Tutton, Youth Product Development Manager, British Red Cross
This session will give a snapshot of the four sessions in the British Red Cross’ earthquake resource. Attendees will explore the level of risk different hazards have in different locations around the world using the inter – active ‘Ask Nathan’ mapping tool, and explore the ongoing impacts of the Nepal Earthquake of April 2015, two years after the event.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 11 – A brave new world? Joined-up learning from sixth forms to university
P16
Dr Richard Waller, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, School of Geography, Geology and Environment, Keele University, and Dr Gill Miller, Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography and International Development, University of Chester
This practical session will explore how sixth form students can build information literacy skills to give them a head start to study at university, as well as improve their A level exam performance. It will share strategies with teachers to encourage students to become more ‘information literate’ and savvy about the resources they use.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 17 – Continuity and change: planning local history and geography
KS1–2
Alf Wilkinson, Freelance Consultant, and Ben Ballin, Consultant to the GA
This practical session will look at planning primary work around settlement, map work, continuity and change in the local area. How can we bring the past to life and make connections with change in the present-day and development into the future?

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 20 – GIS for everyone
KS3–P16
Jason Sawle, GIS for Schools Programme Manager, Esri UK
If you are unsure of how or where to start teaching with GIS, this session will give you hands-on experience and a clear strategy of how to embed teaching with GIS across all of your year groups. Using ArcGIS Online, the workshop will get you started on your GIS journey and leave you with lots of free resources.

Link: Presentation

Workshop 22 – Sparking curiosity with Primary Geography
EY–KS2
Jane Whittle, International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Coordinator, International School of Como, Italy
The journal Primary Geography provides a wealth of ideas and research that teachers can apply in their own setting. This session will provide you with an opportunity to try activities from the publication, allowing you to explore exciting ways of encouraging pupils to become curious about their world.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Workshop 23 – Critical thinking about critical thinking
KS2–P16
Dr John Hopkin, Head of Accreditation, and Jon Cannell, Primary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association
Through practical activities, this session will explore what critical thinking means in the context of geography and consider how to apply it in the classroom. We will reference further sources of support from the GA.

Download: Presentation (PPT)
Download: Worksheet (Word)
Download: Worksheet (Word)
Download: Worksheet (Word)

Workshop 25 – The plate tectonic story
KS3–P16
Professor Chris King, Director of the Earth Science Education Unit, Keele University
This session will explore the wide-ranging evidence for the theory of plate tectonics, including rock and fossil evidence, seismic records, geothermal patterns, geomagnetism, and large-scale topographical features, both above and below sea-level. It will also investigate hazards linked to plate tectonics and how we can reduce loss of life.

Download: Presentation (PDF)
Download: Booklet (PDF)

Workshop 26 – How to plan lessons using GIS: impacts on planning
KS3–P16
Bob Lang, Geography Teacher at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Birmingham
This session will help delegates to plan lessons using GIS. It will cover issues such as how to find data and think about the output and the tools and skills students will be developing. The concepts covered will be transferrable to any GIS software.

Download: Presentation (PPT)
Download: Worksheets (Word)
Download: Worksheets (Word)
Download: Data (Excel)
Download: ArcGIS booklet (PDF)

Workshop 30 – 15 creative ideas for encouraging quality geography
KS3–P16
Rebecca Kitchen, Secondary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association
This session will showcase 15 creative ideas from recent Secondary Geography Quality Mark submissions. From a pick ‘n’ mix pedagogy challenge to geography careers Top Trumps, you will have the opportunity to try out a variety of ideas and will leave with copies of the resources to try for yourself.

Download: Presentation (PPT)
Download: Worksheet (Word)
Download: Article (Word)
Download: Pick ‘n’ Mix activity (Word)
Download: Scheme of work (Word)
Download: Biscuit game (PDF)

Workshop 31 – Getting to grips with carbon Jason Lock, Education Team Leader, Malham
P16
Tarn Field Centre, Field Studies Council
This session will include ideas and hands-on activities designed to deliver content about the carbon cycle, including quantitative skills and specialised concepts. There will be time to discuss the use of these activities in the class – room and fieldwork environments from the local area to further afield. You will leave with ideas and resources to use with your students.

Link: Getting to grips with carbon fieldwork resources

Workshop 32 – Geo-gnome geography: a curriculum-making invitation to all
EY–KS2
Sharon Witt, Senior Lecturer in Education, Faculty of Education, Health and Social Care, University of Winchester
In this session we take a gnomic approach (i.e. one that is short, mysterious, but seems to be wise) as we position gnomes as stewards of the Earth and advocates for primary geography who animate our world. We offer lively and practical ideas that promote engagement and geographical fascination through a spirit of enquiry and playfulness.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Workshop 33 – Mind the gap: how is development changing in southeast Asia and beyond?
KS3
Michelle Minton, Teacher of Geography, The Morley Academy, Leeds
This hands on session will use the new GA KS3 Geography Teachers’ Toolkit to take teachers through a variety of innovative and engaging activities which can be used and adapted back in the classroom. It will touch on how stereotypes and common misconceptions can be explored and challenged in the classroom, and link to SMSC and global learning strategies.

Download: Quiz (Word)
Download: Answers (Word)

Workshop 40 – Teaching India at key stage 3
KS3
Jane Ferretti, PGDE Lead, University of Sheffield
This interactive session will look at constructing a scheme of work focusing on India. It will introduce resources and lesson ideas devised from first-hand experience of visits to India with student teachers in 2016 and 2017. India is specified in the 2014 Geography National Curriculum and is an excellent country to exemplify human and physical geography themes as well as locational and place knowledge.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Workshop 41 – Let’s play! Geographical games and simulations
KS3–4
Raphael Heath, Head of Geography, Royal High School, Bath
This session provides an opportunity to play a wide range of geographical games that will engage students, simulate complex issues and lead to thought-provoking follow-up questions on various different topics. There will be the chance to discuss their usefulness for learning and share your own ideas.

Link: Presentation

Workshop 43 – Using virtual reality in the geography classroom
KS3–P16
Richard Allaway, Resource Developer, and Ellena Mart, Head of Individuals and Societies, geographyalltheway.com
This session will focus on how to use VR headsets (such as Google Cardboard) effectively and efficiently in the geography classroom. Bring your smartphone and/or laptop to get involved in creating photospheres and useful geographical educational resources.

Link: Presentation  

Workshop 48 – HOT tips to thinking geographically
KS1–2
Jon Cannell, Primary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association
Routinely engaging pupils in deeper thinking enables them to develop the transferable and multidisciplinary skills necessary to successfully engage in the day-to-day challenges that life presents, whatever the location, culture or predominant processes in play.

Download: Presentation (PPT) 
Download: Worksheet (Word) 
Download: Worksheet (Word)

Workshop 50 – Practical ways of making GIS accessible to all KS3/KS4 students
KS3–P16
Rachel Adams, Geography Teacher, Wimbledon High School, London
This session will bridge the gap between the GIS experts and the average classroom teacher, bearing in mind the expectation that students are proficient in GIS for public exams. It will include a theoretical framework for development of skills from year 7 to 11, discuss the use of different platforms e.g. Google Earth and ArcGIS online, and provide worked examples to take away.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Workshop 51 – From field experience to success in the new GCSE examinations
KS4
Michael Simmons, PGCE Tutor and Special Leader of Education, Arthur Terry Teaching School, Sutton Coldfield
This session will explore the need for a flow ‘from field experience to success’ in light of the assessment objectives used in the new GCSE examinations to gauge achievement and ways to plan learning experiences to enable success for students in their responses to the command words.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Debate – Do cake sales work? The role of geography in pupil participation in local-global issues
KS2–4
Chair: Jon-Paul Davies, Geography Teacher, d’Overbroeck’s, Oxford. Panel: Tony Cassidy, Beccy Pook, and Liz Smith, Geography Teachers and Members of GA Sustainable and Citizenship Special Interest Group
This panel debate and subsequent room discussion will investigate if/how geography lessons (and the wider school) can effectively nurture active citizenship towards global action. It will focus on whether local thinking does result in global action and what quality participation looks like. The session will also discuss whether participation should be led by pupils or teachers, and what role geography teachers play in facilitating participation.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Debate – The Anthropocene: physical geography or popular culture?
KS3–P16
Chair: Duncan Hawley, Chair, GA Physical Geography Special Interest Group Panel: Professor Mark Williams, Professor of Palaeobiology, Department of Geology, University of Leicester, and Dr Alex Standish, Senior Lecturer in Geography Education, UCL Institute of Education
This debate will consider the concept of the Anthropocene and the extent to which it is an opportunity and a challenge for geography education. Two experts will outline different perspectives on what the Anthropocene may or may not be, followed by audience participation exploring the possible implications for curriculum and teaching.

Download: Overview (PDF)
Download: Useful references (PDF)

Field Visit – Investigating inequality in Guildford
P16
Daniel Farnes and Jack Starbuck, Tutors, Field Studies Council London Region
This field visit will take participants to two distinct areas of Guildford to carry out both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork. Further activities will be based around the use of secondary data, the logistics of planning and running urban fieldwork, as well as analysis of the data. iPads are provided but if participants want to use their own devices the apps used are free to download.

Download: Worksheet (Word)

Teacher-to-Teacher – How to survive your NQT year: practical tips and advice
KS3–4
Tanith Ludlam, Geography Teacher, The Holgate Academy, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire
This session aims to provide NQTs (and students) with practical ideas to use in their classroom and tips on how to survive the ups and downs of the NQT year.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Conference TeachMeet
All KS
Learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. This is an informal gathering for those curious about teaching and learning. Come along to share great ideas trialled in your classroom, ask important questions and take part in learning conversations. Professionals from all educational sectors are welcome to take part. TeachMeet is not about presenting a new product or theory, rather it is a chance for teachers to hear real narratives of practice from each other. It is about being engaged and inspired by our colleagues – with a bucket-load of networking to boot! Special thanks to David Rogers (@davidErogers) for organising the TeachMeet.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Exploring ethnic minority perceptions of geographical knowledge
Rebecca Kitchen, Secondary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association
How do students of different ethnicities conceive of geographical knowledge and how do they account for the option choices that they make? This paper describes the findings of research that explores both of these questions and attempts to tackle the notion of a single ethnic story. At its heart are the voices of eight sixth form students from different ethnic backgrounds who, through the medium of case study, explore themes such as the fieldwork, formal and informal educational experiences and the relevance of the geography curriculum to their career ambitions. The research highlights the importance of understanding who is in your geography classroom as well as focusing on the ‘what’ and ‘how’, and provides a theoretical underpinning for engaging in inclusive curriculum-making strategies.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

Role of smartphone-driven virtual reality field trips in inquiry-based learning
Professor Shailey Minocha, Professor of Learning Technologies and Social Computing, The Open University
This research project examines the potential role of virtual reality (VR) in science and geography in schools. The paper discusses the results of our empirical investigations into whether VR-based guided field trips via Google Expeditions (GE) can support selfdirected inquiry-based learning. Our research has involved: conducting geography lessons at key stages 3 and 4 using one or more GEs; analysis of the lesson; and assessment of the questions generated by students. The teachers reported that students generate more questions (than usual) in lessons that involve GEs/VR, and that these questions are highorder, analytical, enquire about impact, or are evaluative.

Download: Presentation (PDF)

Geography curriculum crossroads: F1, F2 or F3?
Indra Persaud, PhD Student, University of Seychelles
Young and Muller’s three scenarios provide possible pathways for a future geography curriculum. For the small island state of Seychelles, would a ‘Future 1’ geography rigidly adhere to its existing ‘Cambridgestyled’ curriculum?; would a ‘Future 2’ geography prioritise localised geographical skills-based learning?; or would a ‘Future 3’ geography open up possibilities for students to explore the world’s complexity beyond a small island imagination? My research considers the route curriculum planners may take, drawing on the decisions made in countries such as Singapore, China and the UK.

Download: Presentation (PPT)

The worldview of Japanese and Irish second level students. What is it? How might it be developed?
Dr Shelagh Waddington, Lecturer, Department of Geography, Maynooth University, and Professor Takashi Shimura, Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Studies Education, Joetsu University of Education, Japan
This session explores how young people understand the identity of other countries. A study asked Japanese and Irish students to identify the location of a series of countries, state what they knew about each, and explain where they had gleaned this information from, e.g. media, education. They were also asked to identify the country (apart from their own) in which they would most and least like to live. While this study focused on only two nations, the findings reveal issues of common misconceptions and stereotypes between students within these two very different nations. This suggests that these are likely to be widespread and, therefore, of relevance to anyone concerned with developing a more mature approach to international understanding and global citizenship. Following completion of this research, strategies have been considered to develop the ‘worldview’ of the students.

Download: Presentation (PPT)