GA Conference and Exhibition 2025: Full Schedule

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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9:00am PDT

Challenging and addressing geographical misconceptions in the classroom

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

202

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.

Speakers

Sarah Larsen

Teacher of geography/former subject lead mentor for SCITT, Reigate School

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

9:00am PDT

Diverse worldviews: what can we learn from RE?

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

204

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.

Speakers

Krystian McInnis

Religious Education Development Lead & Consultant, Reimagining Education

Dr David Preece

Head of Geography, Teach First

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 →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
204 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

9:00am PDT

Geography teaching and Teaching Geography

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

201

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!

Speakers

Dr Richard Bustin

Head of Geography, Lancing College

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
201 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

9:00am PDT

Make sure you're connected: how can we connect GIS with the National Curriculum?

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

Chakrabarti room

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.

Speakers

Brendan Conway

Teacher of Geography, Notre Dame Senior School

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 →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Chakrabarti room Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

Key Stage KS2, KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

11:30am PDT

Put your geoggles on! Learn how to look for geographical connections

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT

204

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).

Speakers

Kathryn Mcdonald

Subject lead for Geography and AQA examiner, Retired - previously Southend High School for Boys.

Imogen Sahi

Stepwell

Susan Knight

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
204 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Early career teacher

Key Stage Post-16, Early Career Teacher

11:30am PDT

Connecting with trees

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT

Executive suite

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.

Speakers

Martin Sutton

Lecturer in Geography Education and Secondary School Teacher, University of Reading and the Holt School

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
Executive suite Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Fieldwork

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

12:30pm PDT

Do textbooks support development of climate-change-informed citizens?

Wednesday April 16, 2025 12:30pm - 12:55pm PDT

204

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.

Speakers

Dr Xin Miao

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, East China Normal University; University of Stirling

Dr Xin Ai

East China Normal University

Prof Yushan Duan

East China Normal University

Wednesday April 16, 2025 12:30pm - 12:55pm PDT
204 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Early career teacher

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

1:00pm PDT

What did the Teaching Physical Geography blog ever do for me?

Wednesday April 16, 2025 1:00pm - 1:25pm PDT

205

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.

Speakers

Alison Dunphy

Senior Teaching Associate Geography Education, GA Physical Geography Special Interest Group (PGSIG)/ University of Cambridge

Keith Hicks

Ryan Nock

Head Of Geography, Carr Manor Community School (Parkside School)

Wednesday April 16, 2025 1:00pm - 1:25pm PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

2:00pm PDT

Reading like a geographer: improving geographical literacy

Wednesday April 16, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

206

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.

Speakers

Jema Kinsman

Head of Humanities, Rushden Academy

Fiona Sheriff

Head of Geography, Kingsthorpe College

Wednesday April 16, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
206 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

2:00pm PDT

Down to Earth geography: connecting the eco and the social

Wednesday April 16, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

202

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.

Speakers

Prof David Lambert

Professor of Geographical Education, UCL Institute of Education

Wednesday April 16, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject leader

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher

3:30pm PDT

The water cycle: back to basics

Wednesday April 16, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

JHB lecture theatre

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.

Speakers

Prof Sylvia Knight

Head of Education, Royal Meteorological Society

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 →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
JHB lecture theatre Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Cross phase

Key Stage KS2, KS3, KS4, Post-16, Early Career Teacher