The latest books is about bringing powerful knowledge into the classroom.
The geography chapter has been written by Dr. Alex Standish. It explores the curriculum thinking of two heads of department, who consider how knowledge is explored in their classrooms.
It's a fairly short chapter and is worth a read.
All now published... and here are some of my author copies.
Feel free to purchase large quantities if you are teaching iGCSE Geography.
Pleased to say these are now taking me into my 30s in terms of books published that I had a part in.
Another one is already due out later in the year - one has been delayed - and I'm now working on 9 more.
They accompany the Student Book for iGCSE in the same series, and a Teacher Guide will be arriving shortly.
The book costs £12.99
The book follows Leonard's life, the ups and downs of life in Manchester, school, racism, attacks on his family, but also the kindness of neighbours, a work mate and ultimately finding love.
The book ends with events mirroring the Windrush Scandal - which is still ongoing. I have blogged about the book previously, and my plans to create this unit as part of a range of work around decolonising the curriculum and adding a colonialism lens to topics such as food and globalisation.
For the first teaching of the unit, I was able to get a bargain price on a book for each Year 7 student from Bookpoint.
I put together a 28 page booklet to help guide the reading, along with support from my colleague who teaches both Geography and English. This was printed as a booklet, with an image of a landing card from the Goldsmith's project on the back.
Along with some context and details on the author, there were also spaces for students to jot down key events in each of the chapters along with a factfile on Leonard - the main character.
As the unit has gone through, I have amended the booklet and changed a few of the questions and emphases - there is plenty of reading and further references at the back of the booklet as well.
The recent DfE guidance on political impartiality has added an interesting dimension to the teaching of this unit, as there is inevitably mention of the Home Office destroying landing cards which would have proved citizenship, deporting people without good cause, and the famous vans suggesting to migrants that they should leave - except the Windrush migrants had lived here and paid taxes and paid into pensions, raised families, worked for the NHS and were then treated terribly.
A few extra activities also worked particularly well - my colleague Helen Melville had great success with students writing 'Chapter 33' - what happened next, with some really creative outcomes. I am also preparing to create a new display on the work that we completed based on the book which will offer opportunities for interactivity with those who see it.
In response to requests, here is Version 1 of the booklet that I created. There will be some amendments made to this before I teach it again, with some clarity over some of the tasks.
Thanks to students for their feedback on the module. It will certainly be repeated next year.
This is an important podcast for any #geographyteacher covering migration in a British context. Ian Sanjay Patel’s overview of postwar British migration policy and its links to empire is essential listening @UCL_SPRC https://t.co/YO1Q3E37JG
— Decolonising Geography (@DecoloniseGeog) April 17, 2021
Adding this book to our departmental library.
A global history of post-War migration and the changes in Britain since 1945.
This video appeared just before Christmas, and I have used it with my Year 7 groups. The page it's hosted on includes an extract from the book and a range of other detail on this book.
We are using this book with our Year 7 groups this term and they will all be receiving a copy.
Congratulations to Ben on the award.
I'm grateful to Thomas Larsen for this really wonderful review of my book, which was published in the US in the 'Geography Journal'. If you are quick, this link will take you to a free PDF download of the whole review - although it can be read on this page too. I am really delighted that Thomas has really 'got' what I was aiming at when writing the book.
Check out Thomas' website as well for more of his work and reviews.
The book is still available to purchase of course. Imagine reading it on a beach this summer.
"Parkinson enters into a personal dialogue with the reader. Reading Why Study Geography? feels like receiving practical life advice from a veteran."
A half term activity - take books off the shelves and see what poetry you can create...
Thanks to Debbie Steel and 'Career Matters' magazine for this excellent review of 'Why Study Geography?' This is targeted at supporting one of the groups of people who we feel the book will be particularly helpful for.
Geography is the big-picture subject for our times. It encompasses subjects ranging from the microscopic – how soils form, and how those soils can be protected and managed well to grow food, for example – through to things as large-scale as the future trajectory of megacities and the threat of ever more warming of the planet. Alan Parkinson’s guide clearly and carefully explains why geography is worthy of study, at GCSE, at A level and at university. It is bang up to date. Students, their teachers and parents are all likely to find it essential reading.
A new movie reimagining the last days of Ötzi is opening next week with its premiere.
