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Apologies for cross-posting Readers may be interested in the ten guides which the Geography Discipline Network has recently published on good practices in the learning, teaching and assessment of geography in higher education. "This is the most comprehensive series about the teaching of a discipline I have ever encountered and provides a model for how academics can share both theory and practice about the teaching of their subject. I have drawn on geography examples in these materials in my work just as the geographers have drawn on generic writing in their work. It is particularly valuable to see how generic ideas are adapted and applied in specific contexts and how this adaptation enriches and fills out the generic ideas. The publications are clearly and attractively presented. I defy anyone not to find something new and useful. I'd like to see other disciplines attempt a series of publications like this." Professor Graham Gibbs, Centre for Higher Education Practice, Open University, UK Guides * Teaching and Learning Issues and Managing Educational Change in Geography * Lecturing in Geography * Small-group Teaching in Geography * Practicals and Laboratory Work in Geography * Fieldwork and Dissertations in Geography * Resource-based Learning in Geography * Teaching and Learning Geography with Information and Communication Technologies * Transferable Skills and Work-based Learning in Geography * Assessment in Geography * Curriculum Design in Geography The Guides should be of interest not only to geographers, but also to staff in the other natural and social sciences. They should also be of particular value to educational developers looking for discipline based case studies of good practice. They are also of direct relevance to teachers of 16-19 year old students. Every university and college library and educational development collection should have a set!! The attractively designed and produced Guides vary in length from 38 pp to 128 pp. They can be ordered individually (cost varies between UK£3.95 and UK£8.95) or as a set (UK£54.00, plus p&p). The Guides are supplemented by a Web-based resource database of good practice which has been suggested as a model for the new UK Subject Centres to emulate. Further information about the Geography Discipline Network (GDN), the resource database, a summary of the contents of all the Guides, and an order form can be found at: http://www.chelt.ac.uk/gdn/ Orders should be sent to Dr Phil Gravestock, GDN Project Officer, Geography and Environmental Management Unit, Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education, Francis Close Hall, Swindon Road, Cheltenham GL50 4AZ, UK ([log in to unmask]). Some reviews about the series: "The 10 Geography Discipline Network Guides constitute a major development in the teaching of geography in Higher Education. They were created jointly by subject specialists and educational developers and should act as an example to other disciplines, both in their content and in the collaborative way that they were created." Lewis Elton, Higher Education Research and Development Unit, University College London "One of the delights of reading ...the volumes is the sense that they convey of the range of possibilities for doing something immediately, and with barely any effort, to attempt to improve teaching and learning and of the positive consequences which may follow. ...All of the volumes are highly accessible, capable of being dipped into or read at a single (fairly short) session. ...These are generous volumes, not in terms simply of the wealth of material that they present - and there is a wealth here - but, much more importantly, in the diverse ways in which they succeed ...in engaging sympathetically with their readers. ...It is the quality above all, perhaps, that distinguishes this excellent series: it inspires us to think about what we are doing in new and positive ways.... Geography is a better discipline for their presence: they make a difference by their encouragement not only to do better but to do so in better - educational - ways." Professor Roger Lee and colleagues, Department of Geography, Queen Mary and Westfield College, UK "At the pedagogical level, the Guides receive high marks because serious review of their content will make for more effective classroom teachers... The collection represents an impressive effort to team geographers and educational developers in an effort to identify the instructional, resource, research, technological, assessment and curricular design problems and prospects that confront instructors and students of geography. Strategies for implementing the ideas found in the publications is a major strength; whether the analysis is about the methodology of lecturing, the process of student assessment, group projects, or the challenges of field work, action plans and case study testimonials are presented which are thoughtful, thorough, and practical." Gil Latz, Professor of Geography and International Studies, Portland State University, Oregon, USA "If there is one thing that this series does consistently well, it is to urge lecturers to consider overtly the assumptions that underlie existing practice, and to make clear to students the goals and intended outcomes of curricula, courses, modules, and specific items of teaching... It will be a poor reader who is not motivated to question some aspects of existing practice, or who could not think of something new to try, by every one of these guides, no matter where s/he is." Professor Eric Pawson, University of Canterbury, New Zealand Comments on relevance to School Educators: "This series of Guides provides a thorough and stimulating overview of the potential of teaching and learning in higher education. The Guides are well written and attractively presented. They draw appropriately on theory and broader educational ideas and are exemplified by plentiful practical case studies. ... Many of the Guides focus on practical teaching and learning strategies (eg in fieldwork, small group discussion, resource based learning) which are of direct relevance to teachers of 16-19 year old students, others draw out fresh ideas and examples of the contribution of geography to eg key skills, work-based learning and the use of ICT - all areas which schools are currently asked to address as much as higher education. .... the Guides make valuable reading for the interested geographer at all levels in the education system." Eleanor Rawling, Department of Educational Studies, University of Oxford Best wishes Mick ________________________________________________ Professor Mick Healey Director Geography Discipline Network Geography and Environmental Management Research Unit Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education Francis Close Hall Swindon Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL50 4AZ UK Tel: +44 (0)1242 543364 (532971 Office) Fax: +44 (0)1242 543283 Email: [log in to unmask] http://www.chelt.ac.uk/gdn _________________________________________________ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%