Events for teachers
The Bristol Branch of the GA is committed to the training and professional development of geography teachers. We invite teachers of geography and PGCE students from the University of Bristol and University of the West of England to participate in a number of ad-hoc workshops and conferences (see below), in addition to the student-focussed programme.
2023-24 events
We are planning sessions on decolonising the curriculum, use of GIS and teaching urban regeneration (with field trip, hopefully). Watch this space. These events are part of an ‘expand the network initiative’ supported by the GA using the Sheila Jones Legacy Fund
Wednesday 5th June 2024 5.30 – 7.30 pm
Twilight session for teachers: Bristol Temple Quarter Regeneration Programme
The transformation of Bristol Temple Quarter and St Philip’s Marsh is one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects.
Based around Bristol’s Temple Meads railway station, Temple Quarter Regeneration Programme aims to transform 130 hectares of brownfield land over the next 25 years. This walking workshop will explore the nature of the mixed-use regeneration of the site, in the context of the wider Bristol Harbourside. It will be led by personnel from Temple Quarter Partnership professional insights and last approximately one and a half hours. Tour will include Temple Meads Station, Temple Quay, Friary, Temple Gate, Temple Square, Cattle Market Road including the University of Bristol campus and Temple Island, Avon Street, Silverthorne Lane, and the new university buildings.
Start time: 5.30pm. Meet: Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station main entrance
See news item
Thursday 8th February 2024 6 – 7.30 pm
Twilight session for teachers: Making GIS easy
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1SS (location).
Dr. Harry West (University of the West of England) will host an event that will include hands-on experience and discussion about in-class strategies for teaching and learning with GIS.
See news item
Monday 22nd January 2024 5.30 – 7.30 pm
Twilight session for teachers: Exploring Pedagogy, Antiracism and Decolonial Geography
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1SS (location).
See news item
Iram Sammer invites geography educators to embark on a self-discovery journey through a ‘Who am I?’ activity and decolonial and antiracism (un)learning. This interactive session fosters critical learning, empowering students to navigate antiracism, comprehend decolonisation in geography, and enhance their understanding of diverse knowledge(s), both ‘near and far’. Explore further insights on Iram’s blog.
Iram Sammar, is an accomplished geography educator curently pursuing a Ph.D. at King’s College London. She offers a wealth of experience to her exploration of personal geographies and expertise in decolonial geographies, pedagogy and antiracism. Recognized with the Ordnance Survey Award for excellence in secondary-level geography education by the Royal Geographical Society in 2022, Iram is the founder of Salaam Geographia and collaborates with Decolonising Geography and the Geographical Association.
2022-23 events
Tuesday 24th January 2023 6 – 7.30 pm
Twilight session for teachers: GIS and NEA
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1SS (location).
Dr. Harry West (University of the West of England) will host an event that will include hands-on experience and discussion about in-class strategies for teaching and learning with GIS.
Email for details.
Eventbrite registration
Monday 26th June 2023
Southwest Geography Teachers Conference at UWE
See details at Geography South West pages.
Past events
Annual Summer Geography Conference (UWE/GA collaboration) Released June 24th 2020.
A virtual collection of resources from the 2020 “GEOGRAPHY Really Matters” Bristol geography teachers conference.
Included useful subject-specific information, careers advice, tools-of-the-trade. Relevant for those teaching geography, geology and environmental sciences. Many of the resources are suitable for students (A-level, BSc, PGCE). Convened by Michelle Graffagnino and Harry West at UWE.
- Keynote (Dr Charles Rawding); Subject Knowledge Boosters; Geographic Information Systems; Teach Meet; Geography South West; The Role of the Geoscientist; Closing Remarks and Endnote
Follow this link to the ESRI StoryMaps platform that hosts the material.
Secondary Geography Teachers Conference at UWE. Wednesday 27th June 2019
Geography teachers met to discuss and share many aspects of geography teaching and learning. Speakers included Tallon, West, Abzhaparova and Quinn (Dept of Geography and Environmental Management, UWE), Garry Atterton (Bristol GA) and Michelle Graffagnino, Mark Jones (PGCE UWE). See resources for staff page.
Annual Geography Conference 2019 Programme
Utilising GIS in the Geography Curriculum
Date: Tuesday 19th February 2019
Location: School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS
Cost: FREE (a charge will be made if you fail to use your ticket without informing us)
Course overview: This course offers the skills needed to integrate GIS into your teaching and provides a set of teaching resources that can be implemented without specialist GIS knowledge. Beginning with an introduction to GIS in the curriculum and how to use simple web-based GIS applications aimed at Key Stage 3/4, the course will then progress to using GIS for analysis and suggest opportunities to integrate with fieldwork at Key Stage 5. The resources focus on the Bristol Avon river catchment but also give scope for students to explore issues and case studies in their local area.
A light lunch, as well as tea and coffee, will be supplied on the day. Please let us know in advance if you have any specific dietary or access requirements. Pay and display car parks are available nearby.
Tutors: Harry West – Graduate Tutor in Applied Geographic Information Systems at UWE; Anneka France – GIS Analyst at The Rivers Trust.
Book here (at Royal Geographical Society website)
Secondary Geography Teachers Conference at UWE. Wednesday 6th June 2018
Geography teachers met to discuss and share all aspects of geography teaching and learning. Speakers include Nick Lapthorn (GA President), Garry Atterton (Bristol GA) and Mark Jones (UWE)
Wednesday 6th June 2018 from 0830. S and B blocks, UWE, Frenchay Campus
See latest programme/map in pdf format here
Twilight session 3: Using GIS in schools. 5 – 7pm Tues 23rd January 2018 , Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
Harry West (University of the West of England) will host the event that will include hands-on experience and discussion about in-class strategies for teaching and learning.
Twilight session 2: Carbon Cycle. 5 – 7pm Tues 21st November 2017, Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
Forum to discuss the teaching of the carbon cycle in the new A-levels curriculum.
Dr. Jo House (Reader in Environmental Science and Policy) and Dr. David Richards (Reader in Physical Geography) will host the event in the School of Geographical Sciences to
• reveal examples of the material used in a University setting
• provide guidance on availability of tools for use in class and the field
• consider opportunities for working together on new material
We will touch upon a selection of the myriad of components in the Earth system that need to be considered, including ocean biogeochemistry, terrestrial carbon stores, land-use change, riverine fluxes and more. The key is how to make language of stores, fluxes, net balance etc accessible to all. (see resources)
Twilight session 1: Walking the city: Place and Space. 5 – 7pm Tues 10th October 2017, Central Bristol
An opportunity to consider contemporary practices in human geography and how to translate these to the post-16 curriculum. Walking with researchers from the University of Bristol, we will discuss possible templates for engaging students; co-producing, journeying, experiencing space and place. We’ll provide some reading ahead of time. Relaxed, informal, a chance to foster a network for further field sessions.
By way of introduction to some of the methods and ideas related to our walk, see links below.
Blog post with literature on the Situational International (SI). The page I’m directing you to is about the tactic of the dérive used by the SI in the mid to late 20th century. It involves walking in groups in the an urban environment whilst letting go of normal motives for urban roaming, it is understood by Guy Debord (the founder of the SI group) in the article as a mode of experimental behaviour:
Paper by Denis Wood that introduces Pyschogeography more broadly but also in relation to the use of maps within it. It is quite short and accessible (perhaps more so than the ‘Theory of the Derive’ post). It discusses a range of tactics used by the SI as well as their ‘Naked City Maps’ but also discusses a separate pyschogeographic approach set up around the same time in Boston :
2016-2017
Twilight + one all day session at UWE, Frenchay site (organised by Gary Atterton)
Six twilight sessions were held between September 2016 to March 2017 in the Dept of Geography and Environmental Management (GEM) on the Frenchay Campus at UWE. Topics covered will reflect the demands of teachers. Evaluations from previous meetings show a need for support for use of data/statistics, fieldwork and GIS. Sharing of resources and ideas will be an expectation and of great value to each other
Twilight sessions at Univ Bristol
Prof. Rich Harris (Professor of Quantitative Social Geography, University of Bristol) website
Tools of the trade in Quantitative Human Geography (provisional title)
Haggett Laboratory, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
Tuesday 11th October 2016, 5.00 – 7.00 pm
Secondary Geography Teachers Conference at UWE
Geography teachers met to discuss and share all aspects of geography teaching and learning. Speakers:.
Wednesday 14th June 2017.
2015-2016
June 2016: Summer Conference for Teachers at UWE (organised by Mark Jones, UWE and Garry Atterton, Castle School, Thornbury)
Speakers: Eleanor Rawlings (Oxford University), Andrew Tallon (UWE), Chris Parker (UWE), Simon Pinfield (RGS)
Also “Teach Meet” session. See report