The action plan for geography The Geographical Association (GA) is thrilled to be working in close partnership with the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) on a programme called Geography in Action. This was launched with considerable fanfare and flourish at the RGS-IBG on <strong>30</strong> March – with Michael Palin leading the way. His book Himalaya will find its way into secondary schools with a letter from the Minister for Schools, Lord Andrew Adonis, anticipating the recovery and resurgence of geography in schools. You can find more details about the Action Plan on the web. This article is going to focus mainly on one element of the plan, namely the need to promote and support ‘subject leadership’ in schools. Geography: making connections David Lambert The launch of Geography in Action was reported in The Independent ® <strong>news</strong>paper. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this article focused (yet again) on geography’s challenging circumstances in schools – declining numbers at GCSE and A level, poor Ofsted reports in primary and KS3 and so on. But the article also made a link to The Independent’s ground-breaking theme for the week: ’Your world. Your say’ – a forum of letters and comment about global warming. Furthermore, I couldn’t help but notice that the front page of the paper that day was covered in maps (of the Middle East). There is no doubt about it. Geography is a 21st-century subject. It concerns the future, as well as the past and present. Without geography you may be limited in your ability to read The Independent,(or watch the six o’clock <strong>news</strong> for that matter). Geography provides the learner with an appreciation of the interconnectedness of the world and the various issues and challenges that lie ahead, and the means to think confidently about the future – something a professor of geography was urging as a priority. ‘Why isn’t climate change… the core subject of our schools…?’ Nicki Penaluna ‘I have read little about scenarios that may lie ahead (about 50 years)’ Prof R Bradshaw, Dept of Geography, Liverpool ‘Although I am only 14-years-old I believe my opinion can make a difference. So here goes…’ Helen Way ‘People must make informed choices…’ A-level geography class (Quotes from the Your world. Your say forum from The Independent on the <strong>30</strong> and 31 march.) 6 <strong>mapping</strong> <strong>news</strong> Issue <strong>30</strong> Summer 006 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/education The GA’s contribution to Geography in Action is to emphasise subject leadership. No matter how much we love geography and enjoy the wow! factor of special places, we need to be clear about how to select, organise and sequence wonderful learning experiences for children, with a clear sense of how and why it is relevant to their education. Perhaps, ‘to be able to read the <strong>news</strong> intelligently’ just about covers everything. In fact, Rita Gardner (the Director of the RGS-IBG) and I will be devoting considerable energy to clarifying an overarching framework for school geography – in our capacity of Geography Advisers to the Secretary of State. We will want to show how geography can switch on curiosity about the world, open eyes and encourage the exploration of diverse people and places, establish aspects of geographical capability to operate confidently with knowledge and understanding about the physical and human worlds, and the skills of informed and aware citizens. Subject leadership operates at all levels, and within the shared framework all teachers will need support and encouragement to do their bit – the selection, organisation and sequencing of geography curricula. This is what we mean by curriculum making – so watch out for courses, publications, and online opportunities, literally to lead geography closer to the centre ground of the curriculum! The GA will have dedicated primary and secondary teams to offer subject leadership CPD (continuing personal development) and curriculum development opportunities. In addition, we will be rolling out the Primary and the Secondary Geography Quality Marks from September <strong>2006</strong>. Is your school worldy-wise? The Geographical Association’s (GA) Worldwise initiative enables young people to take part in fun and engage in free activities to promote geography in schools. With opportunities to take part at both a local and national level, the project culminates in the annual Worldwise challenge, a weekend of free fieldwork activities. <strong>Ordnance</strong> <strong>Survey</strong> has hosted the Hampshire round of the competition for more than two decades and is one of the main sponsors with ESRI ® UK and the Field Studies Council. The head of geography at King Edward VI’s school in Southampton, Mr Garry Hunt, has been involved in Worldwise since 1983. He recalls: ‘At that time the event was run in Southampton by the local branch of the GA and it took place at, what was then, the Curriculum Development Centre in the city. Sponsorship has been a key element, and during my second year of my involvement I invited <strong>Ordnance</strong> <strong>Survey</strong> to attend, resulting in an offer to host the following year’s event.’ ‘At one stage there was a regular series of rounds, starting at a local level in December. Then there was a regional final, which took place in February, followed by a national final, which was normally tied into the GA conference at Easter. One year there was even an international final based on taking one team member from each team competing in the national event. King Edward VI was fortunate enough to come second nationally that year, and I can still remember the agony of trying to decide which one of our team members should get an all-expenses paid trip to America.’ ‘The quiz today is a rather different animal. There is now only a local round to the quiz, which I feel is a shame in many respects. There are, however, other elements – which include various online activities and competitions – that no doubt appeal to a wider audience and are more accessible. The Field Study Council sponsors the winner’s visit to Malham Tarn Field Centre.’ ‘The children that I know enjoy taking part in the event and staff are often very pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge demonstrated by their students. I have enjoyed my involvement in the quiz and have been fortunate to work with many like-minded individuals. Having <strong>Ordnance</strong> <strong>Survey</strong> as hosts has made organising the quiz much easier and has given the Southampton area an independent base from which to run it. This has helped to make it such a successful event.’ All secondary schools are eligible to enter teams for the local round of the quiz. Each team is made up of three pupils who must all be under 16 on 1 September of the year of entry. For more information visit http://www.geography.org.uk/events/worldwise www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/education <strong>mapping</strong> <strong>news</strong> Issue <strong>30</strong> Summer 006 7
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