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 BST

A relational approach to decolonising geography teaching

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

203

Approaches to the teaching of geography are predominantly based on a colonial logic of separation that views phenomena as objects to be studied and classified, rather than on the understanding that all beings in the world, human and non-human, are interconnected and interdependent. A logic of separation also separates the overall purpose of the discipline from its past. In this session I argue for the inclusion of a relational approach to decolonising geography teaching that locates the subject in the context of its establishment as an academic discipline in the 19th century, and I consider the implications for our practices in the context of the potential of geography education to foster the sustainability of all life on the planet.

Speakers

Dr Fran Martin

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Exeter

I’ve long been interested in the Geographies of Difference, which was the theme of my presidential year in 2012. Since then my interests have expanded to include decolonising educational relationships and what this might mean for geography education. Please find me to chat about... Read More →

Fatima Pirbhai-Illich

A relational approach to decolonising geography teaching pptx

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

Secondary

Key Stage All KS

9:00am BST

Geography revision: connecting facts with concepts

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

204

How can students move from absorbing and regurgitating facts to connecting and applying them to complex geographical concepts and issues? Using resources from OUP revision guides, you'll try out some ideas to help students make such a move, and will discuss how to apply and adapt them to your circumstances. Useful for new and experienced teachers alike.

Speakers

David Alcock

Geography Teacher, Bradford Grammar School and OUP Author

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

Secondary

Key Stage KS4

9:00am BST

Planning for progression in your geography curriculum

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

201

How do geography teachers select content, design and structure their curriculum to enable student progression? We will consider this question in both theory and practice. Two UCL's Fawcett Fellows will reveal the thinking behind their curriculum making practice.

Speakers

Dr Alex Standish

Associate Professor of Geography Education, UCL Institute of Education

Researching knowledge and the curriculum. Teaching PGCE, MA and PhD at University College London.

Fiona Sheriff

Head of Geography, Kingsthorpe College

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

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4

9:00am BST

Write like a geographer

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

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

Exhibitors

GA Secondary Phase Committee

The purpose of the Secondary Phase Committee (SPC) is to support GA members concerned with geography at key stages 3 and 4 and to represent their views and interests.What we doMonitor the views, interests, concerns and issues facing secondary geography members of the GA. In addition... Read More →

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

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4

11:00am BST

Encouraging Media Literacy in Geography

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

205

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

Speakers

Maya Sankaran

Teacher of Geography, Comberton Village College

I am a teacher of geography at Comberton Village College. I have a particular interest in decolonising geography and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. My research focus at the moment is on using different media including comics, oral histories and film to assist teaching... Read More →

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

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

2:00pm BST

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

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

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

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Sheffield

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

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, Early Career Teacher

3:00pm BST

GIS-T

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

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 BST
206 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

Key Stage KS3, KS4, Post-16

3:30pm BST

Arriving where we started: do we know our place?

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

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 BST
202 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

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

3:30pm BST

GIS for disaster risk awareness: a fieldwork approach

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

Executive suite

How can we help students understand the intricate connections between people, places and environments through fieldwork? This session showcases our fieldwork project in Bali, integrating ArcGIS for spatial analysis and collaboration with local geoscience experts. Participants will learn how to enhance student engagement through technology-enabled and human-centred fieldwork, guiding students in developing sustainable solutions for disaster-prone areas.

Please bring a laptop with internet access and internet browser for this hands-on session, where participants will explore how students use ArcGIS to map disaster risk and propose an evacuation route as part of a geographical investigation.

Speakers

Yuting Wee

Subject Head (Geography), Beatty Secondary School, Ministry of Education

Jessica, Pei Yi Kang

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

Secondary

Key Stage Post-16

4:20pm BST

How to teach Africa better

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

205

This workshop looks to connect Pan-Africanist Theory into classroom practice together as we explore where 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 BST
205 Oxford Brookes University,Headington Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP

Secondary

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

4:20pm BST

Maths for A level geography: reflections, ideas and discussion

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

206

Maths skills are important for geographers as they make sense of the connections between people, places and environments; gathering and analysing data facilitates synoptic thinking. We'll offer teachers the chance to explore specification-focused concepts and techniques relevant to the teaching and learning of A level geography. You'll explore resources, use data and try activities.

Speakers

Tom Rainbow

AMSP National Coordinator, Royal Geographical Society with IBG

I currently work as a maths education support specialist within the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP), which is led and delivered by Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI). I have shared responsibility within this role for supporting teachers in the delivery of the level... Read More →

Simon Pinfield

Manager: Resources, Projects and Partnerships, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

My work at the Society includes managing our resources for schools programme, leading our corporate partnership work with Esri UK, leading external partnership projects, working with FT for Schools (including our joint essay competition), overseeing work on the Discovering the Arctic... Read More →

David Holmes

Founder and Director, InView Assets

A geospatial expert and professional drone pilot with CAA approval for commercial operation behind a Somerset-based technology-focused business. InView Assets is a leading UAV aerial survey and geographic data company. Providing customers with unique and cost-effective geo-spatial... Read More →

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

Secondary

Key Stage Post-16