This does happen and I think it does make a real difference. John Briggs
has been running annual courses like this for a long time here in Glasgow
(this year I think we had around 80 teachers from across Scotland) and
various members of staff have been involved in talking to them. It is an
interesting challenge to find ways of conveying research to teachers in a
way that is relevant to their teaching!
The Scottish Association of Geography Teachers is also very active and
publishes its own journal to which academic geographers are sometimes
invited to contribute. Scotland doesn't seem to have the same problems with
declining school geography numbers which might in part be due to better (or
more active?) links between schools and universities. Getting involved in
this is, of course, something which takes a lot of time and effort to
organise, and it can be difficult getting people to contribute because it
isn't perceived as important academic work.
Jo
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of jon swords
Sent: 05 September 2006 13:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: School Geography
Perhaps geography departments could organise mini conferences for geography
teachers in the local area. University staff could do short presentations on
their own research - it might re-energise teachers who have been away from
academia for many years and give them the answers to pupils who ask what
geography is about in the 21st Century.
Jon
>From: Steve Cummins <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Steve Cummins <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: School Geography
>Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 12:41:54 +0100
>
>Hi
>
>As I am completely ignorant about this issue I was wondering if there was a
>formal continuing professional development programme for geography teachers
>in schools. Do school teachers reconnect with academic geography regularly
>or is it an informal practice? If they don't maybe this could be
>key..helping teachers make geography 'public'.
>
>Steve
>
>PS Just reading Johnston's new piece on TIBG. Relevant for this debate I
>think!
>
>Andrew Lee wrote:
>>I spoke, some time ago to David Lambert, CEO of the Geographical
>>Association, who expressed the need to make geography compelling at GCSE
>>level. Sadly, however, whilst many children can be 'turned on' to
>>geography at this stage, many can also be turned off it in primary and
>>prep school where it can also, sometimes, be poorly taught. Good material,
>>both written and in terms of television broadcasts, under the rubric of
>>geography, are needed to lift the profile of the discipline. Of course
>>there are some good examples available, but we could do with more. It is
>>not the time to look down the nose at colleagues appealing to the popular
>>market, but rather to share our enthusiasm for our discipline.
>>
>>=============================
>>Dr Andrew Lee FRGS
>>Head of Geography
>>
>>Westminster Under School
>>Adrian House
>>Vincent Square
>>London SW1P 2NN
>>
>
>--
>Steven Cummins MSc PhD
>MRC Fellow
>Department of Geography
>Queen Mary, University of London
>Mile End Road
>London E1 4NS
>
>T: 44 020 7882 7653
>F: 44 020 8981 6276
>E: [log in to unmask]
>
>W: http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff/cummins.html
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