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

What if? A philosophical approach to geography

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

Executive suite

This practical session combines the pedagogical power of Philosophy for Children (P4C) with the teaching of geography to explore questions and concepts around 'connected geographies'. We'll show how philosophical enquiry develops oracy and critical thinking, and how it can enhance and enrich the geographical lens that young people require to navigate the complexity of our time.

Speakers

Jackie Zammit

Emma Leeson

Training and Resources Lead, SAPERE

I am a qualified teacher but became a philosophical teacher-educator after encountering philosophical enquiry over 20 years ago, facilitating dialogue ever since in my classrooms, schools, community and at home with my family. I work for SAPERE, the national charity for philosophical... Read More →

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Executive suite Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Cross phase

Key Stage KS2, KS3, KS4

9:00am PDT

Spiralling sustainability - Deepening understanding through insight from a Singapore school

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

205

In this workshop, we’ll share how we have structured assigned tasks for students across four years to deepen their understanding of key geographical concepts. A primary focus is on sustainability, a core concept in Singapore’s geography curriculum. The tasks are designed using immersive scenario-based learning, enabling students to bridge classroom knowledge with practical applications. Through a scaffolded approach, students deepen their understanding of sustainability and other key geographical concepts as they progress through their secondary education journey.

Speakers

Haslinda Safiee

Subject Head Geography, Ministry of Education, Singapore

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Early career teacher

Key Stage KS3, KS4

9:00am PDT

Planning for progression in your geography curriculum

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

201

How do geography teachers select content, design and structure their curriculum to enable student progression? UCL's Fawcett Fellows will reveal the thinking behind their curriculum making.

Speakers

Dr Alex Standish

Associate Professor of Geography Education, UCL Institute of Education

Joanne Clarke

Head of Geography, Queen Anne's School

- OneNote for delivering learning- Augmented reality sandbox- human geography A Level- abandoned places

Fiona Sheriff

Head of Geography, Kingsthorpe College

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
201 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4

9:00am PDT

Write like a geographer

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

Chakrabarti room

We use strategies from the classroom to get students to write more concisely, use more key terminology and develop their answers to fully explain the formation or process discussed.

Speakers

Stephanie Cottle

Head of Geography, SPC Geographical Association

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Chakrabarti room Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4

9:00am PDT

What does progress look like when using GIS?

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

202

This session will provide a framework on what progress using GIS can look like, and approaches that can be used to develop GIS use across the curriculum by students and educators. It will refer to examples of how GIS has been developed in different settings, and how to work connectively with external organisations to achieve this.

Speakers

Bob Lang

Geography Teacher, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls

As a Geography Teacher at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, I have over 20 years of experience. I am passionate about supporting geography teachers and educators from different backgrounds and levels of expertise, and collaborating with various organisations and institutions... Read More →

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject leader

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

11:00am PDT

Connected classrooms: using simulations in geography

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT

202

Simulations are powerful tools, fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of human and physical geography. Delve into the use of simulations as a means for students to explore the complexities of connected geographies, empowering students to understand and navigate the global landscape with empathy and agency.

Speakers

Casie Gaebler Dolan

Learning Leader, American Community School of Abu Dhabi

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

11:00am PDT

Encouraging media literacy in geography

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT

205

Young people are increasingly connected to the wider world through the internet, and consume media in many forms. The session explores how we can empower young people to interpret the wealth of information they have access to, and to think critically and form their own opinions on geographical issues.

Speakers

Damayanti Sankaran

Teacher of Geography, Comberton Village College

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

11:30am PDT

Connecting the 'what' with the 'why' of fieldwork

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT

205

Want your students to be fantastic at fieldwork? We'll share simple activities and quality questions to help your students connect what they do in your existing fieldwork with why you've chosen to do it that way. Teach them the thinking behind your decisions in KS3 and GCSE fieldwork so that they're ready to make their own in the A level NEA.

Speakers

Jill Owens

Fieldwork Tutor, Cranedale Centre

I've been working with young people for over 20 years, starting as a 'Group Leader' for PGL at the age of 18, spending 7 years teaching Geography in secondary school classrooms and now working outdoors as a Fieldwork Tutor for the Cranedale Centre in Yorkshire.I hope the things I... Read More →

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Fieldwork

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

11:30am PDT

Connecting to place: insights from the Migration Museum

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT

202

Join the Migration Museum's award-winning learning team to explore how the movement of people to and from the UK has shaped who we are as individuals, as communities and as nations. Discover how migration can act as a catalyst for communication, connectedness and belonging in human geography. Share knowledge, learn best practice and gain practical tools for the classroom.

Speakers

Tia Shah

Learning Officer, Migration Museum

Liberty Melly

Head of Learning, Migration Museum

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

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

11:30am PDT

Exploring the new volcanic era in Iceland

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT

Chakrabarti room

Offering a physical and human perspective with a critical thinking approach, this lecture will outline the causes of a new era of tectonic activity and examine how new technologies have influenced and informed decision-making. We'll also show the connections of the tectonic hazard to people and explore the social, economic and political impacts both nationally and internationally.

Speakers

Karen Corfield

Education Development Consultant, Discover the World Education

Elen Harris

Sevenoaks School

Thursday April 17, 2025 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
Chakrabarti room Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

2:00pm PDT

Tails of the unexpected: rich geographical connections

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

207

Join this lively workshop of practical activities that celebrate place perspectives that are surprising, serendipitous, miniature and unusual. Inspired by local landscapes, accompanied by quizzical mice, we seek to foster curiosity through a series of geographical enquiries. This workshop encourages learners to slow down, observe, explore and notice detail, recognising change and finding fascination in places of repair and transformation.

Speakers

Colin Walker

Former Senior Lecturer in Geographical Education

Sharon Witt

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
207 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Cross phase

Key Stage Early Years, KS1, KS2, KS3

2:00pm PDT

Tackling educational disadvantage in the geography classroom

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

Executive suite

This workshop will focus on highlighting key strategies geography teachers can deploy to support students, with the aim of reducing the educational disadvantage gap. It will share work from schools in Hampshire, exploring examples in supporting literacy and pupil engagement. Attendees will also have the opportunity to reflect on the impact of their own strategies.

Speakers

Kate Broadribb

Geography Adviser for Hampshire LA

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Executive suite Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Early career teacher

Key Stage KS3, KS4

2:00pm PDT

Connecting diverse communities to their locality through a decolonised cross-curricular local study

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

202

University of Sheffield PGCE geography and history tutors and students collaborated on an alternative cross-curricular KS3 study of Sheffield's industrial growth and urbanisation, unearthing hidden connections to imperialism, enslavement and global trade. This session will share the learning from this project and explore how its principles could be applied to create decolonised learning schemes and teaching resources elsewhere.

Speakers

Mark Cottingham MSc FCCT

University Teacher, University of Sheffield

I am a PGCE History Tutor at The University of Sheffield. A Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a former head teacher, I am currently reading for a Doctorate in Education with a focus on the contested concept of historical empathy.

Christine Winter

Lecturer Emerita, University of Sheffield

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, Early Career Teacher

3:00pm PDT

Strategic trip planning with purpose

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:25pm PDT

205

Geography trips often limit themselves to local fieldwork or Iceland residencies. This session proposes strategic trip planning that integrates multiple subjects; I'll also discuss approaches encouraging educators to expand their horizons. Virtual fieldwork will illustrate how technology can transform learning, bringing distant locales vividly to life and enriching students' global perspectives.

Speakers

Simon Bannister

Head of Geography, Wycombe Abbey

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:25pm PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Fieldwork

Key Stage KS2, KS3, KS4, Post-16

3:00pm PDT

GIS-T

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:25pm PDT

206

The GIS-T project aims to integrate GIS into school curricula to empower students in addressing climate change. By utilizing GIS technology, students will develop the critical spatial analysis and problem-solving skills necessary for understanding and responding to climate change. This project equips future generations to analyze geographic data, interpret scenarios and create sustainable, long-term solutions.

Speakers

Luc Zwartjes

Researcher/Teaching Assistant, Ghent University - Geography Department

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:25pm PDT
206 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

3:30pm PDT

Exploring the Holocaust through sites and sources

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

201

Over the past two years, in partnership with The Association of Jewish Refugees' UK Holocaust Map, we've been trialling visits with teachers across the UK to sites connected with the Holocaust. This workshop will explore the possibilities, benefits and resources available for teachers wanting to explore local UK-based stories within their classrooms and/or their localities.

Speakers

Dr Jenny Carson

Education Officer - Teacher Training, Holocaust Educational Trust

Martin Winstone

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
201 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Cross phase

Key Stage KS2, KS3, KS4, Post-16

3:30pm PDT

Arriving where we started: do we know our place?

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

202

We never truly arrive at a place; we're always exploring. Yet we teach case studies as if they're absolute, often discussing places we've never visited. This lecture, inspired by T.S. Eliot, Yi-Fu Tuan and Zeno's paradoxes, challenges us to discuss the importance of teaching about places with humility, acknowledging that exploration and understanding should be ongoing by teacher and student alike.

Speakers

Amy Case

Head of Geography, Latymer Upper School

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

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

3:30pm PDT

Critical connections

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

204

Who'd have ever thought there's a connection between plate tectonics, the (deep) water cycle and 21st century critical minerals? This workshop explores how these topics are inextricably linked, and how they can be taught to bring a bang up-to-date version of seemingly abstract physical geography topics to students.

Speakers

Duncan Hawley

Geography & Geoscience Educator/Chairperson PGSIG, GA Physical Geography Special Interest Group (PGSIG)

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
204 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

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

3:30pm PDT

Integrating climate education into GCSE Geography

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

205

Speakers

Simon Ross

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

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

3:30pm PDT

Telling geography's stories to non-specialist audiences

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

Chakrabarti room

As teacher recruitment gets harder, we know that it's more likely we'll be supporting non-specialist teachers in understanding and teaching our material. In this session, Alistair and David share what they've learned about the stories of geography from writing, and how it helps to build a sense of the disciplinary concepts and approach for non-specialist teachers.

Speakers

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 →

Alistair Hamill

Head of Geography, Lurgan College

Thursday April 17, 2025 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT
Chakrabarti room Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject leader

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

4:20pm PDT

Learning through enquiry: possibilities and plans

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT

204

Enquiry approaches in geography lessons engage pupils, but aligning these approaches to curriculum requirements can be a challenge. In this session, we'll share enquiry approaches using examples from a range of schools and phases; participants will have the opportunity to share their own practices and will be provided with frameworks, examples and actions for embedding enquiry in their own schools.

Speakers

Dr Susan Pike

Assistant Professor in Geography Education, Trinity College Dublin

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT
204 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Cross phase

Key Stage KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, Post-16

4:20pm PDT

What kind of geographical connections do students need to make?

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT

JHB lecture theatre

In order to learn to think geographically, students need to be involved in making connections between: their personal geographies and new knowledge; claims made by disciplinary knowledge and supporting evidence; geographical concepts, processes and models and their application to new case-studies; and policies, practices and their social, economic, environmental and ethical implications.

Speakers

Margaret Roberts MBE

Senior Lecturer (retired); Past GA President, University of Sheffield

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT
JHB lecture theatre Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Early career teacher

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

4:20pm PDT

How to teach Africa better

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT

205

Where do African countries and their communities fit within your scheme of learning? Are your students leaving your classroom with an echo of the immensity of the continent and the heterogeneity of it's peoples? How do we turn the tide on the reproduction of outdated narratives to give way to strategies that will help us to see the knowledges, lived experiences and working realities of African countries and it's communities in fuller colour. Join this workshop to explore what this could look like in your own context.

Speakers

Hope Nyabienda

Teacher, Decolonising Geography

I’m a Geography Teacher based at Finchley Catholic High School. I am also a member of the Decolonising Geography Collective. Making Geographical knowledge decolonised makes for a more equitable geographical education.

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

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

4:20pm PDT

Nature in cities: connecting communities

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT

201

Earthwatch recognises and values the importance of nature in cities. Green spaces provide pockets for biodiversity, help to connect communities and mitigate the negative effects of air pollution, excessive noise, heat and flooding. This workshop explores potential nature-based solutions – from Tiny Forest to FreshWater Watch and Green Earth Schools – and how we can remove barriers to accessing these spaces.

Speakers

Sarah Staunton-Lamb

Learning, Communities and EDI Lead, Earthwatch Europe - Senior Communities & Learning Manager

25+ years working in the environment and education. Come and find me the stand at D29 to find out more about opportunities for teachers and schools with Earthwatch.I am a Senior Learning Manager and Facilitator within Earthwatch. With over 25 years’ experience of working in the... Read More →

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:20pm - 5:10pm PDT
201 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Subject knowledge

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