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.
Log in to bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar.
The 'kick-off' session for the SKS which will involve some ice-breaker activities, planning a pathway through the Conference programme and a scavenger hunt
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 field visit will take you on a walking tour of Bicester, exploring some of the sites that make it an interesting case study of urban change. We'll visit: Graven Hill, the UK's largest self-build estate; a restaurant that supports population control in Thailand; and, of course, Bicester Village, the second most visited location in the UK by Chinese tourists after Buckingham Palace.
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 →
Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
BicesterBicester Village, 6HB, Station Approach, Bicester
Drawing inspiration from Local by Alastair Humphreys, and with an emphasis on divisions of space and place, this field visit will show a range of techniques teachers can use to explore any single grid square close to their school. There will be two concurrent strands to the field visit, with separate activities highlighted for primary and secondary students.
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 →
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 →
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 →
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.
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.
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.
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 →
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.
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.
Turning the mobile phone from a hinderance to an aid! This session will explore how embracing apps and digital practices can support learning in the field, engage students with their surroundings and connect them to the wider world of geography. It will aid you with the tools to take the textbook out of the classroom.
Detroit-based geographer and cartographer Alex B. Hill presents his perspective on the US city's social and economic troubles and more recent renewal. It's an essential update on this popular 'distant place study' at A level, with a focus on social inequality and the representation of community groups. The session includes an opportunity to reflect on classroom practice with regard to 'far places'.
Alex has more than 10 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations on campaigns that impact policies and communities. As a data nerd and anthropologist, Alex finds meaningful stories to tell whether he’s sifting through spreadsheets or interviewing people. Alex is able... Read More →
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.
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.
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.
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.
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-centered fieldwork, guiding students in developing sustainable solutions for disaster-prone areas.
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.
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.
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 →
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 →
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.
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 →
Using a historical geographical perspective, this lecture explains how states, since the period of enslavement and colonization, have attempted to control African mobility and have responded to Africans who move independently of the state. Such continuities are evident in contemporary migration policies and practices. I end with an argument for the development of regional initiatives that serve to humanize Africans who move.
