Welcome to the GA’s online programme for the Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025! Take some time to explore the programme and build a personalised schedule using the full list below, or find the best sessions for you using the filter options. Keep an eye on this programme for updates and to interact with other delegates, exhibitors and sponsors. For more information on the Conference, see the GA website.
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This lecture explores how learners at all phases of education can become 'geographical detectives' by using a palimpsest approach to investigate and understand more about the world, helping young people develop a deeper understanding of natural and human landscapes. We'll outline how the concept of palimpsest can be used in the classroom, out in the field and to make connections through GIS. The lecture will also discuss how connections can be made between schools and universities to help support this way of learning.
The aim of this session is to consider how a fieldwork curriculum can be planned so that it's integral to and inextricable from secondary students' geographical experience and learning. The focus will be on connections to the rest of the geography curriculum, connections between years, connections in terms of skills development and the geographical enquiry process, and connections that lead to more positive outcomes for students' enquiries at GCSE and A level.
This workshop will adopt a holistic approach in exploring the connections between outdoor learning and children's well-being. Moving beyond standard enquiry-led fieldwork approaches, we'll consider which types of learning activities are most enhanced by 'taking the learning outside', and discuss practical and creative strategies for incorporating outdoor learning across the primary geography curriculum.
Geography students can sometimes struggle to derive the intended level of understanding from new content. Often, this can be due to their own misconceptions about the world. This session seeks to identify some of these misconceptions and provide strategies to address them. Attendees will also be invited to share and discuss their own examples and strategies, allowing educators to help students make stronger knowledge-based connections in their geography lessons.
In recent years, geography has grappled with decolonising and diversifying its curriculum. In this session, Krystian – one of the leading antiracist and decolonising thinkers in RE – presents expert insight in to how religious education has explored similar challenges in a different landscape, and what we might be able to learn from each other.
Former secondary Geography teacher with over a decade's classroom experience, specialising in physical Geography, I'm now involved in initial teacher education in Geography for Teach First, where I lead the teacher training programme and curriculum. I believe teaching is a team sport... Read More →
As Teaching Geography celebrates its 50th year of publication, this session picks out some highlights from the archive and shares how to get the most out of your journal subscription. Then we want to hear from you: where do we go next? What topics should we be publishing articles on? Aspiring writers welcome; bring your ideas!
It's easier than ever before to obtain free satellite data for use in your classroom, promoting discussion among younger pupils and analysis from older students. This workshop will introduce a range of sources and support you in using them to explore the possibilities they provide.
Engage your students and enhance their understanding of soil and hydrograph topics with our exciting new investigation demonstrating how land-use management can reduce soil erosion and mass movement. This workshop is based on current research by University of St Andrews, Newcastle University and Universidad de Granada, and explores use of terraces to retain water and prevent soil erosion.
GeoBus Education Coordinator, University of St Andrews
GeoBus® is a free educational outreach project for schools developed and run by the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews since 2012. We offer curriculum-linked science, geography and environmental science workshops for primary and secondary school... Read More →
Due to its interdisciplinary nature, geography provides a space where students can explore topics, issues and ideas, as well as develop as young people; this is inherently pastoral. Therefore, this session highlights some of the areas within geography where this overlap is really noticeable, and how geographers can work with their pastoral team to enhance provision.
Following recent concerns about a lack of GIS in the curriculum (e.g. Ofsted 2023), this session will offer suggestions on connecting GIS and other geospatial learning to its rightful place in the curriculum based on many years of ongoing classroom practice. The session will consider curriculum sequencing, progression and endpoints for school-based GIS.
I have over thirty years’ experience as geography teacher, head of department and pastoral lead in three maintained schools and one independent school. I led my current department to become a Geographical Association Centre of Excellence.I am an author of a range of geographical... Read More →
With the current curriculum and assessment review in England underway, debate about the purpose of geography as a school subject and the narrow focus of the current assessment system has re-engaged teachers of geography with the fundamental question, ‘What constitutes a good geography education?’ In this lecture, Emma draws on evidence from the GA’s Secondary Geography Quality Mark to explore the contribution that high-quality geography and agentic curriculum making can make to the education of children and young people in our rapidly changing world.
This session will explore how effective modelling can help to enhance students' geographical knowledge. It will be broken up into: what is modelling and the types; how we can use tech to model concepts; use of a visualiser; one form of modelling – 'I do, we do, you do'; how modelling may differ from a lower ability to a higher ability class; student-centred modelling; and instructional inputs.
An opportunity for teachers of the Cambridge International (CIE) geography A level to connect and informally share ideas. Across the UK and internationally we have a wealth of experience; the aim is to make lasting connections between us. Everyone's welcome, whether you've been teaching the syllabus for years, have made the move from a 'home' specification or you're an ECT in a CIE school.
During the morning break on 16 April, come to the conference social space to meet other first-time conference attendees and meet GA staff and volunteers for an informal chat.
Nature has always been crucial for thriving cities, but our relationship with it has changed as we've urbanised. We need to re-connect to nature for sustainable futures. Living cities, a module of UCL-IOE's free Teaching for sustainable futures CPD programme, explores how geography and history teaching can help do this.
Learn how to: look for (and find) connectivity, representation, multiple dimensions and synoptic elements within changing places; and how to find clues about the interconnected past, present and future(s). Practice how these skills can be used for high-level responses within 'To what extent' exam questions, and be equipped with a ready-to-use case study (Kochi, India).
If we could isolate and study the top scoring NEA submissions, what would we find that makes them stand out from others? What techniques do some students use to really set themselves apart? This session will reveal 30 approaches that top-scoring NEA students consistently use to connect their studies to the highest possible marks.
Discover how trees can enrich your curriculum, fostering hands-on learning, fieldwork, GIS and environmental stewardship. Gain practical ideas for projects and activities that connect students with nature and challenge them to think about how the trees in your school site/local area connect to larger concepts such as sustainability and climate change.
The four elements – water, air, fire and earth – are materials and energies that comprise and connect the world around us and shape physical and human interactions between places and peoples. This workshop explores how geography is elemental, how elements connect life in literal and lyrical ways and embeds a fifth element – imagination – to activate rich geographical curriculum thinking.
As geographers, it's crucial we think synoptically and consider multiple geographies and connections to understand the world around us. Fieldwork brings these connections to life; the multi-scaled techniques shared in this session will facilitate students' holistic understanding, enabling breadth and depth in NEA investigations and supporting theoretical understanding.
The Geospatial Commission aims to deliver £11 billion in annual economic growth through 'unlocking the power of location'. Chris will talk about the work of the Commission, communicating with ministers about geography, being responsible for the delivery of a revolutionary map of underground pipes and cables and how he got from GCSE geography to the heart of government.
Deputy Director, Geospatial Commission. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Chris Chambers is Deputy Director at the Geospatial Commission, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. He is responsible for the delivery of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), a new digital map of underground pipes and cables, which is expected to deliver... Read More →
Karen Corfield explores why Scandinavian countries consistently rank high in the happiness index, as well as having all five countries in the top 10 according to the HDI. This lecture will examine the demographics of these countries, including political, economical and cultural geographies, and how the special connections between the physical and human world impact overall well-being.
This session – organised by the Geography Education Research Collective (GEReCo) – aims to engage with a range of perspectives on the priorities for the next 10 years of geography education research. Following this, colleagues are encouraged to contribute connections between geography education research and their own communities. We'll conclude with a discussion that aims to draw together ideas and perspectives.
Head of Professional Development, Geographical Association
I have worked at the Geographical Association for 9 years and am currently the Head of Professional Development. Prior to this, I was Head of Geography at a girls' grammar school for 16 years where I was awarded the Ordnance Survey Award for contributions to Geography in Secondary... Read More →
This session will look at strategies exploring 'powerful resources', i.e. artefacts, images and resources that are resonant and meaningful, working across curriculum areas to not only create dialogue across departments but demonstrate to students that climate change and sustainability affects all academic areas and requires a holistic understanding of the issue, its challenges and its solutions. Participants will be given resources to distribute in their schools across departments.
This session will explore how children can use their own migration stories to develop an understanding of their connections to the school community. Reflections on an enquiry project of 'life as a migrant' will be shared with other teachers to encourage more student voices in the wider community.
This paper reflects on a collaborative project to co-create decolonial pedagogical resources for teaching the climate crisis at Key Stage 3 in the UK. Drawing on a DEPA-funded project in Cameroon, the team encountered challenges that question the feasibility of genuinely decolonial educational materials, revealing the complex interplay between decolonial theory and practical realities in educational resource development.
This session will share research findings comparing 13 countries' secondary geography textbooks; we've analysed climate change content in these textbooks and mapped out connections between diverse locations and approaches. Classroom teachers will gain insight into developing quality teaching materials to support students in becoming climate-change-informed citizens.
An MSc study that introduced a pedagogy of live interactive video calls with pupils in London and Bangkok. Findings suggest a more collaborative, globally-connected, and up-to-date approach to geography lessons. This also decentralises the teacher as the ‘sage on the stage’ and invites new and impactful perspectives. The dissertation won first prize for the GEReCo Masters Dissertation Award in 2024.
Climate change affects children's lives not only because of its impact, but also because of its effect on their mental wellbeing. To be able to address children’s concerns and emotions in education, it is necessary to identify the current feelings or hope and worry, regarding climate change. We used the Draw, Write, and Tell approach to achieve this.
Learn how articles posted on the Teaching Physical Geography blog have helped to shape and improve the teaching of physical geography topics, and how this impacts students' learning. Plus, find out how you can get involved and contribute to the canon of experience.
This study examines the impact of climate change on vegetation loss and its implications for sustainable development in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Using GIS and remote sensing, we assess spatial and temporal changes in vegetation and temperature over three key periods: 1968, 2003 and 2021. Our findings suggest that effective policymaking for sustainable land and vegetation management is essential to counter the effects of anthropogenic activities. The research contributes to the broader conversation on ‘connected geographies’, where human and environmental systems are intrinsically linked by focusing on the relationship between climate, land use and ecosystem health.
This paper summarizes my small-scale, qualitative research in an international school in Sri Lanka that follows the English secondary school curriculum. Focusing on IGCSE Geography, I examined how international teachers and pupils interact and connect with each other and how they construct and connect with geography. My findings revealed complexity and contribute to current discussion of decolonizing the curriculum.
As the education sector comes to grips with the surge of artificial intelligence programmes available, I'll reflect on how far we've come in geography with its use and demonstrate how it's become an integrated feature in my classroom. I'll also show how we've educated students to manage it ethically and practically.
Early Years and primary teachers know that connecting children to their locality is important. So what tools can you use? Anthony will share free data sources online to connect to locations in the UK and beyond. Participants will come and share their own free web resources, and we'll use simple data on how Oxford compares with the various locations attendees are from.
This is an opportunity to look at strategies we've used to support SEND and additional needs students, particularly Kent County Council's Mainstream Core Standards model, allowing all students to make progress. We start with the introduction of booklets to support knowledge learning and go onto further strategies we've developed, with an opportunity to discuss how potential pitfalls can be addressed.
The Environment Agency has collaborated with the GA and HLP to develop a series of lessons and resources introducing careers into the classroom: Hello EA Careers. We introduce roles related to flood and coastal risk management that will inspire young people to consider careers in the water and environment sector. This content will be free for teachers and available through the GA website; what will you discover about future roles for geographers?
This workshop will provide delegates with the opportunity to discuss the ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review. It will recap on the latest information about the review, before giving teachers the opportunity to share their thoughts on some of the key messages and recommendations from the geography education community, such as the volume of content in GCSE, the study of climate change and sustainability, and methods of assessment.
In the words of Dr Seuss, 'reading can take you places you have never been before'. It enables students to connect with geographies and cultures that aren't their own while fostering cross-curricular links. This workshop provides practical ideas to engage students with resources that they may not otherwise use in order to broaden their geographical horizons and encourage aspiration.
Progression should be deepening and developing geographical understanding, not just acquiring more facts. How do we decide what 'making progress' is and what it looks like across the different stages of education? This is a practical workshop learning from schools across Wales to develop approaches for connecting primary and secondary geography education.
The session opens up discussion about the future of geography teaching in the face of the epochal challenges facing human societies – and indeed life on Earth. This requires fresh thinking about the purposes and potential of education, and the possible contributions of geography. We focus on teachers' 'knowledge work' in the context of the late Bruno Latour’s terrestrial eco-social politics.
This session explores the approach taken in the Singapore Geography Curriculum, emphasising geography in everyday life to foster students' awareness and understanding of their surroundings. By connecting personal and local experiences to global issues, the curriculum empowers students to grasp complex societal and environmental challenges, enhancing their capacity for critical, interconnected thinking.
A look at how teachers can make the most of the curriculum through interleaving topics and themes to support student knowledge retention and engagement.
We look again at the water cycle, including: how to draw a cloud; how to make a cloud; popular misconceptions we've discovered from our climate literacy survey; the water cycle and climate change; cloud seeding and conspiracy theories; contrails (and chemtrails) and climate change; and changes to the oceans and cryosphere.
Sylvia Knight is Head of Education at the Royal Meteorological Society and a visiting Professor in the schools of Education and of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences at the University of Reading. With a background in climate science, her role involves supporting the... Read More →
We present the findings of qualitative research conducted by members of the GA's Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. Our analysis of 25 interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds, inside and outside the Association, provides a critical assessment of diversity and inclusion at the GA. Participants are invited to reflect on and help us take the study's recommendations foward.
This session will investigate Morecambe and its plans to turn itself around. Will Eden Project Morecambe achieve its aim of reimagining the resort for the 21st Century? Does the Queens Market Project provide a better local solution? How can fieldwork be used to investigate Morecambe as a case study, as well as other regeneration projects throughout the UK?
Join the Migration Museum's award-winning learning team to explore how migration and intersecting themes can help your pupils build connections between themselves, their local communities and their sense of national identity. Learn tried and tested approaches to engage and inspire your pupils, and build your own confidence in navigating complex topics.
The session will explore how and why a high quality geography curriculum is more than just the sum of its parts. It will model how to embrace the interdependent nature of substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge. It also considers the role that creating and monitoring meaningful connections between those constituent parts has in empowering pupils to access, interpret and accumulate knowledge.
Sandra will present her research and deliberate practice actions, which were developed as part of a wider body of work with the Building on Barbie global research team. Conversation mapping is used to capture the impact of deliberate practice. There'll be the opportunity to connect through group discussion regarding barriers to KS4 geography study.
Join GA Secondary Phase Committee members in exploring tried and tested techniques for developing synoptic thinking at A level. This session will leave you with practical ideas to try in your classroom to encourage students to make connections between geographic concepts.
Please join us as we share seven GIS ideas for geography teachers. This practical session will showcase easy-to-use classroom activities to help students understand global connections, sustainability and the relationship between physical and human geography. Learn how to integrate GIS into your teaching to make lessons more interactive and relevant.
In a matter a short few years, Nicholas Brown has transformed GCSE geography from a dying subject to the beating heart of his school. By creating a spoke and hub model with geography in the centre, students are excited at the subject's relevance in their day to day lives: creating businesses; travelling; beekeeping; and growing food.
Head of Geography and Horticulture, Ysgol Clywedog
Hailing from Ysgol Clywedog in Wrexham, Nicholas Brown has been the Head of Geography and Horticulture for the last 6 years. During this time, he has boosted the uptake of Geography at KS4 from 16 pupils to a steady 120 (maximum allowed). Added to this he has developed an increasingly... Read More →
Climate change can often feel distant and abstract to our students; how can we make it more tangible and relevant? Using local places to build connectivity and empowerment? Building connections to far places while representing them in a just way? This lecture leans on evidence about climate change education and geography-curriculum-making to consider how we can use place to support our students' understanding of the climate emergency.
This workshop will explore how we can make international connections from our classrooms and through travel. We'll consider how barriers to carrying out international fieldwork can be overcome, and discuss issues related to sustainable travel. Practical activities will include using resources from GA Study Tours, discussing fieldwork scenarios and evaluating the sustainability of travel for learning.
This session connects the geography of Colombia – Medellín, the Nevado del Ruiz lahar disaster, TNCs like Chiquita and Coca Cola located in Urabá – to the invisibility of the Colombian diaspora in the UK and gentrification in Elephant and Castle.
This session will explore the Royal Society's fantastic Partnership Grant scheme, and how it can be used to secure funding of up to £3000 to support a collaborative student geography project with a HE or industry partner. The Tomorrow's Climate Scientists programme is especially great for geographers, and has been a fantastic opportunity for our students!
This session explores the meaningful integration of educational technology to help students connect to their personal geographies. It highlights the use of gamified online learning experiences, technology-transformed fieldwork and using GIS in the classroom for spatial analysis. Discover how these tools can transform geographical education and help students foster deeper connections to the world around them.
Alarming news items about climate change can lead to eco-stress. One of the ways to reduce this is to let students envision different possible futures and discuss which future they prefer. In this workshop, we'll walk through two scenario thinking tasks and discuss the experiences of students and teachers with them.
Soccernomics is a concept designed to engage learners on social inequalities and economic change in the global village. Football is a useful vehicle to secure rapid and sustained progress using innovative case studies, such as 'will Östersunds FK act as a gateway to promotion of social justice in the subarctic?' This session discusses Soccernomics' exemplar material, providing a framework for colleagues to create their own learning experiences across all key stages.
The 2023 Ofsted subject report commented that schools should plan for progress in procedural knowledge including the use of maps and GIS. This session considers what progression in procedural knowledge looks like and how to plan for it, when designing a coherent 11-16 geography curriculum. It will introduce new curriculum guidance for Progress in Geography KS3, and the Ordnance Survey.
Using what I've learned from my NPQ for Leading Teacher Development, I'll narrate how I've implemented key principles into my own department CPD time, as well as provide practical ways to structure subject-specific CPD in other geography departments.
