GeogPod

Listen in to the final episode of Series 9 to hear Ryan Ing, current GA postgraduate intern, talk to us about what geography means to him and how he progressed from A levels in physics and geography to a research career in glaciology. John and Ryan discuss the transition from A level to University and beyond, the future of glaciers in Greenland and why it's important to connect with the environmen...

Joe Usher is Assistant Professor in Primary Geography Education and Social, Environmental and Scientific Education at Dublin City University. He joins John this week to talk about how to get teachers and pupils to recognise the threads of geography running through everyday spaces and places, and how to implement tools like Minecraft to get them to consider issues such as sustainability and accessi...

In this episode, John chats with Dawn Gessey-Jones: teacher and geography co-ordinator at Two Rivers School, a special school providing for pupils and students with a wide range of educational needs and recipient of the Gold Primary Geography Quality Mark from 2009-2021. They talk about the school's approaches to making the subject relevant and inclusive, and how to give it meaning for individual...

In this week's podcast, John speaks with Alan Parkinson, President of the Geographical Association 2021-22, and Paula Richardson, of the GA Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group, as we head into National Fieldwork Week .  They look at all aspects of fieldwork: why it is necessary, what teachers can do to get pupils and students involved, and the benefits of engaging with field...

In this episode, John speaks with Gill Miller, Senior Lecturer Emerita at University of Chester.  They talk about Gill's history in the field of geography education, from examining to assessment and specification development, and look into geography's potential to widen perspectives and inspire pupils to become informed, concerned and ethical citizens. Subjects covered include fieldwork, the...

In this episode, John talks to Dr Sarah Greene , Associate Professor of Palaeoclimates at the University of Birmingham. Their discussion covers the importance of field teaching across schools and universities, and working to make fieldwork practices inclusive and accessible. They also look at Sarah's research into the carbon cycle, and how looking to the geological past can provide insights on env...

In this episode, John is joined by Dr Natasha Dowey - Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography at Sheffield Hallam University specialising in Volcanology and the editor of Geoscience for the Future . Their discussion centres on geoscience, its decline at A level and equity in geoscience.   Twitter:  @DrNatashaDowey Geoscience for the Future Geology for global development Equator Series 8 of...

This week, John is joined by educational consultant and author, David Gardner. Their conversation includes topics such as the intricacies of geography curriculum planning and the importance of sequencing; how teaching has changed through the years as the result of technology; climate change and COP26. Some of the resources mentioned are linked below: Planning your coherent 11-16 geography curricul...

This week, John is joined by Dr Sylvia Knight, Head of Education at the Royal Meteorological Society. Their conversation centres on the COP26, climate change, the IPCC and some of the resources teachers can use in the classroom. For some of the resources mentioned, they are linked below: https://www.metlink.org/weather-and-climate-teachers-guide/ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxfRaIHcilDc...

This week, John is joined by Dr Tim Daley , Association Professor of Physical Geography at School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at Plymouth University and Kate Stockings , Head of Geography at Hampstead School.  Their discussion centres on climate change and the climate crisis, touching on their work on a soon to be released Top Spec edition, the history of climate change in...

In the second episode of Series 8 of GeogPod, John speaks to Shenona Mitra, who is a climate activist and vice-chair of the Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) Wales, to discuss climate change and what it feels like to be a youth activist and how young people can change the world of climate activism. Series 8 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by  Hodder Education . Hodder Education work with expert...

In the first episode of Series 8 of GeogPod, John speaks to Michila Critchley, Associate and Programme Coordinator for InterClimate Network , which is a registered charity with a mission to inspire young people in the UK to become leaders and advocates for action on climate change.  Series 8 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Hodder Education . Hodder Education work with expert authors to prod...

For the final episode of series 7 of GeogPod, John spoke to Kirstin Coughtrie , founder of Gaia Learning about the use of technology and AI in teaching, the advantages and challenges of home-schooling, and how Britannica's resources can help pin a home school programme to the specification.  Series 7 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Britannica.  Take  Britannica's LaunchP...

David Alcock , is a geography teacher, teaching and learning champion at Bradford Grammar school as well as a writer and presenter. David joined John to discuss, among other things, his concept of 'Hopeful geography', which he has developed over a number years of work of and reflection. Series 7 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Britannica.  Take  Britannica's LaunchPacks  GCSE...

This week John sat down with Caiti Walter to discuss her route into geography teaching and to explore her views and strategies when it comes to designing a geography curriculum (plus much more).  Series 7 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Britannica.  Take  Britannica's LaunchPacks  GCSE for a spin with history and geography lessons, built with Shireland Academy educators...

This week, John spoke to Dr Simon Carr. Simon is Associate Professor of Geography and the University of Cumbria, specialising in geomorphology and climate change. Much ground was covered in the pod, including Simon's work in geomorphology, the Anthropocene, what constitutes a truly natural environment and the importance of getting out and seeing a landscape for yourself.  Series 7 of GeogPod...

This week John was joined by Dr Amber Murrey. Amber is an Associate Professor in Human Geography, Fellow and Tutor at Mansfield College, Oxford University.  John and Amber touched on many issues in their chat, including confronting the silence on racism in school geography, what an anti-racist curriculum could look like, the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline and witchcraft! Series 7 of GeogPod is&nb...

Ben Hennig is Professor of Geography at the University of Iceland, an honorary research associate at the University of Oxford and also the founder of Worldmapper. Ben sat down with John to talk about his career to date, his work at the University of Iceland, the origins of the Worldmapper project, Trump tweets and much more.  Series 7 of GeogPod is kindly sponsored by Britannica.  T...

This week John spoke to Professor Jamie Woodward from the University of Manchester about two key global issues; our developing understanding of climate change during the Quaternary and microplastic transport and storage in river catchments. Both are major examples of how physical geography research has impacted on national and global policy. Jamie’s research on microplastics in rivers is now feedi...

This week John spoke to Dr Stephen Scoffham , former GA President, Visiting Reader in Sustainability and Education at Canterbury Christ Church University and author of atlases, text books and much more besides.  John and Stephen covered a lot of ground, including why geography matters, what makes good quality geography teaching, tackling controversial issues, capital cities, whether geography...

In this week's episode, John spoke to Rachel Kay about how to prepare your department for a deep dive visit from Ofsted. Rachel is Head of Geography and Lead Practitioner at Yorkshire school as well as being a member of the GA's Secondary Phase Committee.   Rachel's articles in Teaching Geography: ' The deep dive geography experience: intent, implementation and impact ' (2021) ' Mark my words...

This week John was joined by Professor  Tamsin Mather from Oxford University. Tamsin is professor of Earth Sciences and her research centres around volcanoes and volcanic behaviour.  Thanks to Collins for sponsoring series 6 of GeogPod. Links from the pod Public Lecture: Volcanoes and past climate: adventures with deep carbon Blog about Masaya and volcanic gases Volcano watching: weapons...

This week John was joined by Professor Johanna Waters from University College London and Dr Maggi Leung from Utrecht University to discuss examples of students travelling across borders for education. The conversation focuses mainly on the China/Hong Kong border but also cited other examples of this phenomenon and various push and pull factors related to it. Thanks to Collins for sponsoring series...

In this week's episode John spoke to Alistair Hamill , Geography teacher by day, astrophotographer by night. Alistair talked about how to use GIS in the classroom and how Alistair used it to bring divided communities in Northern Ireland together. John and Alistair also talked about plate tectonics and Alistair's photography. Thanks to Collins for sponsoring series 6 of GeogPod. Links from the pod...

This week our GeogPod guest was the GA's very own Chief Executive, Alan Kinder. Alan spoke to John about his path to becoming the GA's Chief Executive as well his reflections on the Association's work and upcoming priorities. Many thanks to Edquas for sponsoring season 5 of GeogPod. Book for GA Conference 2021 Get Involved in the GA